Gunnar Henderson Has Better Odds Than Mike Trout, Vlad Guerrero Jr. to Win AL MVP in 2024

Gunnar Henderson exploded onto the scene in 2023, winning American League Rookie of the Year for the surprising Baltimore Orioles.

The arrow continues to point up, as the 22-year-old shortstop has been put on the short-list of AL MVP contenders heading into 2024.

Henderson has odds of +1500 to win the award at DraftKings, which clears a host of the game’s established superstars, including Mike Trout and Vladimir Guerrero, Jr.. Henderson sits right behind teammate Adley Rutschman, who is listed at +1300.

Here are the top-10 candidates to win American League MVP in 2024, led by favorite Aaron Judge, according to DraftKings on December 15:

• Aaron Judge +550
• Juan Soto +600
• Yordan Alvarez +800
• Corey Seager +1000
• Julio Rodriguez +1300
• Adley Rutschman +1300
• Gunnar Henderson +1500
• Mike Trout +2000
• Kyle Tucker +2200
• Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. +2200

Henderson had an OPS+ of 125 in his first full season in the MLB in 2023 and finished with a WAR of 4.6. He finished eighth in the MVP voting and his combination of positional value and offensive output could have him right in that mix again.

Rutschman had an OPS+ of 128 last season and also plays a very tough position at catcher. He amassed a WAR of 5.1 and is entering his age-26 season in 2024, which is close to a player’s physical prime.

Trout might still be the best hitter in the American League but he has missed a bunch of games in recent seasons. His production also dipped in 2023, as the Angels’ superstar had an OPS+ of 134 when it had never dipped below 160 in previous seasons.

So Trout’s odds make sense, but he is only 32 years old and a healthy campaign could mean a return to the top of the list of American League sluggers if things go well.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had an OPS+ of just 118 last season but has the pedigree to do much more damage at the plate. He is still only 24 years old and may be a player to take a flier on at 22/1 odds.

There will be no repeat winner, as Shohei Ohtani has moved to the National League after signing a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers.

Here are the rest of the candidates with 100-to-1 odds or shorter to win American League MVP, per DraftKings on December 15:

• Rafael Devers +2800
• Bobby Witt Jr. +3000
• Bo Bichette +3000
• Jose Ramirez +3000
• Carlos Correa +3000
• Marcus Semien +4000
• Jose Altuve +4000
• Yandy Diaz +4000
• Royce Lewis +4000
• Alex Bregman +5000
• Adolis Garcia +5000
• Luis Robert Jr. +6000
• Evan Carter +6000
• Gleyber Torres +7000
• Eloy Jimenez +7000
• Josh Jung +8000
• Jeremy Pena +8000
• Riley Greene +8000
• Byron Buxton +8000
• Masataka Yoshida +8000
• Spencer Torkelson +10000
• George Springer +10000
• Randy Arozarena +10000