Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
Watching homegrown prospects rise through the minor league ranks and become stars is one of professional baseball's most rewarding and exciting aspects. With youth talent at a premium these days, more and more young stars join the league yearly, but only two can win Rookie of the Year Honors.
As we enter September, Jackson Merrill has overtaken Paul Skenes to sit atop the NL oddsboard, but unless Skenes gets shut down, this race is not over. Meanwhile, in the AL, Colton Cowser has become the favorite for the first time since the end of April.
Here, we'll look at the ever-changing Rookie of the Year odds for both leagues on all the premier betting apps.
Player | Opening Odds | DraftKings | FanDuel | BetRivers | BetMGM |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Colton Cowser | +3500 | -280 | -280 | -305 | -275 |
Austin Wells | N/A | +185 | +195 | +210 | +200 |
Wilyer Abreu | N/A | +2200 | +2500 | +3000 | +2800 |
Colt Keith | +1000 | +10,000 | +8500 | +10,000 | +10,000 |
Luis Gil | N/A | +10,000 | +10,000 | +10,000 | +10,000 |
Wyatt Langford | +750 | +10,000 | OTB | +15,000 | OTB |
Ceddanne Rafaela | +7500 | +15,000 | +20,000 | +7500 | +15,000 |
Mason Miller | N/A | +15,000 | +15,000 | +15,000 | +15,000 |
*odds as of September 5, 2024
Colton Cowser (Baltimore Orioles): Cowser was the favorite to win the ROY at the end of April, but he has only started to find success again in July. At times throughout the season, the Orioles outfielder has shown flashes of his immense potential, but putting it together for extended stretches has been the problem. While consistency on a monthly basis has not been there, Cowser has been a flat-out different player in the second half of the season, hitting .283 with a .832 OPS and 137 wRC+.
Austin Wells (New York Yankees): Wells' first full season in the big leagues got off to a slow start, but over the past few months, he's started to blossom into an above-average MLB catcher. Since returning from the All-Star break, Wells has a wRC+ of 151, and in August, he boasted an OPS of .936. The only thing holding Wells back is the Yankees insisting that Jose Trevino should be getting most starts against left-handed pitching. Even with that, Wells has dramatically improved his odds for this award heading into September.
Wilyer Abreu (Boston Red Sox): Wilyer Abreu is one of the biggest reasons why the Red Sox have been able to remain in the playoff picture. After starting the season hot, Abreu suffered an injury, but now he looks fully healthy, and so far, in the second half of the season, he has a .858 OPS and 131 wRC+.
Player | Opening Odds | DraftKings | FanDuel | BetRivers | BetMGM |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jackson Merrill | +8000 | -1000 | -1400 | -1250 | -1200 |
Paul Skenes | +3000 | +500 | +900 | +700 | +850 |
Jackson Chourio | +850 | +1200 | +1500 | +1000 | +1400 |
Tyler Fitzgerald | N/A | +10,000 | +20,000 | +10,000 | +15,000 |
Shota Imanaga | +1100 | +15,000 | +17,000 | +10,000 | +20,000 |
Michael Busch | +3000 | +20,000 | OTB | +10,000 | +20,000 |
Masyn Winn | +3000 | +20,000 | +20,000 | +10,000 | +20,000 |
*odds as of September 5, 2024
Jackson Merrill (San Diego Padres): When Merrill first caught fire at the plate and overtook Skenes at the top of the oddsboard, the question was how long he could sustain his success. Well, it feels like every time you turn on the TV, Merrill is hitting a clutch home run to save the day for San Diego, and over the past month, the rookie is hitting .316 with a .999 OPS and 22 RBIs. With numbers like that, Merrill has taken complete control of this market and flipped the script on the award entirely.
Paul Skenes (Pittsburgh Pirates): Not only did Paul Skenes take the league by storm, but he became the first player in MLB history to make an All-Star game just one year after he was drafted. In 114 innings this season, Skenes is pitching to a 2.13 ERA with 142 strikeouts and a 2.80 xFIP.
The LSU product is fresh off a five-inning outing in which he allowed no earned runs on four hits and six strikeouts. In reality, his numbers for a rookie are still awe-inspiring, but with Merrill continuing to rack up hits, Skenes' chances are quickly fading away.
Jackson Chourio (Milwaukee Brewers): Chourio was one of the most hyped rookies heading into this season, and after a long adjustment period, he now looks entirely comfortable in the Major Leagues. Not only has Chourio cut down his strikeout percentage by around 9% since the second half of the season, but over the past month, he is hitting .304 with a 1.020 OPS and seven home runs.
AL Winners
Season | Player | Team |
---|---|---|
2023 | Gunnar Henderson | Baltimore Orioles |
2022 | Julio Rodriguez | Seattle Mariners |
2021 | Randy Arozarena | Tampa Bay Rays |
2020 | Kyle Lewis | Seattle Mariners |
2019 | Yordan Alvarez | Houston Astros |
NL Winners
Season | Player | Team |
---|---|---|
2023 | Corbin Carroll | Arizona Diamondbacks |
2022 | Michael Harris | Atlanta Braves |
2021 | Jonathan India | Cincinnati Reds |
2020 | Devin Williams | Milwaukee Brewers |
2019 | Pete Alonso | New York Mets |
Only two pitchers have won the award in the AL since 2013, and one of them was Shohei Ohtani, who won as a two-way player.
The last starting pitcher to win the award in the National League was Jacob deGrom in 2014.
Since 2022, the winner has led all rookies in home runs for their respective leagues.
The last three winners in the American League have played on a team that made the playoffs that season.