As Major League Baseball nears the halfway point, a competitive two-horse race has emerged between two American League players to see who will be the league’s MVP when the season ends. Shohei Ohtani’s unprecedented play has made him the betting favorite, but Yankees slugger Aaron Judge is hot on his heels with his historic first half performance.
The books go back and forth between the slugger and the two-way sensation
The MLB All Star Game takes place next week, representing the figurative halfway point of the season, and most teams have already played more than half the games on their schedule. The
US sports betting
markets for the American League MVP have been shaped by two first half performances that have enthralled baseball fans with their historic nature. Shohei Ohtani has continued his dominance of the league, cementing his stature by being one of the most dominant pitchers currently taking the mound as well as one of the league’s most potent offensive threats when he steps into the batter’s box. Ohtani’s ability to turn the major leagues into his own personal high school game earned him 2021’s AL MVP award in a landslide vote from the writers, and he has been if anything even more impressive thus far in 2022.
What Ohtani didn’t have working against his MVP candidacy last season was a potentially record-setting performance from a superstar on the opposite coast. The Yankees Aaron Judge notoriously turned down a massive contract extension during the offseason, opting to bet on himself in a final free agency drive season. The move looks like a brilliant one from Judge thus far, as he has put together a first half for the ages. His torrid home run pace has put him in position to break the Yankees single-season home run record of 61, famously held by Roger Maris. Should he manage to keep up the pace and break the record, it would also be the first 60+ home run season by any player since the steroid era when Bonds, Sosa, and McGwire were putting up astronomical steroid-fueled home run totals.
Ohtani holds the betting edge
DraftKings currently pegs Ohtani’s odds at +105 to repeat as the AL MVP, giving him a slight edge over Judge and his +165 odds. No other player seems to have much of a realistic shot, and barring injury or catastrophic performance downturn from either Judge or Ohtani, other AL superstars like Yordan Alveraz (+1000), Mike Trout (+1200), and Rafael Devers (+1500) are huge longshots to snatch the coveted award away from either Judge or Ohtani.
The Angels’ playoff hopes could come into play. The Yankees are a near-lock to hold one of the top seeds in MLB’s newly expanded playoffs, currently owning MLB’s best record. The Angels on the other hand got off to a hot start, but have swooned, and are likely to be on the outside looking in when October rolls around. In close MVP races, the writers have historically shown preference to a player who’s team achieved success, which could give Judge an edge in a close vote.
Fans have a thrilling second half to look forward to
With two all-time talents battling it out with performances not seen in decades in Judge’s case or ever in Ohtani’s,
baseball
fans are in for a treat in the second half. No matter of any fan’s rooting interest, everyone who loves baseball can be glad that the game features such extraordinary talents.
Fan sentiment and the books’ odds seem to fluctuate each time Judge hits another monster home run, and swing back in Ohtani’s favor each time he takes the mound throwing 100mph fastballs and striking out batters at will while also terrorizing opposing pitchers with his offensive prowess. Regardless of the outcome, the race is sure to be must-see viewing that will keep baseball fans and the
top online sportsbooks
on the edges of their seats.
