MLB Rookie of the Year Odds: Is Julio Rodriguez a Lock for AL Rookie of the Year?
MLB Rookie of the Year Odds: Is Julio Rodriguez a Lock for AL Rookie of the Year?
As we head into a hiatus from normal gameplay, it seems like we have a clear top rookie in each league. We have seen players come on late and other players struggle as the year goes on, so it will be amazing to see how it plays out. But for now, let's appreciate our ROY race leaders as of now!
MLB American League Rookie of the Year Prediction
OF Julio Rodriguez, Seattle Mariners (-290) (Bet $290 to win $100)
It is so wonderful to see when a team sticks with a player through some very early struggles and the player silences doubters with a loud statement. That is what the Mariners stud Julio Rodriguez did this year.
He batted .206 in April and I specifically remember MLB Network analysts arguing about if he should be sent down. He responded to their faith with a .309 average in May, with a .866 OPS. He did not hit a single home run in April and still has 16 here at the All-Star Break. He is well on his way to a 30/30 rookie season and there really isn't anyone in the American League who is close to him right now.
That is with due respect to Jeremy Pena and Bobby Witt Jr., but he has been THAT good and a polarizing force that has the Mariners on a 14-game win streak and poised to push for a playoff spot (and end the longest current playoff drought in professional sports). As a result of this, his jump from +1000 pre-season to -290 now shows that the sportsbooks agree that it will be extremely tough to catch him.
MLB National League Rookie of the Year Prediction
SP Spencer Strider, Atlanta Braves (+200) (Bet $100 to win $200)
What a wonderful story. Bets were not even being taken on him until June 5th, and he was +3750 at that time. What a steal for anyone who noticed this. (Humble brag that I picked him up in fantasy after his dominant first outing).
Over just about a month and a half, he has outplayed all of the other rookies by a wide margin, and I think that the only reason that he is not similar to Julio is how long the line has been available to wager on, so it hasn't gotten the volume that one that had a ton of offseason hype had.
I think this is a steal at this price. He started in the bullpen, but once he made a start there was no looking back. He has a 1.024 WHIP, and in three July starts he has a 0.84 WHIP which unsurprisingly helped him get to a 1.08 ERA for the month. Snag him while he is + money for the little time that you have left!
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