2020 MLB MVP Odds Tracker
- See each contender’s odds of winning the 2020 AL and NL MVP awards
- Mike Trout and Mookie Betts started the shortened 60-game season as the AL and NL favorites, respectively; neither is favored three-quarters of the way in
- Trout is on a quest to win his fourth MVP in just his ninth full season
The graphs below have been generated by averaging the odds from a number of top online sportsbooks to give you a better sense of each player’s chances of winning the 2020 AL and NL Most Valuable Player Awards. Bookmark this page and visit it regularly to see how the odds for the top contenders ebb and flow throughout the season.
2020 American League MVP Odds
Top Contenders
- Sep. 15: Twins DH Nelson Cruz has taken over as the favorite at +125, followed by Shane Bieber at +200.
- Sep. 9: CLE pitcher Shane Bieber (+400) is the AL MVP favorite with fewer than 20 games remaining.
- Sep. 1: Tampa’s Brandon Lowe has supplanted Mike Trout as the AL MVP favorite.
- Aug. 25: Copious changes at the top see Brandon Lowe (+450), Jose Abreu (+950), and Luke Voit (+1100) become top-five favorites.
- Aug. 11: Judge (+257) is closing the gap on Trout (+217). Judge leads the AL in both RBI (19) and home runs (8).
- July 8: Mike Trout’s odds got even longer, going from +119 to +128, while three other top-five contenders got shorter (Lindor, Bregman, and Torres).
- June 26: The increased volatility of a 60-game season has led to perennial favorite Mike Trout dropping from +106 to +119.
- Apr. 30: The prospect of a significantly shortened season has bettors fading Trout, who’s dropped to +106. Smaller sample sizes lead to increased variability.
- Feb. 28: The much-despised Alex Bregman is actually rising up the board a little; his odds improved from +1500 to +1414 in the last two weeks.
- Feb. 14: Early money seems to be on 2015 MVP Josh Donaldson, who’s improved from +6600 to +3300 as he gets set to join a mashing Twins lineup.
- Feb. 5: Mike Trout’s opening odds are a ludicrously short +100, giving him a 50% implied probability. Trout has won three MVP awards in eight full seasons.
2020 AL MVP Odds
| Player (Team) | Odds |
|---|---|
| Nelson Cruz (Twins) | +125 |
| Shane Bieber (Indians) | +200 |
| Jose Abreu (White Sox) | +550 |
| Mike Trout (Angels) | +700 |
| Tim Anderson (White Sox) | +900 |
| Luke Voit (Yankees) | +2000 |
Odds taken Sep. 15, 2020.
AL MVP Odds for Previous Winners
2020 National League MVP Odds
Top Contenders
- Sep. 15: A mini-slump for Tatis Jr (+250) has allowed Betts (also +250) to close the gap entirely.
- Sep. 9: Tatis Jr keeps mashing for the surgeoning Padres, leading his MVP odds to shorten to +125. Some books now have him as the odds-on favorite.
- Sep. 1: The Cubs’ Ian Happ is the newest entry to the top ten; he went from off the board to +2000 over the past seven days.
- Aug. 24: Giants OF Mike Yastrzemski (+483) makes his first appearance on the board as the second-favorite to Tatis (+417).
- Aug. 11: Betts remains the favorite but his odds have faded from +528 to +667. Tatis Jr. has seen the biggest improvement among the top-ten favorites (+1133 to +733).
- July 8: Like Trout in the AL, NL favorite Mookie Betts saw his MVP odds fade slightly in early July (+468 to +528).
- June 25: The first update in the 60-game season era sees Betts (+468) get longer, while second and third-favorites Acuna (+550) and Yelich (+613) both got shorter.
- Apr. 30: Four of the top-five favorites got longer (Betts, Yelich, Acuna, Bellinger) but Juan Soto soared from +1100 to +844.
- Feb. 28: Pete Alonso has made the biggest gains in the latest update, going from +3900 to +3400.
- Feb. 14: Betts is back to front-runner status at +425, while Acuna has fallen from +463 to +500.
- Feb. 7: Now that more books have posted odds, Betts has fallen behind Acuna Jr, Yelich, and Bellinger.
- Feb. 6: After being dealt from the Red Sox to the Dodgers, Mookie Betts immediately opened as the 2020 NL MVP favorite at +500.
2020 NL MVP Odds
| Player (Team) | Odds |
|---|---|
| Fernando Tatis Jr (Padres) | +250 |
| Mookie Betts (Dodgers) | +250 |
| Freddie Freeman (Braves) | +450 |
| Corey Seager (Dodgers) | +700 |
| Marcell Ozuna (Braves) | +800 |
| Michael Conforto (Mets) | +800 |
| Juan Soto (Nationals) | +900 |
| Manny Machado (Padres) | +1400 |
| Trea Turner (Nationals) | +1800 |
Odds taken Sep. 15th, 2020.
NL MVP Odds for Previous Winners
Several former MVPs are not on the board yet, including Joey Votto, Clayton Kershaw, Buster Posey, and Ryan Braun.
MLB MVP Winners by Position
AL MVP Winners by Position
| Position | Number of MVP Winners |
|---|---|
| Outfield | 32 |
| First Base | 14 |
| Pitcher | 12 |
| Shortstop | 9 |
| Catcher | 8 |
| Third Base | 8 |
| Second Base | 5 |
| Designated Hitter | 1 |
It should come as no surprise, but outfielders have won the most American League MVP awards since 1931. Not only can three outfielders play at all times, but outfielders can also sneak in a little rest by DHing.
NL MVP Winners by Position
| Position | Number of MVP Winners |
|---|---|
| Outfield | 33 |
| First Base | 15 |
| Pitcher | 10 |
| Third Base | 10 |
| Catcher | 8 |
| Shortstop | 7 |
| Second Base | 6 |
Just like in the American League, second baseman have won the fewest MVP awards. The only players to buck the trend are Frankie Firsch (1931), Jackie Robinson (1949), Joe Morgan (1975, 1976), Ryne Sandberg (1984), and Jeff Kent (2000).
MLB MVP Winners by Team
AL MVP Winners by Team
| Team | Number of MVP Winners |
|---|---|
| New York Yankees | 20 |
| Detroit Tigers | 11 |
| Oakland A’s | 11 |
| Boston Red Sox | 11 |
| Texas Rangers | 6 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 5 |
| Minnesota Twins | 5 |
| Los Angeles Angels | 4 |
| Chicago White Sox | 4 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 3 |
| Cleveland Indians | 2 |
| Seattle Mariners | 2 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 2 |
| Kansas City Royals | 1 |
| Houston Astros | 1 |
New York has produced the most American League MVP winners since 1931. Yankees greats Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle both won it three times, and recently retired Yankee Alex Rodriguez won it twice during his time in Gotham.
NL MVP Winners by Team
| Team | Number of MVP Winners |
|---|---|
| St. Louis Cardinals | 17 |
| San Francisco Giants | 13 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 12 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 11 |
| Chicago Cubs | 9 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 7 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 7 |
| Atlanta Braves | 6 |
| Colorado Rockies | 1 |
| San Diego Padres | 1 |
| Houston Astros | 1 |
| Miami Marlins | 1 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 2 |
| Washington Nationals | 1 |
St. Louis had a stranglehold on the National League MVP award during the 1930’s and 40’s thanks to legendary players like Dizzy Dean, Joe Medwick, Stan Musial, and Mort Cooper. The last Cardinal to win the award was Albert Pujols, who won the honor in 2008 and 2009.
Sascha has been the Lead Oddsmaker for SBD for over four years, specializing in football, baseball, hockey, and basketball. He has been featured on USA Today's Draft Wire, Fansided, Chicago Tribune, Newsweek, and numerous additional local and national publications.
