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David Purdum, ESPN Staff WriterOct 25, 2024, 12:19 PM ET
- Joined ESPN in 2014
- Journalist covering gambling industry since 2008
In a World Series loaded with MVPs, bettors are siding overwhelmingly with Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani over Aaron Judge and the rest of the New York Yankees‘ sluggers.
Five former MVPs are involved in the Yankees-Dodgers matchup, the most ever in a World Series. Ohtani has the best MVP odds of them all. He is listed at +240 at ESPN BET. Judge is next at +550, followed closely by Yankees teammates Juan Soto (+600) and Giancarlo Stanton (+1,000), with Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts at +800.
Ohtani, Judge, Betts, Stanton and the Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman (+3,500) have each won MVPs.
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More money has been bet on Ohtani for World Series MVP than Judge, Soto, Stanton, Betts and Freeman combined at ESPN BET.
Ohtani has attracted approximately 31% of the money bet on BetMGM’s odds to win MVP, nearly four times as much as any other player.
The Dodgers say Ohtani will not pitch in the World Series and will be used exclusively as a hitter. He enters the World Series with 18 hits in his past 23 at-bats with runners in scoring position.
The betting favorite for MVP has won the award only once in the past nine World Series (Dodgers’ Corey Seager 2023).
The Dodgers have remained small favorites to win the World Series throughout the week. They were -125 favorites with the Yankees +105 underdogs at ESPN BET ahead of Game 1 on Friday.
Top odds to win World Series MVP (as of Friday; at ESPN BET)
Shohei Ohtani +240
Aaron Judge +550
Juan Soto +600
Mookie Betts +800
Giancarlo Stanton +1,000
Max Muncy +1,600
Teoscar Hernandez +2,500
Enrique Hernandez +3,000
Gerrit Cole +3,000
Freddie Freeman +3,500
Tommy Edman +3,500
