Cody Bellinger, 2019 WAR Leader, Still Odds-on Favorite to Win NL MVP; Home Run Leader Christian Yelich Given +110 Odds

• The 2019 NL MVP race is between the Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger and Brewers’ Christian Yelich
• Yelich leads the NL in home runs with 36 and batting average at .333
• Bellinger is the current WAR Leader at 7.1, ahead of even AL-leader Mike Trout (6.9)

With Major League Baseball’s trade deadline behind us, the MLB MVP Awards odds have been updated. The National League MVP race continues to be a two-horse affair, as it has been for most of the year, with Cody Bellinger and Christian Yelich the only two viable candidates.

Odds to Win 2019 NL MVP

*Odds as of 08/02/19.
Both Cody Bellinger and his Dodgers (72-39) are having dream seasons. Bellinger has a .331 average, 1.109 OPS, 35 home runs and 83 RBIs.

Yet, Christian Yelich of the Brewers (57-53) has almost identical numbers with a .332 average, 1.118 OPS, 36 HRs and 81 RBIs.

2019 NL HR Leaders

Christian Yelich (36)
Cody Bellinger (35)
Pete Alonso (34)
Hunter Renfroe (30)

All Leaders: https://t.co/RaggwiwJHB

— Baseball Reference (@baseball_ref) August 2, 2019

Should Bellinger be the odds-on favorite to win NL MVP, given how close he and Yelich are, statistically?

Bellinger Has Already Eclipsed  2018 Home Run Total

Bellinger has already beat his home run total from last year (25) by 10. He also flirted with hitting over .400 in the early part of the season. He has stated that he blocks reports of his high-end stats and that he focuses naturally on the game.

When he hit his 35th home run against the Padres on Thursday night, fans began to chant “MVP MVP MVP.”

Bellinger is the current WAR Leader at 7.1. The next-closest player is the Angels Mike Trout at 6.9 with Yelich fourth at 5.8.

Cody Bellinger vs Christian Yelich Head to Head Stats

Yelich Looking for Another NL MVP Title

Yelich won the 2018 NL MVP and there was some expectation that he would regress this season. So far, he has proven everyone wrong and may in fact take the quadruple crown (home runs, batting average, RBIs, and total hits).

He leads the NL in batting average with Jeff McNeil of the New York Mets behind him and Cody Bellinger of the L.A. Dodgers in third.

Christian Yelich and the #BrewCrew are ready to #PlayBall in the Windy City! #ThisIsMyCrew pic.twitter.com/eYsSrfx0Eh

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) August 2, 2019

Yelich is also leading the league in home runs with 36, followed by Bellinger and Pete Alonso of the Mets.

In the RBI department, Yelich sits in third and is only seven behind leader Josh Bell, who’s slumping terribly.

Lastly, he is tied for fourth in total hits with 125, which is just seven behind leader Ketel Marte of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Yelich is first in overall OPS at 1.125, second in the NL in WAR at 5.8, and third in stolen bases with 23, just two off the NL lead.

The Best Bet

Despite the odds favoring Bellinger, Yelich is putting together just as good a season, overall, in terms of numbers. He also has the better track record. He’s better value at +110.

Pick: Yelich (+110) to win the NL MVP.