It may be hard to believe, but we’ve already reached the unofficial halfway point of the 2024 MLB campaign. The MLB All-Star Game is one of the most exciting events in baseball, where the best players from the American League (AL) and the National League (NL) face off in a showcase of talent and skill.

This year’s All-Star Game is set to take place in Arlington, Texas, on Tuesday, July 16th, and it promises to be an electrifying event with many top players vying for the MVP award.

In this blog, we’ll take an in-depth look at the current MLB odds for the All-Star Game MVP, discuss the top contenders, and provide some predictions and prop bets for this year’s game.

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All-Star Game Odds for MVP

The following table outlines the current odds for the top candidates to win the All-Star Game MVP, according to Bovada Sportsbook:

All-Star MVP Contenders

Shohei Ohtani (+550)

The Dodgers are an injury-riddled mess these days, but Shohei Ohtani will make his 4th career All-Star appearance on Tuesday night. He’s not pitching in his first season in LA as he continues to recover from Tommy John surgery, but he’s earned a spot on the National League’s roster thanks to his incredible prowess at the plate.

Through his first 94 games in Dodger Blue, Ohtani is slashing .316/.400/.635 with 29 homers, 69 runs batted in, and 23 stolen bases. Ohtani has never stolen more than 26 bases in a season at the big-league level, yet he’s going to fly past that total this year if he stays healthy.

Ohtani has just 4 at-bats to his credit across his 3 previous All-Star Game appearances. He hit a single back in the 2022 game at Dodger Stadium, while he’s also drawn a couple of walks. His next extra-base hit will be his first. It’s a little shocking to see Ohtani as such a massive All-Star MVP betting favorite at +550 when no other player has odds better than +1200.

Aaron Judge (+1200)

Aaron Judge, the New York Yankees’ slugger, is another top contender. Judge, who leads the league in home runs, is making his sixth All-Star appearance.

If the season ended today, Judge would likely win the American League’s MVP award for the 2nd time in 3 years. Luckily for the Yankees, he’s been healthy this year after battling injuries in 2023. Through 96 games, the Yankee captain is hitting .306/.433/.679 with a whopping 34 home runs, 85 runs driven in, and 73 runs scored.

Back in 2022, Judge set a new AL record by slugging 62 home runs en route to the MVP. He’s been selected to 6 All-Star Games, but he’s only played in 4 of them thus far. Across 9 plate appearances in previous All-Star outings, Judge has just 1 hit and 3 strikeouts. That lone hit, however, was a home run off of then-Nationals right-hander Max Scherzer in Washington DC:

Judge will make his first plate appearance of the game against Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes, which will be appointment television. Skenes is an awfully tough customer, of course, so ti’ll be fascinating to watch them go toe-to-toe for the first time.

It’s worth noting the MVP typically comes from the winning team. Elias Diaz of the Rockies was an unexpected winner last year, as his homer helped lead the NL to its first All-Star victory since 2012. Each of the previous 9 MVP winners came from the victorious American League squad.

The AL is a slight -120 moneyline favorite on Tuesday night. As a result, I like the value on Judge’s All-Star MVP odds (+1200) compared to Ohtani’s (+550).

Juan Soto (+1200)

Juan Soto – who shares an outfield with Judge in the Bronx – also has +1200 All-Star MVP odds. Soto has been a massive addition to the Yankees this season and is making his fourth All-Star appearance. New York wouldn’t be anywhere close to the top of the AL East without Soto’s contributions.

It’s hard to believe that Soto is still only 25 considering he’s been one of the game’s best all-around hitters for the better part of a decade already. While his résumé is already close to impeccable, this might be his finest season to date. Soto is hitting .295/.426/.558 with 23 homers, 66 RBI, and 75 runs scored so far in his first year in the famous pinstripes.

Soto is on pace to break his previous career-high for homers (35), which he set last season as a member of the Padres. Yankee Stadium’s short porch in right field caters perfectly to his swing, and he’ll be representing the American League for the first time at this year’s Midsummer Classic.

Soto is just 1-for-6 with a couple of walks across his first 3 All-Star appearances. His lone hit was a single in last year’s game, and he’s still looking to register his first RBI.

Bryce Harper (+1200)

Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies is making his eighth All-Star appearance. Harper is right there with Ohtani in the race for National League MVP, as the Phillies enter the All-Star break with the best record in the senior circuit.

Harper recently returned from a stint on the injured list, but he looks no worse for the wear. Through 81 games, the 31-year-old is hitting .301/.403/.579 with 21 homers and 61 runs driven in. He’s already matched last season’s home run total in 45 fewer games. It’s worth remembering, though, that he was recovering from offseason Tommy John surgery for most of last year.

Like several other big names gunning for All-Star MVP honors, Harper has struggled to find success in this game. Through his first 6 All-Star outings, the former No. 1 overall draft pick is hitting just .182/.308/.273. His next All-Star home run will be his first. It’s hard to believe, but this will be Harper’s first All-Star Game appearance since 2018. He was voted in as a starter back in 2022 but didn’t play due to injury.

Christian Yelich (+1400)

Christian Yelich’s best days as a baseball player seemed to be behind him as recently as 2022. However, the former NL MVP has bounced back in a big way over the past couple of years. Now that a lingering back injury appears to be in the rearview mirror, Yelich is back to being the cornerstone of the Brewers’ franchise.

So far this year, Yelich is hitting .326/.412/.521 with 11 homers, 41 RBI, and 21 stolen bases. Yelich hasn’t hit better than .278 in any season since 2019, so this resurgence has been a long time coming. He took home NL MVP honors in 2018, while he smacked a career-best 44 home runs for Milwaukee the following season. He no longer seems to have that kind of power, but he’s back to being a plus all-around presence in the Brewers’ lineup.

Because he’s been largely terrible for the last half-decade, Yelich hasn’t made an All-Star appearance since 2019. He’s 1-for-5 across his first 2 appearances in the game, with that lone hit being a home run at the 2018 contest:

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (+1500)

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Toronto Blue Jays is another player to watch. Guerrero – who won the MVP award in the 2021 All-Star Game – is making his fourth appearance.

Guerrero finished as the runner-up behind Ohtani in the American League MVP voting back in 2021, but he hasn’t been the same player ever since. For some reason, his power numbers have fallen off a cliff. After smacking 48 homers that season, Guerrero hasn’t hit more than 32 in any season since. He’s hit just 14 this year heading into the Midsummer Classic.

Guerrero was still voted in as the starting first baseman for the American League, largely due to the lack of depth at the position. While the starting nod may lead to a couple of at-bats, I’m not sure his +1500 All-Star MVP odds are that appealing.

If he wins MVP, Vladito will become just the 6th player in MLB history to win multiple All-Star MVP trophies. Mike Trout (2014-15) was the most recent player to accomplish the feat.

All-Star Game MVP Prediction

The All-Star Game is always full of surprises, and Ohtani stands out as the favorite to win the MVP award. His focus on hitting this season has paid off, and he leads the NL in home runs (29).

However, the +550 MVP odds don’t offer much upside. With the AL listed as slight betting favorites, I’d rather put my money on an American League player to lift the trophy. Based on value and upside, Judge looks like the best bet at +1200.

Not only does the Yankee slugger enter the game in terrific form, but he could easily get 2-3 plate appearances in this one as the AL’s leading vote-getter.

Prediction: Aaron Judge wins the 2024 All-Star Game MVP (+1200)

MLB All-Star Game Odds

• National League +100
• American League -120

As mentioned, the American League is a slight favorite over the National League ahead of their annual clash. It’s fair to assume the odds may shift between now and first pitch, especially considering there’s no real science to picking an All-Star Game winner. This is particularly true in a sport as random and unpredictable as baseball.

We do have the starting pitching matchups and the starters, however. Paul Skenes will toe the rubber for the National League as a rookie, which is an awfully impressive feat. Meanwhile, Orioles right-hander Corbin Burnes was announced as the expected starter for the AL.

Below are the starters for both teams at each position, as voted by the fans:

Skenes and Burnes will likely only pitch 1-2 innings at the very most, so it’s not worth diving too deep into individual matchups. Skenes might be the best pitcher in baseball at this point, but he’s likely going to have to run the gauntlet of Gunnar Henderson, Juan Soto, and Aaron Judge in the first inning.

Things won’t be much easier for Burnes, who will presumably see Trea Turner, Shohei Ohtani, and Bryce Harper in his first frame of work.

Key reserves for the NL include Freddie Freeman, Marcell Ozuna, Pete Alonso, and Elly De La Cruz. Lurking on the AL bench are sluggers like Corey Seager, Riley Greene, Bobby Witt Jr., and Josh Naylor. Injuries have played an unfortunate role for the AL side, in particular, as they’ll be without Jose Altuve, Kyle Tucker, Carlos Correa, Rafael Devers, and Logan Gilbert.

Given the unpredictability in the All-Star Game, I think the value bet to target is the National League moneyline at even-money. While I think the value on Judge to win All-Star MVP is too good to ignore, I like the idea of hedging that with a bet on the NL to win the game outright as a slight underdog.

All-Star Game Pick: National League (+100)