We’re going to explore the MLB player awards futures betting markets in this guide. MLB bettors can bet on which players will win the various player awards at the end of the season.
You may have bet on MLB World Series futures or MLB division futures, but a lot of casual bettors aren’t even aware of MLB player awards futures betting markets despite the potential for big payouts.
MLB player awards futures bets are available before and throughout the season.
In most cases, betting on these MLB futures earlier rather than later offers the best value.
MLB MVP Futures Betting
The most popular MLB player awards market to bet on is for the MVP. In MLB, there’s an MVP in both leagues (American and National), so bookies will have odds for both markets.
The type of player that you want to target to win the MVP is often a power hitter. Since 2015, the only pitcher to win an MVP award was Shohei Ohtani who won the 2021 MLB American League MVP.
You also want to target players that will have a .300 or higher batting average. Since 2015, 11 out of 16 MVP winners finished the season with a batting average above .300.
If you remove the shortened 2020 season, the last six MVP winners have had 35+ home runs and five of the last six have had 100+ RBIs. Eight of the last ten MVP winners have had an OBP above .400.
MLB Cy Young Futures Betting
You can also bet on which pitcher will win the AL and NL Cy Young awards every season.
When analyzing this market, keep in mind that wins don’t count for everything. For example, Robbie Ray won the 2021 AL MVP with a 13-7 record and Sandy Alcantara won the 2022 NL MVP with a 14-9 record.
Pitchers need to have an excellent ERA, WHIP and strikeout totals to win the Cy Young. If you remove the shortened 2020 season, nine of the last ten Cy Young winners have had 205+ strikeouts.
Since 2008, only one pitcher has won the Cy Young award with an ERA above 3.00.
MLB Rookie of the Year Futures Betting
The last MLB player awards market to bet on is the Rookie of the Year award.
This is the toughest market to bet early during the season because it’s tough to predict which rookies will have a breakout season. However, the winner often becomes clearer as the season progresses.
It’s still a good idea to bet on the players you think can win the AL and NL RoY awards early on while the payout odds are higher. It’s risky, but you have to trust your analysis.
The winner of the Rookie of the Year is almost always among the rookie leaders in home runs, RBIs and WAR. When betting on this futures market early in the season, it’s important to look at opportunity.
If a rookie is blocked at his position, he isn’t going to get enough at bats to win the RoY award.
