As June dawns, the race for the 2022 National League MVP honors is heating up, with Manny Machado leading the way over plenty of competition from the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers, as well as defending MVP Bryce Harper.
Here are the latest odds for 2022 National League MVP honors, with Manny Machado leading the pack as June begins
According to WynnBet, Manny Machado of the San Diego Padres is the favorite to win NL MVP honors, coming in at +175. Machado had a May to remember, slashing .312/.402/.516 with four home runs and 13 RBI. This season, he leads the Padres with a .347 batting average, one of only two Padres players (along with Eric Hosmer) hitting above .234 on the season (heading into Wednesday’s action).
When it comes to being a team’s Most Valuable Player, Machado has fulfilled that definition with the Padres under first-year manager Bob Melvin, helping keep the team just behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West standings (three games back heading into Wednesday) while the Padres wait for the return of Fernando Tatis Jr., likely toward the end of this month.
Speaking of the Dodgers, Mookie Betts comes in with the second-best odds to win NL MVP honors, with WynnBet having him at +325. Betts hit 12 home runs in the month of May alone, putting up a .746 slugging percentage for the month. The only statistically qualified player to register a higher slugging percentage in May was Paul Goldschmidt of the St. Louis Cardinals, who comes in at +900 to earn the MVP award.
Goldschmidt’s teammate Nolan Arenado is +750 to win the award (third-best odds) while reigning NL MVP Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies is +800.
Machado leads the race, and how both he and the Padres continue to perform will be something to watch in the NL MVP race. With Betts (the 2018 American League MVP during his time with the Boston Red Sox) right behind him according to the oddsmakers, can Harper or a member of the Cardinals do enough to grab the MVP spotlight out of California? We will check back in as the calendar turns to July.