AL Rookie of The Year Odds: Orioles Gunnar Henderson Atop the Board

Former Japanese star Yoshida in Line for Big Role With Boston

March 28, 2023 361 3 minutes readMLB Picks & Parlays

AL Rookie of the Year Odds: Orioles Gunnar Henderson atop the board — PATRICK SMITH / GETTY IMAGES

Following his impressive debut last September, Red Sox this offseason.

Let’s take a closer look at the AL Rookie of the Year race in our odds preview.

THE FAVORITES

Gunnar Henderson, Orioles (+250)

It’s no wonder Henderson, MLB Pipeline’s No. 1 prospect, headlines the AL Rookie of the Year odds. He tore up Double-A and Triple-A pitching and then contributed during a brief cameo with Baltimore last season.

The 21-year-old debuted Aug. 31 and proceeded to slash .259/.348/.440 with four home runs in 34 games.
He’ll be in Baltimore’s lineup on Opening Day and should be a fixture in the American League for years to come.

Masataka Yoshida, Red Sox (+550)

The 29-year-old outfielder from Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan signed a 5-year, $90 million contract with Boston this offseason. Yoshida batted .336 last season in Japan and made a lot of quality , with just 307 strikeouts in 3,251 career plate appearances.

His premier bat-to-ball skills and ability to spray the ball to all fields could play well in Fenway Park’s spacious outfield. He drove in a record 13 runs for Japan in the World Baseball Classic.

Hunter Brown, Astros (+750)

After ing a 2.55 ERA and 11.4 K/9 innings in Triple-A, Brown allowed only two runs over 20.1 innings (two starts) as a September call-up and was scoreless across three appearances in the postseason. The 24-year-old was poised to open the season as the Astros‘ fifth starter before being sidelined with lower back tightness.

Anthony Volpe, Yankees (+900)

The 21-year-old Volpe won the Yankees‘ shortstop competition this spring, beating veteran holdover Isaiah Kiner-Falefa and rookie Oswald Peraza, after hitting .314 with three home runs and a .417 on-base percentage over 17 games.

Last year, Volpe slashed .249/.342/.460 across 596 plate appearances in Double-A and Triple-A and became the first minor leaguer with 20 homers and 50 stolen bases in a season since Andruw Jones in 1995. He has the potential for big American League player stats.

Triston Casas, Red Sox (+1000)

Casas hit just .197 in 76 at-bats last September but displayed other qualities that made him a first-round pick in 2018. He slugged five home runs and drew 19 walks while getting on base at a .358 clip. The 6-foot-4, 252-pound Casas also has a strong glove and should see plenty of time at first base after making Boston’s Opening Day roster.

At+1000, Casas has the same AL Rookie of the Year odds as Twins shortstop Royce Lewis, who is on the 60-day IL while recovering from knee surgery, and Orioles pitcher Grayson Rodriguez.

DARK HORSE CANDIDATES (+2000 or longer)

Kyle Muller, Athletics (+2500)

Acquired this offseason in the trade that sent star catcher Sean Murphy, to Atlanta. The 6-7 southpaw will start Opening Day against the Angels. Muller has some Major League experience, with a 5.14 ERA and 1.37 WHIP in 49 innings between 2021 and 2022 as a Brave.

He’s struggled this spring, pitching to a 5.65 ERA across 14.1 innings, but Oakland obviously saw enough to hand him a prominent role.

Bo Naylor, Guardians (+2500)

Naylor hit .263/.392/.496 with 21 homers and 20 stolen bases across Double-A and Triple-A last season. While his power/speed combination is tantalizing, Naylor — Baseball America’s 68th-best prospect and the younger brother of Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor — figures to start the 2023 campaign back in Triple-A to fine-tune his catching. Should Mike Zunino struggle in Cleveland, Naylor could be in line for a call-up.

Follow pointspreads.com for more MLB betting picks, analysis and odds.

Can’t get enough? Here’s more!

March 28, 2023

361 3 minutes read