Well, it’s official: All of the best 2022 MLB betting sites now have Manny Machado of the San Diego Padres as the consensus favorite to win the 2022 National League MVP award.
And yet, despite this development, the season isn’t over. There’s a lot of baseball left to play. Other viable candidates have emerged in the MVP race, including Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies. Either of them could feasibly surpass Machado. But how likely is that? And can anyone else aside from them join the fracas? That’s what we’re here to investigate.
First thing’s first, though. Let’s have a gander as the latest betting odds to win 2022 NL MVP, courtesy of Bovada:
| Pick to Win |  |
|---|---|
| Manny Machado | +200 |
| Mookie Betts | +600 |
| Bryce Harper | +800 |
| Nolan Arenado | +1000 |
| Paul Goldschmidt | +1100 |
| Pete Alonso | +1200 |
| Juan Soto | +1400 |
| Freddie Freeman | +1400 |
| Ronald Acuna Jr. | +1800 |
| C.J. Cron | +3000 |
| Trea Turner | +3500 |
| Francisco Lindor | +4000 |
| Matt Olson | +4000 |
| Jazz Chisholm | +4000 |
| Christian Yelich | +4000 |
| Austin Riley | +5000 |
| Nick Castellanos | +5000 |
| Willy Adames | +8000 |
| Starling Marte | +8000 |
| Ozzie Albies | +8000 |
| Rowdy Tellez | +8000 |
| Cody Bellinger | +8000 |
| Fernando Tatis Jr. | +8000 |
| J.T. Realmuto | +10000 |
| Jeff McNeil | +10000 |
| Kyle Schwarber | +10000 |
| Bryan Reynolds | +10000 |
| Joey Votto | +10000 |
| Rhys Hoskins | +10000 |
| Jake Cronenworth | +10000 |
| Kris Bryant | +10000 |
| Dyland Carlson | +10000 |
| Seiya Suzuki | +10000 |
As you can see, nearly 10 players are laying 10-to-1 NL MVP odds or better. That’s very rarely the case this late into the season, with the 2022 MLB All-Star break looming. There is usually a consensus favorite followed by a couple of plausible contenders chasing him. That makes this year’s MVP race especially interesting. It also makes the field difficult to parse. Let’s see if we can’t provide some betting clarity heading into the latter half of the MLB schedule.
Before we cannonball into the weeds, just a fair warning: The NL MVP award will not be given out until the end of the regular season. That gives these MLB betting odds plenty of time to shift in all different directions. Our odds to win 2022 NL MVP are accurate as of Wednesday, July 13, so please make sure you’re rechecking these lines until you actually submit your wager.
Looking for a spot at which you can bet on the 2022 NL MVP race? We’ve got you more than covered. Whether you’re in the market for betting on the World Series or searching for the top legal sportsbooks in the United States, we have a whole collection of online betting reviews to help you.
Manny Machado continues to light it up for the Padres. San Diego has fallen comfortably behind the Dodgers in the NL West standings, but they still register as a World Series hopeful. And Machado remains the primary reason why.
The 30-year-old is batting .305 with 15 homers, 51 RBIs and an on-base plus slugging percentage that rates as the third highest in the entire National League. Others on this list are indeed posting glitzier offensive numbers, but Machado’s defense at third base has been immaculate. His ability to man the hot corner while covering a ton of ground and committing minimal errors renders him the type of both-sides-of-the-plate superstar for whom every team pines.
Most bettors will gravitate towards Mookie Betts (+600), since he hails from the better team in the Dodgers. But we’re more inclined to roll with Bryce Harper (+800).
Sure, the Philadelphia Phillies have been very hot and cold and continue to trail both the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves in the NL East. Still, Harper has been caps-lock UNBELIEVABLE on offense. His .599 slugging percentage leads the entire NL, and he’s somehow batting a pristine .318 from behind the plate even though he so often angles for power.
Total at bats could come back to haunt Harper. He has about 100 fewer plate appearances right now than Freddie Freeman of the Atlanta Braves (+1400), for example. We’re not worried. Harper has already done enough to earn this nod, and he could wind up being the actual winner if he remains healthy the rest of the way.
Speaking of Freddie Freeman, we don’t think he’s received nearly enough consideration to beat out Manny Machado as he deserves.
A slow start to the year definitely cost him. But Freeman has since rebounded to post one of the four highest on-base plus slugging percentages in the National League, and he has more RBIs than Machado, Betts and Harper.
Atlanta’s midseason run only helps him to boot. They are now within 1.5 games of the NL East title, and if they win that, you’ll see his standing on voter ballots skyrocket.
This decision is proving to be incredibly tough. We’re not just considering Betts, Freeman, Harper and Machado, either. Paul Goldschmidt (+1100) of the St. Louis Cardinals, who leads the entire MLB in on-base plus slugging percentage and is betting .333 at this writing has caught our attention. We’re almost inclined to go with him given how scrappy the Cards have played.
In the end, we have to stick with Manny Machado. His batting has been solid wire-to-wire, and he’s the closest thing to a Gold Glove candidate the meat and potatoes of the NL MVP field gets right now.
Do we think he’ll win in a landslide? Not at all. You really can’t go wrong with anyone we mentioned. But we’re also more than ecstatic to still have an opportunity to scoop up Machado at 2-to-1 odds.
SBS 2022 NL MVP Prediction: Manny Machado (+200)
Take a look at this list of the top online sportsbooks so you can decide which one to use for all of your MLB betting:
About the Author
Around the age of 12, Dan realized, sadly, he’d never become a professional basketball player. It turns out people under 6’0” who can’t dribble or shoot aren’t touted prospects. Who knew?! Anyway, once it became clear he could play professional sports, he figured the next best thing to do was cover them. So, that’s what he did. And continues to do. Dan has worked in the pro sports analysis industry since 2011, giving him almost 15 years total experience. Though started out covering and continues to be enamored by the NBA, he has spent the past decade or so expanding his expertise and analysis to the NFL, NHL, MLB, tennis, esports and golf. Over the past few years, Dan has cannonballed into full-on sports betting news coverage. He remains fascinated by the impact the legalization of gambling in the United States is having on the country. It has, in so many ways, changed everything about how we consume sports. Is that good? Bad? Does it all even out in the end? His coverage has always and will continue trying to reconcile the duality of this industry, pro sports at large and their influence. In his spare time, Dan enjoys honing his weightlifting, eating enough sweet potatoes to feed a rather large family, binge-watching his all-time favorite shows (Psych is the goat!) and hanging out with his three dogs, all of whom are Cockaliers, Thor, Wade and Cosmo. Typically, though, if he’s not eating or sleeping, Dan is watching or covering sports—and loving basically every minute of it.
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