We're getting deeper into the heart of the MLB season and the AL and NL Rookie of the Year races are starting to heat up.
The American League may finally have a frontrunner as Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez is looking more and more like the touted prospect we all expected to show up on Opening Day.
Here's a look at the latest Rookie of the Year odds:
Note: NL odds were off the board at SuperBook Sports on Tuesday and will be updated at a later date. The odds are as off May 4, 2020. The AL odds are up-to-date.
Odds to win AL Rookie of the Year
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Julio Rodriguez (Mariners) | +250 |
| Jeremy Pena (Astros) | +400 |
| Bobby Witt Jr. (Royals) | +600 |
| Joe Ryan (Twins) | +700 |
| Spencer Torkelson (Tigers) | +1,000 |
| Steven Kwan (Guardians) | +1,000 |
| Reid Detmers (Angels) | +1,400 |
| Adley Rutschman (Orioles) | +1,600 |
| Triston Casas (Red Sox) | +1,800 |
| Grayson Rodriguez (Orioles) | +1,800 |
| Jarren Duran (Red Sox) | +4,000 |
| Josh Lowe (Rays) | +5,000 |
| Riley Greene (Tigers) | +6,000 |
| Jose Miranda (Twins) | +6,000 |
| Pedro Leon (Astros) | +6,000 |
| Daulton Jefferies (Athletics) | +8,000 |
| A.J. Puk (Athletics) | +8,000 |
| Cristian Pache (Athletics) | +8,000 |
| Jack Leiter (Rangers) | +8,000 |
| Jose Siri (Astros) | +8,000 |
| Matt Brash (Mariners) | +8,000 |
Odds courtesy of SuperBook Sports as of May 11, 2022.
AL ROY favorites
Julio Rodriguez, Seattle Mariners (+250)
If Rodriguez's slow start to his career scared you off from laying down some wagers on him winning the AL ROY, you probably missed the boat at getting really good odds. J-Rod is only hitting .255 but that can be credited to an absolutely atrocious start. Since April 22, the date of his first two-hit game, Rodriguez is hitting .339/.397/.484 and has struck out in just 22.1% of his plate appearances compared to the 31.9% it is on the whole. Over that span, Rodriguez has not gone consecutive games without recording a base hit and he's also tallied six of his 10 stolen bases in that time.
Jeremy Pena, Houston Astros (+400)
Riding a seven-game hitting streak into Wednesday night, Pena's still hitting just .245/.318/.490 on the season. He has upside on both sides of the ball and looks like he can easily serve as Carlos Correa's heir apparent going forward. While Rodriguez looks like he's gained a tad of separation, Pena remains in the thick of the race.
Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals (+600)
Witt has certainly rebounded after a terrible start to his pro career, but his numbers haven't jumped off the page in recent days like Rodriguez's have. Still, the Royals are trying him out in the leadoff sport in the batting order and it will be interesting to see if that pays off. He recently rattled off an 11-game hitting streak and was batting .298/.333/.404 in 15 games prior to Tuesday's 0-for-4 performance.
Joe Ryan, Minnesota Twins (+700)
Ryan drops a bit due to his roughest outing of the season where he lasted just four innings and allowed four runs on four hits while issuing an uncharacteristically high five walks. Some nights, you just don't have it. But that marks consecutive starts where Ryan has failed to complete five innings.
Odds to win NL Rookie of the Year
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Seiya Suzuki (Cubs) | -110 |
| MacKenzie Gore (Padres) | +400 |
| Max Meyer (Marlins) | +1,000 |
| Nolan Gorman (Cardinals) | +1,000 |
| CJ Abrams (Padres) | +1,200 |
| Oneil Cruz (Pirates) | +1,400 |
| Joey Bart (Giants) | +2,500 |
| Bryson Stott (Phillies) | +3,000 |
| Cade Cavalli (Nationals) | +3,000 |
| Camilo Doval (Giants) | +3,000 |
| Alek Thomas (Diamondbacks) | +3,000 |
| Roansy Contreras (Pirates) | +4,000 |
| Hunter Greene (Reds) | +4,000 |
| Nick Lodolo (Reds) | +4,000 |
| Edward Cabrera (Marlins) | +8,000 |
| Luis Campusano (Padres) | +8,000 |
| Brennen Davis (Cubs) | +8,000 |
Odds courtesy of SuperBook Sports as of May 11, 2022.
Seiya Suzuki, Chicago Cubs (-110)
Suzuki remains the odds-on favorite to win the NL's top rookie prize. And while he was scratched from Tuesday's game with ankle soreness, he was used as a pinch hitter and roped a single in his lone at-bat. Overall, the 27-year-old is batting .255 with four homers, 16 RBI, and a 14.3% walk rate. The batting average isn't high but he is very adept at getting on base. That said, he doesn't have a multi-hit game since April 27, going just 5-for-37 (.135) in his last 11 games. The injury scare might not be serious, but we'll see if a compromised ankle further derails his chase of the ROY trophy.
MacKenzie Gore, San Diego Padres (+400)
Gore's transition to the majors has gone relatively smoothly. Yes, he's coming off his roughest outing where he allowed three runs on seven hits while fanning six against the Cubs. And no, he still hasn't completed six innings in any of his five big-league starts. But he does own a 2.42 ERA (2.58 FIP) and has been at least somewhat cursed by the BABIP gods with a .328 mark against him in that category. One thing he hasn't done yet is generate a ton of whiffs, which was his bread-and-butter throughout the minors. Still, if Suzuki falters or his ankle is worse off than expected, the path for Gore to win the award will be fairly open unless he hits his own rough patch. This race is still wide open.
Max Meyer, Miami Marlins and Nolan Gorman, St. Louis Cardinals (+1,000)
Case in point: neither Meyer nor Gorman have even debuted yet and they're next on the board.
Through six starts, the 23-year-old Meyer is 2-0 with a 1.72 ERA and 39 strikeouts compared to nine walks in 31 1-3 innings. He's yet to allow a home run, either. The Marlins rotation is already deep with young talent (Pablo Lopez, Sandy Alcantara, Trevor Rogers, Jesus Luzardo), so Meyer's arrival could actually make one of the other arms expendable in a trade to boost the lineup. And if Meyer gets promoted sooner than later, his odds of taking this award will slim if he translates his minor-league success to the majors.
For a split second on Tuesday, it looked like the Cardinals might be on the verge of promoting their powerful infielder when they sent struggling shortstop Paul DeJong to Triple-A. It wasn't to be, however, as the Redbirds called up Kramer Robertson instead. Gorman will get the call — likely shortly after the club gains an extra year of control via service-time shenanigans — thanks to his prodigious light-tower power. His 12 home runs lead all Triple-A hitters and he's slashing .307/.360/.693 to boot. The 34.2% strikeout rate is alarming, but as long as he makes enough contact, he could quickly rise to favorite status.
Understanding MLB ROY odds
Most sportsbooks will display odds in the American format as listed above. When Jonathan India emerged as the National League Rookie of the Year in 2021, his odds had a minus (-) sign ahead of the number down the stretch.
- Jonathan India -1,200
That means that a bettor in September had to wager $1,200 to win $100 by betting on India to win NL Rookie of the Year. Before the season starts, almost every player will have a plus (+) sign ahead of their odds.
- Reid Detmers +2,000
That means a bettor would profit $2,000 for a $100 wager on Detmers before the season started if he's ultimately successful.
If American odds aren't your thing, simply use a tool like our odds converter to switch the odds to decimal or fractional format. Most online sportsbooks also give you the option to change the odds format that you see.
MLB Rookie of the Year Awards FAQ
Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez is the solo betting favorite at +250.
Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki is the solo betting favorite at -120.
Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena won the AL ROY and Cincinnati Reds second baseman Jonathan India won in the NL.
MLB rules state a player is considered a rookie unless he has 130 at-bats, 50 innings pitched, or 45 total days on an active MLB roster prior to September 1.
