MLB Prop Pick: Pete Alonso To Win MVP Award (+1600) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
Two players who would contend for the 2023 NL MVP Award will not be ready when their teams open the season Thursday. Should that affect your betting? In one case, probably.
We break down the NL MVP favorites with MLB odds from BetOnline, one of the best sportsbooks.
2023 National League MVP Award
Let’s remind everyone that two-time NL MVP Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies might not play until around midseason as he comes off Tommy John surgery. Going into the fifth season of a $330 million contract with the Phillies, Harper hasn’t played right field since last April 16.
He had a platelet-rich plasma injection on his elbow in May and became a full-time DH to finish the season, helping lead the Phillies to their first World Series appearance since 2009. He had the surgery this winter. Harper presumably will have to stick to DH this season as well. He’s +4000 to win a third MVP and that’s not really worth it because of how long Harper will miss.
San Diego’s Fernando Tatis Jr. is +1000. He isn’t eligible to return from his PED suspension until April 20. He will play in Triple-A until ready. One benefit of the Padres’ 2022 deep postseason run was getting Tatis Jr. for 12 additional games in 2023.
Last August, Tatis was suspended for 80 games (including playoffs) after testing positive for a banned substance. Tatis is still plenty good enough to win MVP even missing a few weeks but if he’s caught with drugs again will be facing a year-long suspension.
Padres Have 4 Contenders
I’m surprised no book has offered the Padres’ quartet of Tatis Jr., Juan Soto (+550), Manny Machado (+1400), and free-agent shortstop addition Xander Bogaerts (+3000) against the field for MVP. The good news is they all should get plenty of pitches to hit, but they also may split MVP votes among each other. San Diego legend Tony Gwynn somehow never won an MVP. The lone Padres winner was Ken Caminiti in 1996.
Soto has been dealing with what the team is calling a mild left oblique strain but is fully expected to be ready on Opening Day – that’s a type of injury that can linger all season. Soto was just OK for San Diego after coming over last summer in trade for Washington but hit well at the World Baseball Classic this year and also in Cactus League action.
Braves Sensational Outfielder
Can Braves sensational outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. (+650) stay healthy? He was limited to 82 games in 2021 due to a torn ACL and then 119 last year. If he can stay on the field, Acuna Jr. is very capable of a 40-homer, 40-steal season like he nearly had in 2019 when he played 156 games.
Phillies Best Hitter
New Phillies shortstop Trea Turner (+800) was by far the best hitter for the Americans in their runner-up finish at the World Baseball Classic with five homers. My concern for Turner is that the Philly lineup around him is a bit weak with Harper out until midseason and first baseman Rhys Hoskins lost to a torn ACL this week. Thus, pitchers might not give Turner much to hit even at leadoff.
Dodgers Outfielder Goes for Second MVP
The Dodgers’ Mookie Betts (+1000) tries to join Frank Robinson as the only player to win MVP in both leagues after Betts won it in 2018 with Boston. With Turner gone, Betts will hit leadoff for the Dodgers and will become even more fantasy valuable as Manager Dave Roberts has said Betts will play close to 20 games at second base during the regular season.
Cardinals Baseman: One of the Oldest MVP
The Cardinals’ Paul Goldschmidt is +1200 to repeat but probably will start trending downward. At 35 years old when the 2022 season ended, Goldschmidt was the ninth-oldest MVP in the divisional era and the oldest since 40-year-old Barry Bonds. Goldschmidt was the first Cardinal to win the award since Albert Pujols repeated in 2008 and ’09. Cards players have captured 18 MVP Awards, second only to the Yankees, who now have 21.
Our MVP Pick: Mets Two-Time All-Star
Our MLB pick is New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso at +1600. The two-time All-Star posted a .271 batting average with 40 home runs and a career-high and league-leading 131 RBIs during the 2022 season. Alonso had 27 game-winning RBIs, the most since the stat was first tracked in 1974. His 35 go-ahead RBI were tied for the second-most in a single season in Mets history.
It’s crucial to pick a durable player on a pennant-contending team and that’s certainly Alonso as he has played in at least 152 games in each of his three full seasons (not including the COVID 2020 year). He’s also very popular around MLB and MVP is largely a popularity vote.
In January, Alonso and the Mets agreed on a $14.5 million salary for 2023, avoiding arbitration in Alonso’s first year eligible for it, so he has big financial reasons to keep producing as opposed to a guy who already got his big extension. That the 28-year-old Alonso only plays first base or DH helps keep him from getting hurt. The Mets are one of three teams to never have an MVP: Arizona and Tampa Bay are the others.
For Mets fans looking to bet on this game, you can check out our top New York betting sites.
MLB Prop Pick: Pete Alonso To Win MVP Award (+1600) at BetOnline
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
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