2018 MLB Awards: Kershaw and Scherzer Top a Crowded Class

• Odds for which players will win the Cy Young award and MVP in the NL and AL.
• Will Giancarlo Stanton become just the second player to win MVP awards in both leagues?
• Will Chris Sale finally win the Cy Young after finishing in the top 5 five times?

Hollywood is all abuzz about awards season this month, but the only awards that matter to us are the ones given out by Major League Baseball in November. We’re talking about the Cy Young and the MVP, and we have the odds on which players will take home these coveted pieces of hardware in the American and National Leagues.

Make sure to visit our most trusted sportsbooks closer to opening day for all available wagers.

2018 NL Cy Young Odds

Clayton Kershaw was well on his way to winning his fourth Cy Young award last season until late July, when lower back tightness forced the 6-foot-4 southpaw to go on the DL and miss his next five starts. Voters hemmed and hawed, but ultimately gave the award to Max Scherzer despite the fact Kershaw led the league in wins and ERA. Assuming Kershaw stays healthy in 2018, he should have more than enough run support to win close to 20 games and add an award (or two) to his already overflowing trophy case.

Should Kershaw falter, Scherzer will be there to swoop in once again. The St. Louis native became just the tenth player in MLB history to win back-to-back Cy Young awards last season after leading the league in strikeouts and WHIP. Scherzer is no longer a spring chicken at 33, but he keeps himself in excellent shape and has made 30 or more starts every year since 2009.

Strasburg has had one of the best winning percentages in the Majors over the last two years, but has yet to put together a truly elite season due to injuries and innings restrictions.

As brilliant as Scherzer has been lately, he may end up splitting votes this season with Nationals teammate Stephen Strasburg. The three-time All-Star has had one of the best winning percentages in the Majors over the last two years, but has yet to put together a truly elite season due to injuries and innings restrictions. Will this finally be the year that everything breaks just right?

2018 AL Cy Young Odds

The 2018 AL Cy Young race could be the closest in years with at least five bona fide aces in contention. At the top of our list is Red Sox fireballer Chris Sale, who led the league in strikeouts and innings pitched in 2017 and began the season by striking out ten or more batters in his first eight starts. The 28-year-old lefty finished in the top five in Cy Young voting for the fifth straight year and it feels like just a matter of when, not if, he’ll finally take home top honors.

One pitcher standing in Sale’s way will be Corey Kluber, who won his second Cy Young in 2017 after leading the AL in wins, ERA, and fewest displays of human emotion. The 31-year-old Klubot is a finely oiled machine who goes deep into games and gives the Indians a shot at winning every game he starts.

And don’t sleep on Luis Severino, who won 14 games in 2017 after beginning the season as the Yankees’ fourth starter. The 24-year-old has added a nasty slider to go along with his 97 mph fastball and should benefit from a ridiculous amount of run support from New York’s revamped roster.

2018 NL MVP Odds

No player has more at stake in 2018 than Bryce Harper, who could become baseball’s first $400 million man if he can build upon the promise he displayed during his MVP season in 2015. A hyperextended knee kept him on the shelf for six weeks last season, but he’s 100-percent healthy again and has ample motivation to have a career year.

Goldschmidt was third in MVP balloting a year ago and remains one of the best two-way players in baseball.

If the pressure proves to be too much for Harper, Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt is more than capable of rising to the challenge. The five-time All-Star was third in MVP balloting a year ago and remains one of the best two-way players in baseball. An MVP award would look awfully nice propped up between his three Silver Slugger trophies and three Gold Gloves.

And don’t forget about Kris Bryant. The 2016 MVP caught fire after the All-Star break and hit .325 in the second half of the season. He should get plenty of love from voters in 2018 as the Cubbies will be in the spotlight all season long.

2018 AL MVP Odds

Just how good is Mike Trout? The six-time All-Star missed 39 games last season with a torn ligament in his thumb and he still hit 33 homers and led the league in on base percentage and slugging percentage. The Millville Meteor has finished in the top five in MVP voting in each of the last six seasons and should have another banner year in 2018 thanks to the protection provided by Justin Upton, an MVP-candidate in his own right who will hit in the four slot.

Trout’s biggest competition comes from the smallest player on our list. Jose Altuve won his first MVP award in 2017 after hitting .346 with 24 home runs and 81 RBIs. The 5-foot-6 phenom has tallied 200 or more hits in each of his last four seasons and is just now entering his prime.

Giancarlo Stanton should also cast a big shadow over this year’s race. The 2017 NL MVP hit a career-high 59 dingers last season and should be even more dominant at Yankees Stadium, where the right field foul pole is 21 feet closer then it is at Marlins Park.