The American League Most Valuable Player award has a long line of legends among its honorees – but no one has won it more times during the 21st Century than Mike Trout. It was first awarded in 1931, and the first three recipients were Lefty Grove, Walter Johnson and Babe Ruth. Trout has won it three times and is the only active player with more than 2 MVP awards on his resume.

Yankees slugger Aaron Judge bashed his way to the 2022 AL MVP award with a league-record 62 bombs for the Bombers. Judge was the favorite in MLB futures markets to win MVP honors at top sportsbooks and betting apps from the All-Star break onward. The Yankees won 101 games and 28 of the 30 MVP voters rose in Judge's favor over one of Trout’s Angels teammates, Shohei Ohtani. A two-way sensation, Ohtani was the unanimous pick when he won the award in 2021, earning all 30 first-place votes.

AL MVP Odds

At the start of the 2023 MLB season, Ohtani stands as a clear favorite at +200, with Judge (+500) and Trout (+650) in range. As was the case with Trout in 2021, injuries will have a major effect in this market. But aside from that, it will be hard for anyone to dislodge these three favorites before the All-Star Break, barring an historic start.

Odds via BetMGM and current as of publication (visit our BetMGM Sportsbook review).

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Top AL MVP Contenders

Shohei Ohtani, Angels

Odds: +200 at BetMGM

Ohtani is a victim of his own success when it comes to MLB betting. But his cache and worldwide stardom doesn't hurt. Ohtani has the potential to be a Cy Young Award contender while hitting 30+ home runs and driving in 120+ runs. Sharing the same uniform with Trout is going to hurt both players in this market, however. You can bet Ohtani and Trout against the rest of the AL field to win MVP honors at +115 at BetMGM Sportsbook or -150 for the field.

CHECK OUT: NL MVP Award Odds & Top Contenders

Aaron Judge, Yankees

Odds: +500 at BetMGM

Never mind the MVP award, Judge won the biggest prize of all this offseason when he and the Yankees agreed to a nine-year, $360 million deal. The question in the Bronx is: "What will he do for an encore?"

The success of the Yankees proved to be the difference for voters last year when deciding between Judge and Ohtani. And that remains the issue when considering Ohtani or his teammate Trout. If the Angels can contend this year, Judge might have to hit 63 home runs to win it.

Mike Trout, Angels

Odds: +650 at BetMGM

Mike Trout is headed for Cooperstown. But since 2018, he's never finished higher than third-place or played in anything close to a meaningful game after the All-Star Break. The biggest concern with Trout is his durability. Since 2021, he's only played in 155 games. Injuries large and small have kept him from his full potential. If the Angels can content, it will be fascinating to see what Trout can do during meaningful games in September.

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