MLB Betting – Who Will Win the MLB MVP Awards?
It is that time of the baseball season when the pundits start to throw their ideas around for who should be the NL and AL MVPs in baseball. Despite a lot of campaigning by some of the experts against the notion of a pitcher being MVP, pitching ace Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers was named the 2011 AL MVP.
The 2011 NL MVP was Milwaukee Brewers’ slugger Ryan Braun. There is always plenty of controversy surrounding the MVP voting and some of the dissention has already started to be voiced by members of the press and the fans. There are some interesting players to choose from this year, but only one from each league can finally be called the MVP.
American League
Just to make things interesting, the sports betting experts are once again pushing for Justin Verlander to be considered as the AL MVP. A pitcher may have snuck through last year, but it is doubtful that Verlander will win the award two years in a row. That is not to say that he doesn’t deserve it, because he is a viable candidate. But he is not likely to grab the award this year.
The Texas Rangers have two legitimate MVP candidates in Adrian Beltre and Josh Hamilton. While Hamilton is known for his power hitting, Beltre has a more complete resume that has helped the Texas Rangers to retain the top spot in the AL West. But all of those players are going to wind up falling short of the rookie phenom in Los Angeles – Mike Trout.
Trout is everything to the Angels and his rise in prominence is directly proportional to the rise of the Los Angeles Angels. On a team made up of superstar names, Trout has established himself as the top Angel. He hits for average and power, he can cover the outfield better than most players in the league and he has a cannon for an arm.
National League
The sportsbook experts are not quite as sure about the players in the NL. Ryan Braun is getting thrown around as a possible MVP, but the complete collapse of the Brewers does not help his case. If the Pittsburgh Pirates had been able to stay relevant into September, then Andrew McCutchen would almost be considered a lock for the MVP honors.
Being on a winning team is not a prerequisite for winning the MVP, but it does help a little. That is why many people think that San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey may be the one to walk away with the NL MVP. After recovering from a horrific leg break last year, Posey has come back to establish himself as the leader of the Giants and a very reliable player. It may not be enough for some people, but it just may be enough to call him MVP.