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Posted on 8/24/2007 8:23:44 PM
MLB Future Odds – ARod Leads AL MVP Race
By BetUS Staff
Alex Rodriguez, Ichiro Suzuki, Vladimir Guerrero, and Justin Morneau are all past winners of the American League Most Valuable Player award. If you were doing some MLB betting right now, which of those past winners would you support to get the AL’s MVP honor this season? The BetUS sportsbook favorite, of course, won’t come as a surprise.
That’s because it’s Rodriguez, who is the league’s runaway leader in home runs and also tops the Junior Circuit in both RBI and runs scored. Throw in an above-.300 batting average and a respectable total of stolen bases and you have by far the best statistical campaign of any player in the American League. The question remains though: will that still result in MVP honors?
ARod is pegged as the favorite to win the award (-450) on the latest MLB lines and if he leads the New York Yankees into the playoffs he’s practically a sure thing to get the honor. If the Yankees somehow fail to make the playoffs voters could toss their support somewhere else.
Who are the next players on the MLB MVP odds list this year?
The Los Angeles Angels’ Guerrero (who won the award in 2004) and the Detroit Tigers’ Magglio Ordonez are both sitting at +450 odds. Guerrero isn’t having a spectacular season as far as home runs go, but he’s up with the league leaders in RBI and batting average and leading the charge for the Angels to return to the postseason this year.
Ordonez trails only Rodriguez in RBIs and with an average that’s been hovering around the .350 mark he’s also a top contender to win the AL batting crown. Like Guerrero, he’s the offensive leader for his team. Both Detroit and Los Angeles, though, aren’t sure things to make the playoffs; the Tigers are locked in a battle with the Cleveland Indians in the AL Central, while the Angels can’t shake the Seattle Mariners in the AL West. If Ordonez or Guerrero miss the playoffs they won’t topple Rodriguez.
Morneau is having another big year at the plate for the Minnesota Twins, but with his team only on the far fringes of contention he’s not going to repeat as the AL MVP winner unless he sparks a miracle charge to the postseason. Morneau, whose numbers trail Rodriguez, Ordonez, and Guerrero, is listed back as the +2750 longshot to be MVP.
If the Mariners do manage to sneak into the American League playoffs, Suzuki could find himself getting some award support. The speedy outfielder was named AL MVP back in 2001, and he’s a contender for the batting crown once again this season. His limited power, though, means he’s in an uphill battle to get the votes; Suzuki is at +2000 odds.
The last listed player is Indians catcher Victor Martinez, at +1500 odds. VMart has picked up the slack from Travis Hafner’s off-year, and the resurgent Indians are now a strong playoff contender in the American League. Martinez could also get some bonus support because of the position he plays – crouching behind the plate wears you down.
What about the players on the team that has been the best in the league? The members of the Boston Red Sox are only grouped in with The Field on the AL MVP prop bet, at +3000 odds. Boston’s top sluggers, David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez, have had up-and-down seasons and don’t have ARod’s numbers. Still, a splashy September could put them right back into contention, especially if the BoSox pull way ahead of the Yankees again over the final few weeks.
Right now the AL MVP award is Rodriguez’s to lose and if the Bronx Bombers make the playoffs he should be able to add that honor to the 2003 and 2005 versions in his trophy case. The other contenders’ best bet right now is for New York to go on a slide and miss the ’07 postseason altogether; otherwise, they could just be playing for second.
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