MLB MVP Betting: The Fantasy baseball team’s top picks for 2022 – Yahoo Sports

Guessing right on MLB MVP winners or, at least having some educated guesses as to who could win is huge for a fantasy baseball manager. Imagine drafting the soon-to-be most valuable player in the real game! It's a massive advantage that could propel you to the fantasy playoffs, a fantasy championship or, some profit if you choose to take your ticket to the betting window.

Here are our favorite AL and NL MVP bets for the 2022 MLB season.

All betting odds courtesy of BetMGM

Andy Behrens: It kinda feels as if Shohei Ohtani should have a stranglehold on this award in the AL if he can simply remain healthy over the next three to four seasons. But unlike last year, the MVP odds on Ohtani (+350) are no longer a gift. I'll happily take a flier on Xander Bogaerts instead, a star at a premium position for a high-profile team who's actually earned MVP votes in each of the past four seasons. Bogaerts will bat third for Boston, surrounded by hitters like Rafael Devers, J.D. Martinez and Trevor Story. That feels like a recipe for a potential 120-30-120-.315 season if things break just right. So yeah, I'll take a Bogaerts +5000 ticket, thank you.

Dalton Del Don: Health remains a major obstacle, but Byron Buxton is among the leaders in homers per plate appearance over the last two seasons, is just now entering his prime at age 28 and also plays Gold Glove-level defense in center field. With the Twins sneakily putting together a strong roster that should push for the playoffs, Buxton has a real shot at winning the MVP should health somehow cooperate. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. would be my pick to win (+500), but Buxton is well worth a flier at 30/1.

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Mo Castillo: I agree with Dalton in that 2022 looks like the year Vladdy Jr. puts it all together and wins the award, but there's no fun in picking one of the favorites who has just triple-digit odds.

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So I'll move instead to Vlad's Dominican compatriot, Jose Ramirez, at +2500. Ramirez has been one of the best hitters in baseball for the past four full seasons (2020 excluded for obvious reasons), has finished in the top-six in MVP voting each of those seasons and should be very well motivated to deliver the best year of his career.

For one, the Guardians don't look like a good team so Ramirez will be needed to do most of the heavy-lifted. He's also mired in a contract extension dispute; delivering a career year would only aid his cause for a monster payday. And finally, there was this hilarious Twitter exchange.

Overlooked, underrated, maybe even disrespected whatever you want to call him, Ramirez is a do-it-all player poised to make a statement this year. +2500 odds is one heck of a value play for one of the best hitters in the AL.

Andy Behrens: While it's hardly the most imaginative pick, I like seeing reigning NL MVP Bryce Harper available at +1000. His team added plenty of punch to its lineup via free agency, so there's a path for Harper to lead the circuit in runs and/or RBIs while hitting close to 40 bombs and reaching base at his usual elite level. If the Phillies are winning, he's going to be in the conversation to win his third MVP.

Will Bryce Harper deliver a third MVP win? (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

If you want a plausible winner with much longer odds, take a look at Paul Goldschmidt at +6600. He finished sixth in MVP voting last season the fifth time in his career he's placed at least that high and his Cardinals are pretty clearly going to pile up wins. Goldschmidt rarely misses games and his floor is probably something like 90-30-100-.290.

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Dalton Del Don: The NL MVP looks fairly wide open since the leagues best hitter (Juan Soto) also plays for one of the leagues worst teams; Fernando Tatis Jr. and Ronald Acua Jr. are set to miss time; and all the Dodgers could easily cancel each other out. So, give me Pete Alonso, who should rack up homers and RBI on a winning Mets team (although the early injuries to Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer arent helping this theory).

Playing in an extreme pitchers park wont help Alonso, but hitting in front of Brandon Nimmo, Starling Marte and a rebounding Francisco Lindor certainly will (as will the New York media). Alonso at 30/1, please.

Mo Castillo: As much as I'd like to give this award to Juan Soto, he's the current favorite (+300). He also doesn't really steal bases or play on a good team, so while he can still clearly win based on his inhuman batter's-box domination, that chalky +300 seems more like a boost received after the injury updates to Tatis Jr. and Acua Jr.

All that said, give me Harper at a wonderful +1000 here. To quote a legendary film, Harper has lived long enough to see himself become ... underrated. After all the fanfare the then-18-year-old received, Harper has changed the narrative surrounding him to help him become one of the most quietly elite hitters in the game. Consider that his .309/.429/.615 slash line won it for him in 2021 numbers that were nearly identical to his Statcast profile. Basically, he wasn't helped by luck to deliver that monster line; he's just that good.

Hilariously, Harper is still in the middle of his prime (even though it seems like he's been in the league for 500 years) and will be buoyed by one of the better lineups of his career. A 100-100 season with another 35+ home runs looks to be in the cards for the 29-year-old.

(I also like Kris Bryant at +5000 and here's why.)

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MLB MVP Betting: The Fantasy baseball team's top picks for 2022 - Yahoo Sports