MLB All-Star Game odds: AL slight favorites, Ohtani tops MVP board
The All-Star festivities got underway Monday night with the Dodgers' Teoscar Hernández winning the Home Run Derby as a +1000 longshot - the sixth-longest odds of the eight contestants.
Now it's time for the main event.
The American League is a slight -120 favorite over the National League in the 2024 Midsummer Classic. Last year, the NL snapped a nine-game winless streak that dated back to 2013 with a 3-2 victory at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.
The AL will send the Orioles' Corbin Burnes to the mound to take on rookie sensation Paul Skenes, who will become the first rookie to start an All-Star Game since Hideo Nomo in 1995.
Here are the starting lineups for both sides:
| American League | National League |
|---|---|
| LF - Steven Kwan (CLE) | 2B - Ketel Marte (ARI) |
| SS - Gunnar Henderson (BAL) | DH - Shohei Ohtani (LAD) |
| RF - Juan Soto (NYY) | SS - Trea Turner (PHI) |
| CF - Aaron Judge (NYY) | 1B - Bryce Harper (PHI) |
| DH - Yordan Alvarez (HOU) | C - William Contreras (MIL) |
| 3B - José Ramírez (CLE) | RF - Christian Yelich (MIL) |
| 1B - Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (TOR) | 3B - Alec Bohm (PHI) |
| C - Adley Rutschman (BAL) | CF - Teoscar Hernández (LAD) |
| 2B - Marcus Semien (TEX) | LF - Jurickson Profar (SD) |
Despite two loaded lineups and plenty of pop coming off the bench, All-Star Games were low-scoring in recent years. Six of the past seven games had fewer than 7.5 runs, the current betting total for Tuesday's game. The under is the slight favorite at -120.
If you thought betting on the Home Run Derby was a crapshoot, how about the All-Star Game MVP?
With limited at-bats, predicting which player will win the award is difficult. You're banking on a player to hit a key home run or cash in a few runners with a timely double. Good luck calling that.
MVP odds
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Shohei Ohtani | +800 |
| Aaron Judge | +950 |
| Bryce Harper | +1000 |
| Gunnar Henderson | +1200 |
| Juan Soto | +1400 |
| Trea Turner | +1800 |
| Yordan Alvarez | +1800 |
| Adley Rutschman | +2000 |
| Bobby Witt Jr. | +2000 |
| Vladimir Guerrero Jr. | +2000 |
| Christian Yelich | +2500 |
| Elly De La Cruz | +2500 |
| José Ramírez | +2500 |
| Ketel Marte | +2500 |
| William Contreras | +2500 |
Odds via theScore Bet. Players above +2500 are not listed.
Ohtani is the slight favorite over Judge, but it's evident given the condensed prices that oddsmakers have little idea who will win the award. If anything, backing a starter with longer odds, since they are likely to get two or maybe three at-bats, is the most valuable route to take.
If you are thinking about backing a pitcher to win the award, keep in mind that only two pitchers (Shane Bieber in 2019 and Mariano Rivera in 2013) have earned the honor since 2000.