DKNetwork Logo DKNetwork Logo
2025 NL Rookie of the Year Award Best Bets and Odds on DraftKings Sportsbook

2025 NL Rookie of the Year Award Best Bets and Odds on DraftKings Sportsbook

Sports Betting Picks MLB MLB Picks Rail

Published:

By: Zach Thompson

The National League has some fascinating prospects ready to make their debut this year, even though last year’s NL rookie crop was one of the best in recent memory. Paul Skenes deservedly won the NL Rookie of the Year Award in dominant fashion but Jackson Merrill and Jackson Chourio also had strong seasons that would have had them in contention for the award in most seasons.

In 2025, the favorite for the award coming into the year is another starting pitcher. The Dodgers gave Roki Sasaki (+225) a big contract this offseason, bringing him over from Japan, but he’s still officially a rookie in the MLB. He’ll get plenty of attention in Los Angeles and could win from the pole position if he has a big season. However, I’m not taking Sasaki as one of my top NL Rookie of the Year Award best bets for this season. Dylan Crews (+350), Matt Shaw (+425), Bubba Chandler (+900) and Jordan Lawlar (+1100) round out the top five shortest odds on the board coming into the season.

In this post, I’ll lay out my top three MLB best bets for the NL Rookie of the Year on DraftKings Sportsbook along with a look at the odds coming into the season.

2025 NL Rookie of the Year Award Odds

Matt Shaw +425

Shaw looks like he’ll get a chance to be the Cubs full-time 3B out of Spring Training after Isaac Paredes was sent to the Astros in the Kyle Tucker deal. MLB Pipeline rated him as the No. 19 prospect in all of baseball and the No. 1 prospect in the organization. 

The 23-year-old has raked at every level he has played. The Massachusetts native won the Cape Cod League batting title by hitting .360 for the Bourne Braves and won the MVP back in 2022. He set Maryland’s career home run record with 53 dingers and signed the biggest contract in school history after being taken No. 13 overall by the Cubs. Shaw won another MVP in the Double-A Southern League in 2024, hitting .279 with 14 homers, 25 stolen bases and a .387 wOBA. He was even better in Triple-A, hitting .298 with seven homers and six stolen bases in 35 games.

Without a full season in Triple-A, there could be some adjustment to the MLB level, but he has both power and speed potential and should have an open door to playing time. I think he’s a safer pick than Sasaki since the Dodgers are so cautious with their pitchers and could limit his work. Shaw is a ton of fun to watch since he’s both fundamentally sound and always plays all out. 

Tirso Ornelas +1900

The Padres lost Jurickson Profar to free agency this offseason and have an opening in their corner outfield spot. Ornelas is making a strong case that he can fill that hole in a hurry. The lefty could play his way into a roster spot this spring or be on speed dial at Triple-A when the Padres need a power boost.

Ornelas has been with the organization since he was just 17 in 2017 when he signed as an amateur free agent from Mexico.

He has worked his way up through the system and was added to the 40-man roster last year. In Triple-A, he hit 23 home runs last season in 128 games with a .297 batting average, .200 ISO and .376 wOBA. This offseason, he also played in the Mexican Winter League for the Charros de Jalisco, where he hit .289 with seven home runs and nine stolen bases in 48 games. 

This Spring Training, he has been tearing it up, going 8-for-17 (.471) with four walks, four doubles, a home run and a ridiculous .607 wOBA through his first eight games. There’s no way he keeps that torrid pace up, but he definitely looks ready to make a difference. Coming into the season, the Padres are planning to platoon Jason Heyward and Connor Joe in place of Profar, but Ornelas may force them to change that plan and give him a shot. If he gets one and keeps mashing like he has been, his odds at this number are amazing.

Luisangel Acuna +3000

Let’s get wild for my third best bet for the NL Rookie of the Year Award. The Mets called up Acuna at the end of last season for a 14-game cameo and the youngster showed the combination of power and speed that makes him an interesting pick for Rookie of the Year. 

In those 14 games, Acuna had three home runs and hit .308 with six runs scored and six RBI. He actually didn’t steal a base, but he had 40 stolen bases in 131 games in Triple-A before being called up. He only had seven homers with Syracuse and a .295 wOBA compared to his unsustainable .406 wOBA in the MLB. While his power is likely to dip this season, he could still earn a starting spot with his speed and the rest of the tools he brings to the table. He was a finalist for Rookie of the Year in the Venezuelan Winter League, where he hit .337 with three home runs and 18 stolen bases in 31 games.

The fact that he plays for the Mets will help his cause for Rookie of the Year too since he’ll be on the big stage and has plenty of flare. He’s the younger brother of Robert Acuna Jr., who won NL Rookie of the Year in 2018. The Acunas would be the first pair of brothers in MLB history to win the award, which could drive the narrative to put Acuna over the top if the race is close.

Zach Thompson
Zach has been part of the DraftKings team since 2017 and covers baseball, basketball, golf, football and any other sport that offers DFS fun. He has been playing fantasy sports since box scores were only available in the newspaper the following day. Even though he grew up almost 8,000 miles away in Guam, he is a diehard Boston sports fan but will take a fantasy value play wherever he can get it, even if it’s from the Yankees.
Disclaimer

I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is z.thompson) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.