Last year’s NL Rookie of the Year field was absolutely loaded, headlined by Mets ace Kodai Senga and Arizona’s All-Star and MVP candidate Corbin Carroll, who brought home the honor.
This year, a whole new crop of youngsters will break onto the scene and begin to carve out their careers.
Let’s take a look at the latest odds and top candidates for the 2024 NL Rookie of the Year Award.
NL Rookie of the Year Odds
MLB odds used for these NL Rookie of the Year best bets are from Monday, March 11, and courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook.
- Yoshinobu Yamamoto (+170)
- Jung Hoo Lee (+700)
- Jackson Chourio (+850)
- Michael Busch (+1300)
- Shota Imanaga (+1400)
- Paul Skenes (+1800)
- Masyn Winn (+2000)
- James Wood (+2200)
- Jordan Lawler (+2200)
- Jackson Merrill (+2500)
- Kyle Harrison (+2500)
- Hunter Goodman (+2800)
- Max Meyer (+2800)
NL Rookie of the Year Best Bet
Jackson Chourio (+850)
He’s not necessarily the consensus pick to win this award, but due to some absolutely wild prices on another contender who we’ll discuss in a moment, Chourio is definitely the best value on the board.
He just turned 20, but this Venezuelan phenom has been tearing up the minor leagues since he was 17.
Chourio enters a Brewers squad that has every intention of defending its 2023 division title and could make a big impact right away.
[pick id="177379"]
NL Rookie of the Year Favorites
Yoshinobu Yamamoto (+170)
Yamamoto is the betting favorite for a reason. But at +170 odds, implying a win probability of just under 40%, his price is pretty unreasonable.
The Dodgers’ newest import is coming off of a trio of outrageous seasons in Japan, but it’s far from unheard of for pitchers to struggle with the transition from Nippon Professional Baseball to Major League Baseball.
- See where Yamamoto ranks in the NL Cy Young betting odds.
Yamamoto can and should win this award, but definitely exercise caution before investing at the current odds.
[pick id="177381"]
Jung Hoo Lee (+700)
Lee is coming off of a relative down-season but should be a great addition for the Giants after a solid career in Korea.
That being said, while he’s a very consistent bat, he may not have the power to make an award-winning splash right away.
We’ll have to see how he adjusts to a lefty-friendly ballpark, and of course, how the rest of the field performs.
If Yamamoto stutters and nobody else is smashing homers, Lee could have a chance. But if a fellow rookie has a power surge, that might be an issue.
NL Rookie of the Year Contenders
Michael Busch (+1300)
The future is extremely bright on the North Side of Chicago, and we aren’t even going to touch on every exciting prospect who could play a significant role for the Cubs this year.
Let’s start with Michael Busch, who struggled in a brief MLB debut with the Dodgers last year but had a really nice run in the minors.
In 2022, he had an OPS of 1.112 at the AA level before racking up a 1.049 figure at AAA last season.
In the past, he has struggled at each level before breaking through, so we’ll see if he does the same in the Majors.
[pick id="177382"]
Shota Imanaga (+1400)
Imanaga is another Cub who could be in for a big first season.
The lefty had a great career in Japan and should be a top contributor right away. However, he’s 30 years old, which was a bit of an issue in voters’ eyes for Kodai Senga last year.
- Check out the latest National League Pennant odds.
Imanaga has had a rough spring, so he might not dominate right away, which would likely be necessary to build a viable case.
NL Rookie of the Year Sleepers
Paul Skenes (+1800)
Frankly, the only reason Skenes’s odds are this long is because it’s not clear when he’ll be called up to the big leagues for good.
In Spring Training, Skenes is throwing his fastball at triple-digit speeds routinely and has shown much more of his slider than he did at LSU.
The issue is that he has only thrown 6 ⅔ minor-league innings. By comparison, the quickest rise of the past couple of decades was Stephen Strasburg, who threw just over 55 innings in the minors.
Still, Skenes is a special talent and could be a special case. Don’t be shocked if he spends as little as a month in the minors this year and makes an impact at the big-league level.
[pick id="177384"]
Jordan Wicks (+8000)
Wicks had an extremely promising start to his late-season call-up in 2023.
Through his first six starts, he put up a 3.00 ERA and generally impressed Cubs fans. However, his last outing really inflated his numbers.
- Get the latest 2024 World Series odds.
It’s not totally clear how much of a role he’ll have, but currently, he projects as a starter for Chicago.
We’ll have to see which Wicks shows up if he does get a consistent run of starts, but he’s worth a flier at this price point.
Past NL Rookie of the Year Winners
2023: Corbin Carroll
2022: Michael Harris II
2021: Jonathan India
2020: Devin Williams
2019: Pete Alonso
2018: Ronald Acuna Jr.
2017: Cody Bellinger
2016: Corey Seager
2015: Kris Bryant
2014: Jacob deGrom