NL MVP Odds Candidates: Acuna Jr., Tatis Jr. Bet Down

The National League is loaded with star power in 2023, and many candidates warrant consideration to win MVP. 

Below, we’ll look into the top five using odds from FanDuel Sportsbook. 

Coming back from an injury, Ronald Acuna Jr. only managed to play 119 games in 2022. The Braves elite slugger is back to his pre-injury form and is now the odds-on favorite to win the National League MVP.

It’s been a tremendous start to the year for Acuna Jr., who’s managed to put up some big numbers as the middle of May looms. Acuna Jr. is hitting .343 and has a .996 OPS, helping him compile a 2.2 WAR.

He leads the league in runs scored with 33 and stolen bases with 15. The Braves superstar is doing everything asked of him to be a significant threat in this conversation, where he’s continued to be the odds-on favorite. Over the last week, Acuna Jr. odds’ were bet down from +320 to +220. 

The New York Mets are positioned amongst the World Series favorites, and Pete Alonso is a big headliner on their roster. Alonso has been raking and making his presence felt at the dish early and often, putting him as a definite factor in the NL MVP conversation. 

Even though Alonso has found some individual success into May, the New York Mets are struggling as a whole, where they sit two games below .500. Alonso has been in a funk at the plate, and his power numbers have also dropped off. The Mets slugger has just two home runs in May and has seen his NL MVP odds drop from +650 to +800. 

After returning to the big leagues, Fernando Tatis Jr. quickly and quietly enters the National MVP race. It didn’t take long for the Padres superstar to rise up the ranks, where he now finds himself in a tie with the third-shortest odds. 

With Tatis Jr. again finding himself as a staple in the Padres batting order, the team has seen some encouraging overall results. The talent has been highly evident, as he’s mashed four home runs already, even though he’s still looking to find more overall consistency in the batter’s box. With the Padres playing better and Tatis Jr. being a big part of that, he’s seen his odds to win NL MVP bet down from +1400 to +1100. 

There’s much to like about Mookie Betts and what he provides a baseball team. He gives you an honest effort every time he takes the field and is a big reason why the Los Angeles Dodgers are back on top of the NL West and streaking.

Betts is still improving his numbers at the plate, but he’s now up to seven home runs on the campaign and a .844 OPS. With the potential that Betts boasts as one of the NL’s best players, this is an excellent time to buy into the prospects of him going on a run to win MVP at +1400. 

We must raise the curious debate about Padres star Juan Soto again, as he’s back in the top five for the second week in a row. Is this a sign of positive things for Soto, or are we about to get sucked into him as a pretender for the NL MVP? 

The numbers have been positive, especially in May for Soto. He’s continued to bolster his OPS, which now sits at .833, along with his OBP, which is sitting at .400, well on the way to his average career OBP of .423. If Soto can go on one of his elite runs and play to this level for the next month, his price will increase substantially, meaning buying into the current number will be considered a value at +1600. 

Top 5 NL MVP Candidates Odds on FanDuel Sportsbook.