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MLB Futures: 2024 Rookie of the Year Award Odds, Picks & Predictions

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In most of the major sports, rookies are players who are playing their first professional season, which makes wagering on Rookie of the Year futures tricky, having not seen what they are capable of at the next level. However, often times players who win thee MLB Rookie of the Year Award have gotten valuable playing time the year prior, but played too few games and were able to keep their rookie eligibility heading into the following season. In addition, several players have been in the headlines since getting drafted, and have remained atop their team’s farm system rankings.

Last year, Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson and Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll burst onto the scene and took home the Rookie of the Year honors for their respective leagues, so who will win the hardware this season?

Here are our best bets to win Rookie of the Year.

Check out all of the consensus odds for 2024 Rookie of the Year Award >>

    2024 MLB Best Bets to win the Rookie of the Year Award

    (Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)

    Paul Skenes to win the NL Rookie of the Year Award (+1100) 

    Jacob deGrom was the last starting pitcher to win the NL Rookie of the Year, and that was all the way back in 2014, as eight position players and one relief pitcher have taken home the hardware since then. However, while former No. 1 overall pick Paul Skenes is third on the odds leaderboard among all pitchers (Yoshinobu Yamomoto and Shota Imanaga have shorter odds), we believe his +1100 odds are a great value for a pitcher that is expected to be a big part of the Pittsburgh Pirates rotation this season.

    Like deGrom, Skenes is a flamethrower who touched 102 mph on the radar gun in his first spring training start. Though he has been long projected to begin the season at either Double-A Altoona or Triple-A Indianapolis, more stellar starts in spring training should create enough buzz for an outside chance that he is on the Opening Day roster. Baseball America ranked Skenes as the No. 9 prospect in baseball entering the season, and after setting an SEC single-season record with 209 strikeouts in his junior season at LSU, we have confidence that his strikeout ability will translate seamlessly to the big leagues.

    Evan Carter to win AL Rookie of the Year (+300) 

    Texas Rangers outfielder Evan Carter is one of the few players bettors were able to get an extensive look at last season, which is a big reason he ranks second on the AL Rookie of the Year odds leaderboard behind Baltimore’s Jackson Holliday (+250). In 23 games last year, Carter belted five home runs and slashed .306/.413/.645. A postseason injury to Adolis Garcia also gave Carter plenty of playoff experience in Texas’s World Series run last year, and Carter produced like a seasoned veteran, with a .300/.417/.500 slash line and a 19:10 K:BB ratio in 72 postseason plate appearances. Carter also reached base safely in all 17 playoff games, and set an MLB record with nine doubles in a single postseason.

    No AL team has produced back-to-back Rookie of the Year winners since the Oakland Athletics in 2004-05 (Bobby Crosby and Huston Street), so perhaps Gunnar Henderson’s nomination last season will hurt Holliday’s chances last year. Either way, +300 odds for a player with Carter’s postseason experience, and one who projects to be in the lineup everyday, are an absolute steal.

    Make sure to check out our other best bets for Tuesday:

    Mike Spector is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeSpector01.

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