There was a new leader at the top of the National League MVP oddsboard … for about 24 hours. Mookie Betts jumped ahead of Ronald Acuña as the favorite and was listed at -140 on FanDuel Monday with Acuña dropping to +125 after being the favorite for a large portion of the season.
Enter Tuesday's matchup between the Braves and Rockies. Acuña broke a 2-2 tie with 438-foot two-run home run in the fifth inning and doubled in the top of the ninth to drive home three more runs in a blowout win. He finished the night going 4-for-5 and tying his career-high for hits and RBI (5) in a single game.
Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, Betts had an 0-for-4 night with two strikeouts against the Diamondbacks. With that muted performance, Betts quickly dropped back down to plus-money in the latest NL MVP odds.
NL MVP Odds
Odds as of Aug. 29 and via FanDuel
| Player | NL MVP Odds |
|---|---|
| Ronald Acuña Jr. | -160 |
| Mookie Betts | +110 |
| Freddie Freeman | +1200 |
| Matt Olson | +10000 |
The fact that Betts even sat at the top of the oddsboard at all is impressive in its own right. According to FanDuel, Acuña's odds to win NL MVP were as short as -1400 on August 8. But Betts' outstanding play in August has vaulted him into the conversation down the stretch. Over the past 30 days, Betts leads the NL in batting average (.446), On Base Percentage (.500), Slugging Percentage (.782) and OPS (1.282) and was named NL Player of the Week on Monday after a dominant performance against his former Red Sox team.
Acuña might be in the lead again, but the odds could easily bounce back and forth through the end of the season. Both teams have exactly 32 games remaining in the regular season and a fairly similar remaining strength of schedule, according to Tankathon. The Braves have a four-game lead atop the NL entering Tuesday's games, but the two teams will go head-to-head in a four-game series starting Aug. 31.
