MLB MVP power rankings: Ranking players based on MVP odds ahead of Opening Day
MLB Opening Day is here. Twenty-eight teams are ready to play their first games of the season this week, but it's never too early to look at who the favorites are in both MVP races.
Unsurprisingly, reigning NL MVP Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. is the early favorite to win the award again after a superb 2023 season. New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge is the favorite in the AL after his third straight season with at least 35 home runs.
MLB has a long season with 162 games for each team to play in total, so these rankings are early and much can still change.
For now, here are the full power rankings for MVP odds in each league ahead of Opening Day.
MLB Opening Day 2024: When is Opening Day? 2024 MLB season schedule, probable pitchers
MLB Opening Day power rankings: AL MVP odds
1. Aaron Judge, New York Yankees (+550)
Two years ago, Judge broke Roger Maris' American League home run record when he slugged 62 in 157 games en route to his first MVP award. With two-way star Shohei Ohtani now in the National League, odds suggest this award is the AL home run king's to lose.
2. Juan Soto, New York Yankees (+600)
Soto moved back across the country and across leagues with his trade to the Yankees from the Padres this offseason. He's gotten down-ballot votes in four of his six seasons as a pro, including an MVP runner-up effort with the Nationals in 2021.
T-3. Corey Seager, Texas Rangers (+1000)
Last October, Seager won his second World Series MVP award with the Rangers' championship. He also won a Silver Slugger award, was an All-Star and earned All-MLB first-team honors in 2023. Last year's AL MVP was another unanimous victory for Ohtani, but it's worth noting that Seager was the runner-up.
T-3. Julio Rodríguez, Seattle Mariners (+1000)
Rodríguez won AL Rookie of the Year in 2022 and earned down-ballot votes for MVP as well. He followed that up with an impressive sophomore season, hitting 32 home runs and knocking in 103 RBIs. It was enough to have him finish fourth in AL MVP voting in 2023.
5. Yordan Álvarez, Houston Astros (+1100)
Álvarez has hit 30 or more home runs in each of the last three seasons despite missing significant time in each of the last two. He's cut his strikeout rate down since his worrisome 25.5% mark in 2019, his rookie year. Álvarez has also gotten some MVP love in down-ballot votes over the last two seasons. He can vie for the award if he stays healthy in 2024.
T-6. Adley Rustchman, Baltimore Orioles (+1600)
T-6. Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals (+1600)
T-8. Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore Orioles (+1800)
T-8. Kyle Tucker, Houston Astros (+1800)
T-8. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays (+1800)
MLB Opening Day power rankings: NL MVP odds
1. Ronald Acuña Jr., Atlanta Braves (+525)
The reigning NL MVP stole a jaw-dropping 73 bases in 2023 while also slugging 41 home runs with an NL-leading 1.012 OPS and MLB-leading 217 hits. If 2024 looks anything like last year, he could walk away with back-to-back MVP honors.
2. Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers (+600)
The 2018 AL MVP had one of the best seasons of his career last year en route to a second-place finish in 2023 NL MVP voting. His 39 home runs were a career-high, and his 1.078 OPS was the best since his MVP season. He's already off to a hot start with six hits (including a home run) in 11 at-bats in the Dodgers' opening series in South Korea.
3. Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers (+900)
The reigning AL MVP has moved to the National League. Provided Ohtani doesn't miss any time with a suspension for the gambling scandal that has rocked baseball, he'll be in the running for a third MVP award. Yes, even without his pitching this year.
4. Fernando Tatís Jr., San Diego Padres (+1000)
Tatís did not particularly excel in 2023. He was returning from a PED suspension and injury that kept him out of the 2022 season entirely, and he was still settling into his new position in the outfield. Tatís did win a Gold Glove for his defensive efforts, but he also posted career lows in batting average and OPS.
5. Freddie Freeman, Los Angles Dodgers (+1100)
Freeman has received MVP votes in more than half of his 14 full seasons in the majors and won the award in the 2020 shortened season. Last year, he hit 29 home runs and knocked an MLB-leading 59 doubles while slashing .331/.410/.567 (.976 OPS). Freeman finished third in NL MVP voting last year.
6. Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies (+1200)
7. Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves (+1400)
8. Corbin Carroll, Arizona Diamondbacks (+2000)
9. Trea Turner, Philadelphia Phillies (+2200)
T-10. Manny Machado, San Diego Padres (+2500)
T-10. Austin Riley, Atlanta Braves (+2500)
T-10. Francisco Lindor, New York Mets (+2500)
MLB power rankings: Ranking teams based on their World Series odds for Opening Day
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Power ranking top MLB players in order of Opening Day MVP odds
