NL Rookie of the Year race: How MLB season so far has impacted odds

We have made it a month and a half into the 2023 MLB season. Players have adjusted to the new rules and are settling into the league year. Every two weeks, we will be checking in on the odds movement for individual player awards. This article will be dedicated to the National League Rookie of the Year Award, with odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook. When the season opened, Jordan Walker had +360 odds to win it, but there has been a ton of movement despite so much season left to play.

Updated NL Rookie of the Year odds as of 5/16

James Outman +135 Corbin Carroll +200 Brett Baty +800
Dominic Fletcher +1800 Miguel Vargas +2000 Spencer Steer +3000
Matt Mervis +3000 Eury Perez +3500 Jordan Walker +4000
Matt McLain +4000 Brice Turang +5000 Francisco Alvarez +5000

NL Rookie of the Year race: Takeaways and best bets

James Outman, Los Angeles Dodgers (+135)

Outman is the latest young talent from the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. He has earned himself a starting spot as the team’s center fielder. Outman still only has 46 career games at the Major League level under his belt, but he’s hitting .265 with eight doubles, three triples and eight home homes through 42 games this season. Outman also has a .359 OBP, .544 slugging percentage and 1.2 WAR.

Miguel Vargas, Los Angeles Dodgers (+2000)

I’m double-dipping on Dodgers here, but it is hard to ignore Vargas’ talent combined with his opportunity. He was thrust into the starting spot when Gavin Lux suffered a season-ending injury during spring training. So far, Vargas has played in 40 games and is hitting .2235 with a .336 on-base percentage. He has 29 hits consisting of 10 doubles, two triples, four home runs and 21 RBI.