MLB Odds: Vlad Guerrero Jr. Now Co-Favorite For American League MVP
Guerrero Jr. and Ohtani are both +125 at one Las Vegas sportsbook
As the Toronto Blue Jays roll into Boston for a four-game set with the Red Sox, Jays superstar Vlad Guerrero Jr. now sits atop the American League MVP betting boards in Las Vegas.
The 22-year-old slugger leads the majors with 18 homers and 48 RBIs over 60 games while slashing an incredible .329/.435/.643 at the dish. Guerrero's monster production has catapulted him to the AL MVP betting co-favorite at the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas alongside two-way star Shohei Ohtani.
Both players are listed at +125 on the betting sheet ($100 wins $125).
AL MVP Odds via SuperBook
Shohei Ohtani +125
Vlad Guerrero Jr. +125
Xander Bogaerts +700
Rafael Devers +700
Aaron Judge +1800
Jose Ramirez +3000
"Everything in the AL MVP pool changed when Mike Trout got hurt," SuperBook executive sportsbook director John Murray told NESN. "We were a little slower to move Vlad Jr. down because there was so much hype around Shohei and we do very well on Vlad Jr. and lose a big amount on Shohei.
"We also thought the move to the ballpark in Buffalo might slow him down but it hasn't mattered. The kid is an unbelievable hitter and he continues to rake week after week. Even though we are in a great position on him, we moved him down to the co-favorite with Ohtani. That'll be a really fun race to watch between two outstanding young ball players.
"Devers is another stud, but nobody is betting him. There's only one ticket in the whole pool on him."
Speaking of Devers, he and Bogaerts both ascended up the ranks over the last month as the two catalysts have launched the 2021 Red Sox into contention for an AL East title. Boston trails the Tampa Bay Rays by only one game in the standings and leads the New York Yankees by five.
Garrett Richards (4-4, 3.88 ERA) starts for the Sox on Friday night at Fenway Park and right hander Ross Stripling (2-3, 4.71 ERA) goes for the Jays. Guerrero Jr. is 3-for-5 all-time against Richards and there haven't been any long balls yet.
Boston opened as a -130 betting favorite, but the initial market move came on Toronto. Most American shops are dealing the Red Sox around -120 with the offshore market a little lower. The total opened 9.5 with -110 juice each way and there's been a minimal shift to the "Over" at 9.5o-115.
I like the Red Sox as a small home favorite -- just don't give Guerrero Jr. anything to hit.
Red Sox -120
RECORD: (40-38, -2.0)
"Predict the Game" returns to NESN on Friday night. Our first question goes live at 6:30 p.m. ET on "Red Sox GameDay LIVE," and throughout the night, you'll see predictive baseball questions to answer on our broadcast. The participant who scores the most points during the Red Sox-Jays game will win an autographed Ellis Burks jersey.
Head over to NESN.com/PredictTheGame to create your account now.
It's free to play and free to win!
