Since May, FTW has rolled out eight MVP ladders. And on each and every one of those ladders, the same names have occupied the top of the American League and National League races, respectively.
Well, I think it’s about time we call one of those races, and give our full attention to the other.
We’ve known this for a while now, but Shohei Ohtani is going to win the American League MVP. It’s about as close to a lock as you can get. Many online sportsbooks have already pulled odds for the award. PointsBet paid out Ohtani bettors two weeks ago.
So let’s laser in on the National League, where Ronald Acuña Jr. is a big favorite to win the award but not so big that he can’t be caught.
Related: MLB Cy Young Ladder 7.0
1
Ronald Acuna Jr., Atlanta Braves (-550)
Alex Slitz/Getty Images
Stats: .335 AVG | 73 RBI | 27 HR | 55 SB | 6.1 WAR
Last ladder: 1st place
Acuña is in a bit of a power drought lately, hitting just seven home runs since the start of July after hitting nine in June alone. That’s slowed his RBI pace as well. He’s still getting on base at a high clip and scoring a ton of runs, so he’ll occupy this top spot for at least another ladder, but the No. 2 player is coming.
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2
Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers (+390)
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Stats: .337 AVG | 83 RBI | 23 HR | 16 SB | 5.4 WAR
Last ladder: 2nd place
Freeman’s odds have improved from +700 to +390 over the last two weeks, showing just how much he’s eating into Acuña’s lead. He now has a higher batting average, more RBI, more home runs and a better OPS. Those numbers are still close enough for Acuña’s massive stolen base lead and runs lead to give him a slight edge, but this is a real race at the top.
3
Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers (+3200)
Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
Stats: .293 AVG | 81 RBI | 31 HR | 8 SB | 6.0 WAR
Last ladder: 3rd
Most betting odds actually have Betts fourth in this race, which is understandable considering the next player on this list leads the majors in both home runs and RBI. But I would give Betts the edge today simply for his steadying and consistently improving play throughout the season. At the rate Matt Olson is slugging, however, Betts won’t remain third for long.
4
Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves (+1700)
Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
Stats: .274 AVG | 107 RBI | 43 HR | 5.1 WAR
Last ladder: 4th
Olson is definitely the darkhorse in this race for all the reasons I mentioned above. He leads the majors in some of the marquee categories and also leads the National League in OPS. His batting average leaves a little to be desired compared to the other three, but even that’s seen an uptick since mid-June when it was .227. If he stays hot, Olson can absolutely sneak in and steal this award from his teammate.
