The best player in baseball that you might not be following yet is Elly De La Cruz of the Cincinnati Reds, and come mid-summer, you might hear the MVP clamors grow loud.
Just one month into the season, De La Cruz has already accumulated 18 stolen bases and eight home runs while playing shortstop for the Reds with a .280 average, 26 runs, 19 RBI, and a .980 OPS heading into Tuesday’s play.
Currently on pace for an unheard-of 45 home runs and 101 stolen bases, it could be wise to jump on his long MVP odds of 15/1 on FanDuel, as oddsmakers are still sleeping on a statistical case that would shatter records held for hundreds of years.
Our National Pastime has a rich history and some incredible athletes over the decades, but no one has flirted with 100 stolen bases while putting up serious power numbers, as Cruz is projecting.
The favorite in the MVP market is rightfully Mookie Betts, who has put up gaudy numbers at the front of a ridiculous Dodgers lineup that features Freddie Freeman, Shohei Ohtani and Will Smith.
Betts (+220, DraftKings) is going to put up obscene counting stats of his own, currently putting up a 1.119 OPS, six home runs, 23 RBIs, a .377 average, 29 runs scored and eight steals.
Don’t expect Betts to slow down anytime soon given the wild amount of protection he’s being given in the lineup, and he’s a good bet to stay healthy considering he has played 135 or more games in seven of his past 10 seasons.
The crux of the story here is the rest of the odds board in the national league, where Ohtani (10/1) is second, with Ronald Acuna Jr. (11/1) and Fernando Tatis Jr. (15/1) not far behind.
While Ohtani’s stats are up to standard for an MVP candidate, he’s also not playing the field and won’t be pitching in 2024.
Meanwhile, Acuna has been a major disappointment through 27 games played, and Tatis Jr. is on pace for 18 stolen bases with a career-worst .236 average to boot.
Below are the currently projected odds for the 2024 NL MVP candidates.
| NL MVP odds | Avg. | Runs | RBIs | HRs | Steals | OPS | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mookie Betts (+145) | .377 | 152 | 120 | 31 | 42 | 1.119 | 2.7 |
| Shohei Ohtani (10/1) | .341 | 131 | 99 | 37 | 26 | 1.041 | 1.8 |
| Elly De La Cruz (15/1) | .280 | 145 | 106 | 45 | 101 | .980 | 1.7 |
All three players have played each game this season, so the race figures to be robust with such a long season ahead.
At +145 for Betts, he’s easily the rightful favorite with that insane 1.119 OPS, ability to play multiple positions and impressive Wins Above Replacement.
Last year, The Post’s Jon Heyman made an intriguing case for Betts to be the MVP, while Acuna wound up winning the award and became the first 40/70 player in MLB history.
With the Reds fighting tooth and nail for every victory, he will be on the outside looking in, in terms of team success.
But if he does the unthinkable and gets to 80 steals and 40 home runs, the historical significance will be undeniable.
It’s very difficult to bet against Cruz, who has exit velocity and fielded ball-thrown velocity records already in his young career.
He shouldn’t be 15/1 at this point, it’s too long of a season to have Betts this far of a favorite.
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A fair price is around +750; don’t expect Cruz to slow down on the base paths or power department anytime soon in a hitter-friendly park in Cincinnati.
Don’t miss the boat before it leaves; we might be looking at 1996 Alex Rodriguez all over again.
PICK: Elly De La Cruz, NL MVP (15/1, FanDuel)
