The World Series is baseball's biggest stage, where the best players shine. This means betting on which player will be crowned the World Series MVP when the dust settles.
The Houston Astros are favored in our World Series odds after defeating the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 5 to take a 3-2 series lead heading back to Texas. With Bryce Harper now off the Top 3 in the MVP board, a slew of Astros players have taken control of the top of the board.
Check out the full breakdown in our World Series 2022 MVP odds update below.
World Series 2022 MVP odds
| Player | Team | World Series MVP Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Jeremy Pena |  Houston Astros |
+105 |
| Framber Valdez | Houston Astros |
+700 |
| Alex Bregman | Houston Astros |
+850 |
| Bryce Harper |  Philadelphia Phillies |
+950 |
| Kyle Schwarber | Philadelphia Phillies |
+1,600 |
| Kyle Tucker | Houston Astros |
+1,700 |
| Cristian Javier | Houston Astros |
+1,700 |
| Jose Altuve | Houston Astros |
+2,200 |
| Yordan Alvarez | Houston Astros |
+3,500 |
| Yuli Gurriel | Houston Astros |
+4,000 |
| Ranger Suarez | Philadelphia Phillies |
+4,000 |
| J.T. Realmuto | Philadelphia Phillies |
+7,000 |
| Alec Bohm | Philadelphia Phillies |
+7,000 |
Odds courtesy of DraftKings as of November 5, 2022.
World Series 2022 MVP favorites
Jeremy Pena (+105)
Jeremy Pena was the hero in Game 5 last night with three hits. The Houston shortstop drove home two runners and hit a go-ahead home run in the 4th inning.
The rookie now carries a World Series slash line of .381/.409/.619 into the weekend as Houston is just one win away from immortality. It goes without saying the Astros would not be in this spot in the series without him, but they'll have to win it all if he's going to take home this particular hardware.
Framber Valdez (+700)
Framber Valdez was lights-out in Houston's Game 2 victory over the Phillies, striking out nine and allowing just one earned run over 6 1-3 innings.
If the left-hander is able to duplicate the same type of performance on Saturday in Game 6, it would be hard not to give the southpaw the award.
Alex Bregman (+850)
It could also be Alex Bregman, who has re-emerged as a legitimate threat this postseason with the bat after a bit of a down season by his standards. That said, the star third baseman is batting just .222 with four hits in five games. But, he has made those hits count. His home run in Game 3 helped keep that contest out of reach, and he's got a pair of key doubles otherwise, including one in Game 4.
Another big moment and Bregman has a legit shot.
Looking to bet on some baseball action? Here are two of the best bonuses* available:
A) New users at FanDuel can get a no-sweat first bet up to $1,000! Sign Up Now
B) New users at DraftKings can bet $5 and get $150 in bonus bets! Sign Up Now
*Eligible USA locations only. Also, check out our full list of best sportsbook promotions for 2022.
How is the World Series MVP decided?
The Willie Mays World Series Most Valuable Player Award is decided by a committee of media members and officials who are in attendance at the final game.
The honor is awarded to the player deemed to have the most impact on his team's performance during the World Series — performance during earlier postseason rounds does not count toward this award.
The World Series MVP can be given to a player from either the winning or losing team, although a player from the losing team winning the award has only happened once (Bobby Richardson, NYY, 1960).
How to read World Series MVP odds
The World Series MVP odds are displayed in a list format with corresponding odds for each player considered an MVP candidate. The odds will reflect the implied probability of that player winning MVP.
Most sportsbooks in North America will list World Series MVP odds in American format:
- Jose Altuve -120
- Bryce Harper +187
This means that a $100 bet on Altuve would profit $83 (or a $120 bet would win $100), while a $100 bet on Harper would profit $187. Use our odds converter to switch American odds to decimal or fractional and to see how much you could win using different odds.
World Series MVP history
The World Series MVP Award has been handed out to the player deemed to have had the greatest impact on his team's performance during the championship series every year starting in 1955. Prior to the 2017 postseason, the award was renamed in honor of Willie Mays in remembrance of the Hall-of-Famer's historic catch in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series. The Willie Mays World Series Most Valuable Player Award trophy is a wooden pedestal topped by a bronze sculpture of Mays making the iconic catch.
Pitchers have won the award 29 times (four times by relief pitchers), including 12 of the first 14 years from 1955 to 1968. More recently, dating back to 2004, the award has been won 15 of the last 18 years by non-pitchers.
| Position | Total |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 29 |
| Outfielder | 11 |
| Third baseman | 10 |
| Catcher | 7 |
| Shortstop | 6 |
| Designated hitter | 3 |
| First baseman | 3 |
| Second baseman | 1 |
Betting has only been available on the World Series MVP Award since 2002. The table below lists those winners, in addition to their odds to win before the World Series began.
| Year | MVP winner | MVP odds | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Jorge Soler | +3,500 | RF |
| 2020 | Corey Seager | +800 | SS |
| 2019 | Stephen Strasburg | +1,950 | SP |
| 2018 | Steve Pearce | +5,500 | LF/1B |
| 2017 | George Springer | +2,200 | CF |
| 2016 | Ben Zobrist | +1,500 | 2B/OF |
| 2015 | Salvador Perez | +2,500 | C |
| 2014 | Madison Bumgarner | +700 | SP |
| 2013 | David Ortiz | +900 | DH/1B |
| 2012 | Pablo Sandoval | +1,200 | 3B |
| 2011 | David Freese | +1,000 | 3B/1B |
| 2010 | Edgar Renteria | +3,300 | SS |
| 2009 | Hideki Matsui | +800 (field) | OF |
| 2008 | Cole Hamels | +600 | SP |
| 2007 | Mike Lowell | +1,200 | 3B |
| 2006 | David Eckstein | +1,500 | SS |
| 2005 | Jermaine Dye | +1,000 | RF |
| 2004 | Manny Ramirez | +500 | LF |
| 2003 | Josh Beckett | +1,200 | SP |
| 2002 | Troy Glaus | +800 | 3B/1B |
World Series MVP trends
- Yankees second baseman Bobby Richardson (1960) is the only player to win World Series MVP honors while playing for the losing team.
- The World Series MVP award has been awarded to a pitcher 42% of the time since its inception.
- In 2022, the Houston Astros’ Jeremy Pena became just the third rookie ever to win the World Series MVP award.
- Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson, and Reggie Jackson are the only players to win the World Series MVP award more than once.
World Series MVP Odds FAQs
Astros SS Jeremy Pena is the solo betting favorite to win World Series MVP at +110 odds.
Atlanta Braves rightfielder Jorge Soler won World Series MVP in 2021 with pre-World Series odds of +3,500.
Since 2004, 15 of the last 18 World Series MVPs have gone to non-pitchers, with the three exceptions being Stephen Strasburg, Madison Bumgarner, and Cole Hamels. Otherwise, third baseman and outfielders are the most common positions to win the award.
