AL MVP Odds: Gunnar Henderson, Bobby Witt Jr. Chasing Juan Soto

We have over a month down of regular-season play in the 2024 MLB season. Several season-long odds have shifted at FanDuel Sportsbook, including the MVP lines.

In our last American League MVP piece, the New York Yankees' Juan Soto was the favorite to win the award prior to Opening Day. Aaron Judge, Corey Seager, and Julio Rodriguez were a few other notable names among the favorites to win AL MVP.

A lot has changed in a month's time. Soto is still among the favorites, but a few new names have vaulted to the top. Here's the latest AL MVP odds, per FanDuel's MLB odds.

AL MVP Odds

Juan Soto (+230)

Juan Soto remains the favorite to win AL MVP. He's a three-time All-Star, all of which came over the previous three seasons. Soto will likely be one of the faces of MLB for years to come, and his move to the Yankees has only widened his spotlight.

So far, Soto has shined in the Big Apple. He leads the team in nearly every hitting category you can think of. His .325 batting average, .439 on-base percentage (OBP), 8 home runs, 25 RBIs, and 39 hits all lead the team.

The Yanks' star outfielder is on pace for the second-best weighted OBP (wOBA) of his career and currently holds a career-low in strikeout percentage (K%) at 12.8%. Soto continues to draw walks at a high rate, ranking in the 99th percentile of walk percentage (BB%). Just take a look at Soto's Baseball Savant page; this says enough. He sits in the 93rd percentile in 9 of 11 major metrics.

Soto is checking every box to grab his first MVP award thus far. The Yankees holding a 20-13 record also helps his case.

Gunnar Henderson (+370)

We are staying in the AL East for the second-shortest odds to win AL MVP. The Baltimore Orioles have the second-best record in the American at 20-11 and are tied for the fourth-shortest odds to win the World Series (+1200).

Gunnar Henderson -- the second-year shortstop and reigning AL Rookie of the Year -- has wasted no time in making another leap in production. His wOBA has jumped from .346 to .405 this season. Henderson's isolated power (ISO) is up to .322 compared to .234 in 2023. This is currently the top ISO in baseball, and the O's young star is in the 98th percentile of hard-hit percentage.

He even made history on April 29th, becoming the youngest player to reach 10 homers before May 1st. Henderson is slugging like no one's business. The quick start has caused the shortstop's MVP odds to drop from +1800 to +370.

Bobby Witt Jr. (+430)

Another blooming star comes in with the third-shortest odds. If there's anything to learn from this first month of play, the MLB has an exciting future with so many emerging players. The same goes for the National League as the Cincinnati Reds' Elly De La Cruz is tied for the fourth-shortest odds to win NL MVP (+1500).

Now, let's focus on the third-shortest line. Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals is +430 to win AL MVP. Of course, Witt Jr. came into the majors with sky-high expectations as he started his MLB career as the top ranked prospect and is the son of Bobby Witt, who had a 16-year career in the majors as a pitcher.

Witt Jr. has lived up to the hype and is off to a blazing-hot start. Most importantly, his play has helped the Royals become relevant with a 19-13 record. Witt is on pace to set career-highs with a .320 batting average, .396 wOBA, and .547 slugging percentage (SLG).

Kansas City's leading player has also helped his MVP odds a ton, going from +1800 prior to Opening Day to +430.

The AL MVP is a three-horse race between Soto, Henderson, and Witt. Several big names have seen their MVP odds rise, such as Aaron Judge going from +700 to +1700 and Julio Rodriguez seeing his line spike from +1000 to +4000.

Of course, there will be plenty of odd changes as the long MLB season progresses. Following one month of play, the young bucks are the players to beat in the AL.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.