Article courtesy OddsShark (@OddsShark)
Not since 2014 has a pitcher won the National League’s Most Valuable Player Award. That year, it was Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers, as he paired NL MVP honors with his third Cy Young Award.
In 2021, Jacob deGrom of the New York Mets can accomplish the same feat if he continues on his current pace, as the two-time Cy Young winner is the -125 betting favorite at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com to take home his first NL MVP award, likely parlaying that with his third Cy Young as well (how sports betting works).
While deGrom is currently tied for 22nd in the league in wins with a 7-2 record for the NL East-leading Mets, he ranks first in ERA at 1.08 and WHIP at 0.54 to go along with 146 strikeouts (second). However, New York had the third-best mark among division leaders in the league at 47-40 heading into the MLB All-Star break, leading the Philadelphia Phillies by 3.5 games.
Surprisingly, deGrom’s only real competition at online betting sites right now is coming from shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres, as he leads the league in home runs (28) and is second in stolen bases (20) and tied for fourth in RBI (60) while hitting .286 despite missing 19 games.
The 22-year-old phenom is the +125 second choice to win NL MVP, essentially making it a two-player race. The next five players on the betting board are all listed at +4000, which means it would be a major upset if deGrom or Tatis did not win.
That said, those five longer shots with an outside chance include Bryce Harper of the Phillies, Francisco Lindor of the Mets, Kris Bryant of the Chicago Cubs, Nicholas Castellanos of the Cincinnati Reds, and Nolan Arenado of the St. Louis Cardinals. Of that group, Las Vegas natives Harper (2015) and Bryant (2016) are the only ones who have won the NL MVP previously.
Team success would seem to be a deciding factor, but outfielder Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins won it in 2017 when they finished with a losing record at 77-85. Outfielder Cody Bellinger of the Dodgers is their top candidate to win the award in the next group of seven players at +5000 on the NL MVP odds even though he has only played in 34 games, hitting just .176 with four home runs and 17 RBI.
Bellinger also won MVP in 2019, and reigning NLCS and World Series MVP Corey Seager and Max Muncy are next for the Dodgers among three players at +6000.
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