Best Bets For World Series MVP

Yankees vs. Dodgers

Yankees vs. Dodgers

The World Series is still a couple of days away and I’ve already given out my pick for who wins the series (the Yankees). Now, we need to take a chance on an MVP candidate for the series. With a ton of different options for us to choose from, we need to figure out who makes the most sense both from a logical choice and a value standpoint. Let’s see who we should bet on for World Series MVP.

I already mentioned I think the Yankees win the series, which means that my choice should come from that team. However, I’m not going to share that right away. About a week or so ago, my buddy Geoff Clark was texting me about his World Series MVP choice – I’ll leave it to him on who he ended up playing – but I mentioned that Mookie Betts at +1100 would be my favorite choice and one with good value. He has dropped down to +900, but that value is still here. Betts is hitting .295 with four homers, 12 RBIs and a 1:1 strikeout to walk ratio in the playoffs to this point. Plus, Betts can play everywhere on the field if they want him to. The value is there and he is certainly worth a play. If you think the Dodgers win the series, Betts will almost certainly be a huge catalyst for the team and is worth a play. Shohei Ohtani is the current favorite at +200, but I highly advise you that this is not worth a play. Could it win? Of course, he’s the best player in baseball, but keep in mind he shouldn’t be pitching – though that door is slightly open supposedly. I’m guessing Los Angeles could be just saying it as some gamesmanship. Realistically, though, the Dodgers need to win, and Ohtani needs to be the best player in his first World Series, against a team that won’t want to let him beat them. I just don’t like the number and everything that needs to go right.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 28: Mookie Betts #50 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts after striking out during the sixth inning of the game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Dodger Stadium on April 28, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)

On the Yankees side, I see a lot more options for us to play. Juan Soto has been absolutely outstanding to this point in the playoffs, hitting .333 with three bombs, but just eight RBIs. Soto should be familiar with the Dodgers pitching staff, more than pretty much anyone on the team. He is just 8-for-40 against the Dodgers pitching staff, and both of his homers came against Evan Phillips, so expect Dave Roberts to avoid that matchup. At +500 he is a reasonable choice for MVP. The favorite on the Yankees, no surprise here, is Aaron Judge. The masher of the Yankees hasn’t had a very good postseason though and I’m not expecting him to just turn it on here. In nine postseason games, Judge has a .161 batting average with just two homers and six RBIs. He has walked 7 times which is the second most in the American League, but he also has struck out 13 times, meaning he isn’t looking that good. While Judge has looked better the past few games, I like someone else in pinstripes for the award. Giancarlo Stanton has had a great postseason, hitting .294 with five homers and 11 RBIs. Both of those lead the American League. 

If you are going to take a Dodgers player, take Mookie Betts or a guy I haven’t talked about yet – Tommy Edman. He has a .341 average to this point and 12 RBIs for the playoffs. Edman is at +2500. He did win the NLCS MVP, but that doesn’t mean it carries over to the World Series. Stanton is at +800 and my official choice for the World Series MVP. If you’re looking for some longer odds, Anthony Volpe at +10000 might be worthwhile. He is hitting .310 for the playoffs but only has 1 RBI. Side note to my guy Geoff, he mentioned to me that he thinks Luke Weaver is good value considering he is the Yankees closer but he will pitch in every game with high stress. It really isn’t a bad look, but the last time a closer won was 1999 when Mariano Riviera of the Yankees won. I’ll take Stanton, personally and Betts to hedge a bit on my Yankees positions. 

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