We are a month and a half into the 2024 MLB season. Some teams are excelling, like the Philadelphia Phillies, who have won 11 of their last 12 games, while others are already riding the struggle bus, like the Chicago White Sox and their eight wins in 36 games.
Similarly, some players are already on a hot streak, turning heads and creating a solid foundation for their 2024 campaign. Oddsmakers have noticed, and there has been plenty of movement already regarding award races despite so much time being left in the regular season. Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder-turned-infielder Mookie Betts has been on a tear to begin 2024. Assuming that he and his biggest competitors stay healthy, is now the time to take Betts to win the 2024 NL MVP Award at DraftKings Sportsbook?
The Case for Mookie Betts (+170)
Betts is playing in his 11th career season. He spent the first six with the Boston Red Sox before being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2019-2020 offseason. Betts, David Price and cash were sent out West for Alex Verdugo, Connor Wong and Jeter Downs. So far in his career, the shortstop was the 2018 AL MVP, is a seven-time All-Star and a six-time Gold Glove winner.
Betts has played in 38 games this season and is slashing .349/.455/.564. He has the third-best batting average in the league, the third-best OPS and a 3.3 WAR which leads the MLB. Betts’ 3.3 edges out Bobby Witt Jr. (2.8) and teammate Shohei Ohtani (2.6). He has the benefit of batting leadoff for Los Angeles and is typically followed in the batting order by some combination of Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Will Smith, Max Muncy and Teoscar Hernandez. While Betts helps himself plenty at the plate, this supporting cast has him ranked second for most runs scored so far this year (32).
Betts has 52 hits heading into Wednesday, May 8 — ten doubles, two triples and six home runs with 35 singles. To reference Moneyball, the dude can get on base. He has struck out 17 times compared to 29 walks. Betts is tied for the ninth-most RBI (27) but is tied with Marcus Semien for the most for a leadoff hitter. The biggest knock against his being a complete player is simply that he only has eight stolen bases, but he has yet to be caught stealing. Even if he doesn’t increase the rate at which he tries to steal bases, he is so well-rounded with all that he can do at the plate and the impact that he can have that he should be a perennial MVP favorite.
Biggest Competition
Shohei Ohtani (+330)
Ohtani is no stranger to being the MVP, as he has won the AL MVP Award twice so far in his career. He signed with the Dodgers on a historic 10-year, $700 million deal and now has a chance to win the NL MVP. If either he or Betts wins the award specifically, they would be just the second player ever to win both the AL and NL MVP Awards in their career, joining only Frank Robinson.
Ohtani had something when he won the AL MVP Award in 2021 and 2023 that he won’t have this year: pitching stats. The two-way phenom excelled at destroying pitchers at the plate and then dominating hitters on the mound. His pitching numbers were never the best in the league, but he added at least 130.1 innings and a 3.18 ERA to his MVP resume in both years. Due to the second major elbow surgery of his career, Ohtani is not expected to pitch for the entirety of 2024 and isn’t even expected to see much of the field overall.
That doesn’t mean he can’t win the award, though. Ohtani has played in 37 games this year and leads the league with a .365 average and 1.131 OPS. He’s also added a .435 on-base percentage, a .696 slugging percentage and a 2.6 WAR. As of May 8, Ohtani leads the league with 11 home runs.
The biggest question surrounding the LA designated hitter is whether he can stay healthy and consistent. He’s on pace for 48 home runs and 118 RBI, which would be career highs. Ohtani hasn’t had more than 46 home runs or 100 RBI in a season so far in his six-year career. If he can pull it off this year, though, he could certainly jump Betts and earn the NL MVP Award.
Ronald Acuna Jr. (+1200)
Acuna is the reigning NL MVP winner and entered the season with the best odds to win this year’s award. He has gotten off to a slow start this season, and his odds to win have fallen. Acuna has struggled to find his power, with only eight extra-base hits, including just two home runs. He has eight RBI and would have the lowest OPS of his career if the season ended today.
Through 33 games Acuna is hitting just .267 with a 0.6 WAR. This pales in comparison to his 8.2 WAR from last season. Part of what got Acuna last year’s MVP Award was his base stealing. He swiped 73 bags a season ago and has stolen 14 so far this year. Acuna is on pace for 69 stolen bases this year, but nearly repeating that aspect of his game from 2023 won’t be enough to make him the first back-to-back NL MVP Winner since Albert Pujols in 2008 and 2009.
Elly De La Cruz (+1500)
De La Cruz has improved his odds since the start of the year but still has a long way to go in making up the ground between him and Betts. He is known for his combination of light-tower power and speed. But, the Cincinnati Reds shortstop is also super streaky at the plate and has watched his batting average drop to .262 in early May.
Still, De La Cruz has eight home runs, 19 RBI, and already stolen 19 bases. He is on pace for 87 steals to go with 37 home runs and 87 RBI. De La Cruz would likely need to get on base more consistently and see his average finish up near .290 to have a shot at winning the award. Even if he doesn’t win it this year, his combination of power and speed should keep him in the conversation for the foreseeable future.
Final Verdict
Looking at recent MVP winners, you either have to accomplish some crazy feat or be extremely well-rounded. Last year Acuna not only hit 41 home runs but stole 73 bases for the first 40/70 season in MLB history. Obviously, Ohtani had his pitching stats to set him apart, and Aaron Judge hit 62 home runs to win in 2022. If you can believe it by how he has played this year, Paul Goldschmidt won the NL MVP in 2022 after slashing .317/.404/.578 with 35 home runs and 115 RBI.
While Betts doesn’t project to set a home run record or something similar this season, that doesn’t mean he won’t run away with NL MVP. If he can continue being as well-rounded as he has been, and no other players break a record like Acuna did last year, Betts should win the 2024 NL MVP Award and is worth betting on now.