2022 MLB MVP Odds, Favorites & Predictions (AL & NL)

The 2022 MLB season is approaching September, and with a little over a month remaining in the regular season, the MVP favorites are pretty clear in both the American League and National League.

Here, we take a look at the latest twists, turns, and odds for the 2022 AL MVP and NL MVP races, which have seen some high-performing stars separate from the pack of contenders.

Judge, Ohtani Top AL MVP Odds

Last season, Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani picked up AL MVP, while Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper received NL MVP honors for the second time in his career.

Entering the 2022 season, Ohtani was favored to repeat as AL MVP, and while the Angels are once again going nowhere, he remains one of the leading AL MVP contenders.

The other man at the top is New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge.

Judge is running away with this year’s MLB home run title, and though he has cooled down a bit in August, he could still break Roger Maris’s single-season franchise and AL home run record of 61, which was set 61 years ago, in 1961.

This one isn’t over, given that Ohtani can still make a lot of noise as a pitcher and as a hitter.

But with the Angels having nothing to play for and the Yankees at the opposite end of the spectrum, Judge could hold off Ohtani’s two-way exploits by racking up big hits in big wins down the stretch.

Goldschmidt Continues to Outpace NL Contenders

Continuing to sit atop the odds in the NL is St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, whose Cardinals have jumped atop the NL Central recently.

Goldschmidt has played a starring role in their surge past the Milwaukee Brewers and is in scorching form as the month winds down.

Heading into an August 23 doubleheader against the Chicago Cubs, he is hitting .382 (26 of 68) with six doubles, seven homers, and 22 RBI in August.

At this juncture, Goldschmidt is pushing for the best season of his career, and the NL Triple Crown is well within his reach. He leads MLB in batting average and is second in the NL in homers and RBI, with the respective leaders, Kyle Schwarber and Pete Alonso, not all that far ahead.

The last National Leaguer to win the batting Triple Crown was a Cardinal, Hall of Famer Joe Medwick, who did it in 1937. If Goldschmidt can achieve the feat this season, the MVP won’t end up in someone else’s hands.

If it does, it could very well be one of his teammates. Nolan Arenado is now second in the NL MVP race, with 2020 NL MVP Freddie Freeman in third and Austin Riley, Freeman’s former Atlanta Braves teammate, now down in fourth after cooling off recently.

Here are the AL and NL MVP odds for 2022, provided by FanDuel Sportsbook. As with Cy Young odds, all of our recommended sportsbooks also offer MLB MVP odds, so we encourage shopping around for the best possible value for your chosen pick(s).

Listed MLB MVP odds are as of Tuesday, August 23, 2022.

Current 2022 American League MVP Odds

2022 AL MVP Favorites

• Aaron Judge, New York Yankees -750
• Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels +550
• Jose Ramirez, Cleveland Guardians +8500
• Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros +13000
• Kyle Tucker, Houston Astros +25000
• Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays +13000
• Rafael Devers, Boston Red Sox +25000
• Julio Rodriguez, Seattle Mariners +25000
• 13 others at +50000, including former MVPs Mike Trout, Jose Altuve, and Jose Abreu

Current 2022 National League MVP Odds

2022 NL MVP Favorites

• Paul Goldschmidt, St. Louis Cardinals -470
• Nolan Arenado, St. Louis Cardinals +1500
• Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers +1800
• Austin Riley, Atlanta Braves +2500
• Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers +3000
• Manny Machado, San Diego Padres +3000
• Trea Turner, Los Angeles Dodgers +3000
• Nolan Arenado, St. Louis Cardinals +3000
• Pete Alonso, New York Mets +4000
• Francisco Lindor, New York Mets +5000

2022 MLB MVP Preseason Odds, Picks & Best Bets

American League

2022 AL MVP Preseason Odds

• Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels +340 (2021 AL MVP winner)
• Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels +600
• Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays +600
• Byron Buxton, Minnesota Twins +1600
• Rafael Devers, Boston Red Sox +2000
• Aaron Judge, New York Yankees +2200
• Luis Robert, Chicago White Sox +2200
• Jose Ramirez, Cleveland Indians +2500
• Kyle Tucker, Houston Astros +2500
• Wander Franco, Tampa Bay Rays +2500
• Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros +3000
• Bo Bichette, Toronto Blue Jays +3000
• Corey Seager, Texas Rangers +4000
• Carlos Correa, Minnesota Twins +4500
• Alex Bregman, Houston Astros +5000

Odds are via FanDuel.

2022 AL MVP Preseason Best Bet: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels (+380)

Guerrero should have a monster season for the Blue Jays, who are favored to win the AL pennant.

But it’s hard to look past Ohtani, given how outstanding he is at, well, everything.

Last season, he hit 46 homers, drove in 100 runs, and stole 26 bases in 36 attempts. On the mound, he was 9-2 with a 3.18 ERA in 23 starts and struck out 156 batters in 130.1 IP.

Ohtani started the 2022 season hitless at the plate and took the Opening Day loss on the mound against the Astros. But he also struck out nine (and walked just one batter) in only 4.2 innings against Houston.

If he can stay healthy, he could challenge for 40 homers, 30 steals, and 100 RBI as a hitter, plus 200 strikeouts as a pitcher. Those kinds of numbers aren’t going to not win MVP.

2022 AL MVP Preseason Best Value Pick: Rafael Devers, Boston Red Sox (+2000)

Listen, barring injuries, it is unlikely that someone outside of that top three will win AL MVP this season. Someone outside of that group will have to be truly extraordinary to alter things if any of Ohtani, Trout, or Guerrero produces as expected.

But Devers is a good candidate to get in the mix. Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez is also a solid option, but Devers gets the edge here.

Last season, Devers had his second straight full season with 35+ doubles, 30+ homers, 110+ RBI, and 100+ runs season, as he hit .279 with 37 doubles, 38 homers, 113 RBI, and 101 runs scored.

Had there been a 162-game season in 2020, he could be on a streak of three such seasons in a row, given the numbers he put up in 57 games in 2020 (16 doubles, 11 homers, 43 RBI, 32 runs scored), all while hitting only .263.

Devers has already opened 2022 with a bang, hitting a two-run homer in his first at-bat of the season against the rival Yankees. If that is a precursor of what is ahead for him this season, his odds will be shorter than +2000 before long. With that in mind, grab this number while you still can.

National League

2022 NL MVP Preseason Odds

• Juan Soto, Washington Nationals +380
• Ronald Acuna Jr., Atlanta Braves +900
• Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies +900 (2021 NL MVP winner)
• Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers +1300
• Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers +1300
• Francisco Lindor, New York Mets +1800
• Trea Turner, Los Angeles Dodgers +1800
• Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves +2400
• Nolan Arenado, St. Louis Cardinals +2700
• Christian Yelich, Milwaukee Brewers +3000
• Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego Padres +3000
• Pete Alonso, New York Mets +3500
• Tyler O’Neill, St. Louis Cardinals +3500
• Manny Machado, San Diego Padres +3500
• Austin Riley, Atlanta Braves +3500

Odds are via FanDuel.

2022 NL MVP Preseason Best Bet: Juan Soto, Washington Nationals (+380)

Last season, Soto finished second in NL MVP voting despite playing on a team that went 65-97 and finished last season in the NL East. Sure, the crop of candidates and their resumes were not as outstanding as in other seasons. But it is still a notable achievement, especially in his age-22 season.

MLB division predictions and MLB playoff odds do not see the Nationals very favorably, as they are projected to finish last in the East again and are +900 to make the playoffs.

But if Soto could almost win the MVP last season despite how bad the Nationals were, another terrible season for the team is unlikely to scare voters away this season.

2022 NL MVP Preseason Best Value Pick: Austin Riley, Atlanta Braves (+3500)

Riley had a big breakout campaign in 2021, hitting .303 with 33 homers, 107 RBI, and 91 runs scored. He followed up an excellent regular season by hitting over .300 in the NLDS and World Series, and though he hit only .200 in the NLCS, his walk-off hit in Game 1 set the foundation for the Braves’ series win over the Dodgers.

He only finished seventh in NL MVP voting last season, but with Ronald Acuna Jr. lost for the season and the Braves floundering for much of the season, Riley’s emergence is a big reason why they were able to stay afloat and then take control of the NL East race. Without him, the Braves would not have reached the playoffs, much less won the World Series.

Atlanta opened its title defense with an Opening Day loss to the Reds, but Riley went 3 for 4 with a homer and two RBI in the 6-3 loss.

The presence of Matt Olson–and Acuna in the near future–could hamper Riley’s case. But he is an established name now, and that will go a long way if both he and the Braves do well this season.