- Pete Crow-Armstrong is the betting favorite to win the NL MVP with -120 odds.
- Shohei Ohtani was -1000 to win the awards just three weeks, but now sits at +100.
- Ohtani hasn’t pitched since July 3 and there is no date scheduled for his next throwing session.
LOS ANGELES – For the first time all season, Shohei Ohtani has been dethroned as the betting favorite to win a third-consecutive NL MVP. Chicago Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong now holds -120 legal sports betting to win the MVP award.
National League MVP Odds
- Pete Crow-Armstrong -120
- Shohei Ohtani +100
- CJ Abrams +12500
- Kyle Schwarber +20000
- Jacob Misiorowski +25000
Pete Crow-Armstrong and Shohei Ohtani have nearly identical hitting stats; Ohtani posting a slightly higher batting average (.297 vs .288) and OPS (.954 vs .938), but the two MVP candidates each have 26 home runs and 70 RBI. However, PCA is contributing elite defense in centerfield and 28 stolen bases, proving his worth as a true five-tool player worthy of favored MVP odds.
While PCA is more valuable on the basepath and defensively with Ohtani as a DH, the obvious advantage for Ohtani in the MVP race is his ability to pitch. The problem is, Ohtani hasn’t pitched since July 3 and has no scheduled plans to begin throwing again as he deals with lingering knee and bicep injuries.
When Is Ohtani Going To Pitch Again?
A huge factor in the four-time MVP winner’s odds to win another MVP is if Ohtani will return to the mound. Manager Dave Roberts said on July 28 that a potential return to the mound would take “over three weeks right now” due to the required build up.
Roberts cited that Ohtani’s knee issue might have contributed to his biceps issue, which is why they shut him down. However, the Dodgers don’t see either the knee or biceps injuries from impacting his hitting ability, which Ohtani has proven with a .409 batting average and four home runs in the last 14 days. Ohtani’s bat is keeping his +100 California sports betting odds in the race, but without the pitching, it will be hard to argue against PCA as an elite five-tool player with comparable hitting stats to a designated hitter.
The latest update from Roberts is that there isn’t a timetable for Ohtani’s pitching return and that the Dodgers aren’t worried about it. As of Thursday, there is no scheduled throwing session or timetable for Ohtani’s next start, leaving the door open for PCA at legal MLB betting sites to run away with the MVP.
