The MLB season is just days away, so it’s time to take one last look at the futures odds for the upcoming campaign.
Today, we’re going to take a look at the rookie of the year, starting with the American League.
Let’s dive into the odds to win the award and then I’ll give you my prediction for who it will be.
AL Rookie of the Year odds
AL Rookie of the Year prediction
Gunnar Henderson, the 21-year old infielder for the Baltimore Orioles, is set as the betting favorite to win AL Rookie of the Year honors in 2023.
Henderson appeared in 34 games last season, but he didn’t reach 130 at bats, totaling 116, so he keeps his rookie status in 2023. He had a solid pre-rookie campaign, sporting a batting average of .259 and hitting four home runs.
While he’s the obvious choice, I’m going to go a different direction. In stead, I’m going to bet on the second man on the list, Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida.
Yoshida comes to the Red Sox from the Japan Pacific League, which gives him more experience than the rest of this year’s rookie class. At 29 years old, he already has six season of professional baseball under his belt.
In Japan last year, he boasted a blistering .336 batting average and 21 home runs.
He’ll slot right into the starting left field role and will get plenty of opportunities to show his stuff this season. While Henderson may be the more promising long-term prospect, you can’t ignore Yoshida’s experience and how important that will be in this year’s performance.
I’ll back him at +600 to win the 2023 AL Rookie of the Year.
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.