NL MVP Odds: Can Shohei Ohtani Overtake Mookie Betts?

We're just finishing up the second full month of the 2024 MLB season, and things are coming into focus. Plenty of hot starters have already begun to fizzle out, several slumping studs are waking up, and a handful of steady producers are poised for summer breakouts.

Which players have already put themselves in the best position to bring home the National League MVP award in 2024? Let's check out the NL MVP odds on FanDuel Sportsbook and dig into the early favorites.

National League MVP Odds

Mookie Betts, Dodgers (+170)

Mookie Betts is one heck of a baseball player. The Los Angeles Dodgers' star has been the frontrunner to win the NL MVP all season and isn't ceding much ground. He finished second in MVP voting a season ago and seems poised to bring home an MVP award for a second time with what he's done on the field in 2024.

Betts' 3.4 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) -- per Baseball-Reference's WAR -- at the plate lead the National League. He also paces the NL in runs (41) and walks (34), and he has somehow struck out only 21 times despite taking more plate appearances (231) than anyone else so far. With 8 homers, 11 doubles, and 3 triples, he's up to an outstanding .967 OPS on the year.

That's without even factoring in that the six-time Golden Glove award winner is having another fantastic season on defense -- Betts is error-free through Los Angeles' first 51 games.

Betts and the Dodgers have played to an elite 33-18 record, which ranks second-best in the National League. They're cruising to another playoff berth, and Betts could cruise to another MVP if he keeps it up.

Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers (+350)

All that said, Betts' teammate, Shohei Ohtani, is hot on his heels.

Ohtani -- who underwent Tommy John surgery in the offseason -- has been playing exclusively as the Dodgers' designated hitter. A designated hitter has never won the award before, but Ohtani is making a pretty sound case to become the first-ever recipient of an MVP despite not playing the field.

The star has already won two MVP awards but did so during seasons where he also pitched at a top-notch level in addition to his efforts at the plate. This year, he's putting together an MVP case based on solely his production at the plate -- and it's a pretty legit case.

Ohtani's .356 batting average leads the Majors. His .655 SLG leads the Majors. His 1.080 OPS leads the Majors. He has 13 homers and hasn't been caught stealing on any of his 13 attempts. His 3.2 WAR trails only Betts' 3.4 mark for most in baseball.

We've never seen a pure DH win the MVP award before, but if it's ever going to happen, Ohtani's season so far looks like the kind of year it would take.

Frankly, though, he'll need a couple things to break his way to actually take home the award this season. Ohtani will need to keep up his own league-best production, and he'll need Betts' pace to slow down without it hurting the Dodgers' season too much. And, finally, he'll need for the rest of the pack to stay where they are -- behind him and Betts -- to secure a third MVP.

William Contreras, Brewers (+750)

The last time we checked in on the NL MVP odds, Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras wasn't even in the top 15. Back in April, he looked like just a hot bat on a feisty young team. Now, his +750 odds to claim the award rank third-shortest in the National League.

Contreras has been a major factor in the Brewers' 28-20 start to the season, which has earned them the top spot in the competitive NL Central. He's at 2.4 WAR, which is good for fourth-best in the NL. His 40 RBI rank fourth-best, as well, and illustrate how strong he's been in clutch situations. Likewise, his .940 OPS (12th in MLB) is keeping him close enough to the Dodgers' frontrunners at this stage of the season.

We've also seen the breakout catcher get aggressive on defense -- his 17 assists lead the position, while the 8 batters he's caught stealing rank second-most.

He's doing a great job scoring runs and a great job preventing them, and his consistent efforts over the first quarter of the season have put him on the NL MVP map. It'll help his case if Milwaukee continues its impressive season.

Bryce Harper, Phillies (+1200)

Even with Betts maintaining his lead, Ohtani saddling up beside him, and Contreras joining the fray, Bryce Harper's MVP odds have still managed to sneakily get a little shorter than they were before -- the Philadelphia Phillies star had +1400 odds in our April check-in and is now down to +1200 after another solid month.

Harper and the Phillies have a 35-14 record -- the best in baseball. They're scoring the most runs in the game right now while allowing the fifth-fewest. It's a fantastic environment for producing MVP candidates, and we've even seen Philly teammate Alec Bohm (+2000) join the race, as well.

Harper is a hot streak away from pushing up near the LA duo -- and we've seen him and the Phillies have some seriously exciting summers in recent seasons.

His .924 OPS is good enough to keep Harper in the mix for now, and with 11 homers already under his belt, it's not hard to see him cracking the 40-homer mark for the second time in his career. He happened to win the MVP award the first time he accomplished that impressive feat, so he's firmly in the mix for a third MVP with his play so far this year.

Ronald Acuna Jr., Braves (+2700)

The reigning NL MVP isn't exactly having the hot start some of his contemporaries are enjoying. Ronald Acuna Jr. has worked to a disappointing .705 OPS to start the year and has recorded only 3 home runs through his first 203 plate appearances.

It hasn't been the star's finest season to date, but it's still early enough to where he has time to turn things around. The Atlanta Braves are still in second place and are likely to remain good enough by the end of the year to help an MVP-hopeful's case. With a hot summer, Acuna could get back on track and put himself firmly back in the MVP race.

This is more vibes-based analysis than a number-based argument, but it also feels like the Braves have worked through the toughest part of their season and will be facing softer pitching in the warmest months. Over the last two weeks and change, they've faced the Cleveland Guardians (fourth-fewest runs allowed per game), Seattle Mariners (sixth-fewest), Los Angeles Dodgers (third-fewest), and Boston Red Sox (seventh-fewest). That's a brutal string of games, which may be part of the reason for Acuna's slow start.

Acuna has a lot of ground to make up, but we've seen him be good enough to make up that ground in the past. His current +2700 odds could start looking like a value pretty soon. The Braves have eight games versus the Washington Nationals and another series with the Oakland Athletics just around the bend.

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