Best bets for 2019 AL and NL MVP
The criteria for taking home the MVP award in a respective league are pretty simple: Put up stupid numbers and play for a winning team. And if your name isn't Mike Trout, or you don't hit close to 60 home runs like Giancarlo Stanton did in 2017, well, better luck next year.
Obviously, projecting for a big year and playing for a good team are already baked into the MVP odds. So no - Bryce Harper and Aaron Judge aren't exactly "sleepers." Good try, though.
With a new season on the horizon, here's who we think offers the best value for AL and NL MVP.
AL - Mike Trout (3-1)
As crazy as it sounds, there's value to be had on the greatest hitter in the world with Michael Nelson Trout.
Trout has finished in the top five for AL MVP voting in each of the previous seven years. He's taken home two of those awards - in 2014 and '16. The scary part about all this? Trout's on the cusp of his age-27 season; not only are there no signs of slowing down, there's also an off chance we haven't seen his best baseball yet.
After an injury-riddled 2017 and letting Mookie Betts get his turn in the limelight last season, Trout will once again be the flavor of the month year in 2019.
AL - Alex Bregman (18-1)
Bregman has improved drastically on a year-to-year basis and will be playing in his age-25 season. We don't think he's reached his full potential.
He's a pure do-it-all hitter on a Houston Astros club projected to leave the rest of the AL West in the dust. During a breakout season that saw him finish fifth in AL MVP voting, the star infielder hit .286 with 31 homers, 103 RBIs, a league-leading 51 doubles, and a 7.5 oWAR.
Playing alongside Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, and George Springer, it's possible Bregman is the most offensively valuable of the bunch.
Last season, his launch angle went up, as did his exit velocity. In fact, only one of his base hits in 2018 was considered weak contact. And after posting a .289 BABIP, it's fair to project Bregman for an even bigger 2019.
NL - Kris Bryant (15-1)
In a National League featuring the likes of Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, Bryce Harper, Christian Yelich, and Manny Machado, no player from that list is expected to finish 2019 with the NL's highest fWAR.
That preseason honor belongs to Bryant, whose stock can only rise. The Chicago Cubs third baseman was limited to 102 games last year due to shoulder inflammation and struggled when healthy, hitting only 13 homers and posting 1.9 WAR.
Still, Bryant is three years removed from taking home NL MVP honors after clubbing 39 homers. At 27, his ceiling is still high, and there isn't much buzz surrounding the two-time All-Star.
NL - Anthony Rendon (30-1)
The Washington Nationals are going to be a very good baseball team, Bryce Harper or not. Enter Rendon, who should attract more attention now that Harper is gone.
The third baseman is one of only four NL players projected to post a 5.0 fWAR for the 2019 season. Whether he hits third or fourth in the lineup remains to be seen, but he'll have plenty of opportunities to hit with men on base with a mix of Trea Turner, Adam Eaton, and Juan Soto potentially preceding him.
If the Nationals surge in a cutthroat NL East and Rendon can duplicate some of the filthy Statcast numbers he put up last year, he's a good look at 30-1.
Alex Kolodziej is theScore's betting writer. He's a graduate of Eastern Illinois who has been involved in the sports betting industry for 11 years. He can quote every line from "Rounders" and appreciates franchises that regularly wear alternate jerseys. Find him on Twitter @AlexKoIodziej.