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Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes walks off the field after the second inning against the St. Louis Cardinals, and he headlined our MLB Rookie of the Year odds.
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes walks off the field after the second inning against the St. Louis Cardinals. Photo by Jeff Curry via Imagn Images.

Unlike the MLB MVP odds and Cy Young odds, the Rookie of the Year races were far from over when the season concluded. However, the two players who closed as small favorites took home the hardware on Nov. 18.

The American League felt like a complete tossup, and it was extremely close in the end with Luis Gil just barely edging out Colton Cowser.

Meanwhile, the NL featured a trio of star players, but one separated himself from the pack while putting together one of the best rookie campaigns we've ever seen.

San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill was great, and Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio was also very good following a slow start to the season. But Paul Skenes was on another level, and he was rewarded for his generational performance.

Odds to win American League Rookie of the Year 2025

We'll add the odds for the 2025 AL Rookie of the Year Award once our best sports betting sites begin to list them.  

AL Rookie of the Year odds analysis

Nov. 19, 2024: Gil earned 15 first-place votes and 106 total voting points, edging out Cowser by only two first-place votes and five total points.

I wondered if voters would decide to ride with a consistent presence in the lineup in Cowser, who wasn't particularly great with just a 120 wRC+. However, he was always there for the Orioles, playing in 153 games.

Instead, the majority sided with Gil, who had the best combination of numbers and narrative.

His 3.50 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and 10.15 strikeouts per nine were all very respectable. He also became the Yankees' true ace when Gerrit Cole was sidelined and Carlos Rodon was scuffling.

Gil closed as the small favorite to win the award, and, as I expected, he took home the hardware.

Odds to win National League Rookie of the Year 2025

We'll add the odds for the 2025 NL Rookie of the Year Award once our best sports betting apps begin to list them.  

NL Rookie of the Year odds analysis

Nov. 19, 2024: This was the most heated race of all the MLB awards this year, but the right man won in the end.

Seven voters sided with Merrill, who produced a very good - borderline great - rookie season. His 5.3 fWAR easily paced rookie hitters. He also played 156 games and helped lead the Padres to the playoffs. However, none of his stats were truly spectacular.

In most years, everything he did would be enough. But this wasn't most years.

That's because in 2024 we had Skenes. He put together a rookie campaign for the ages, serving as arguably the third-best pitcher in all of baseball. There's a case to be made that if Skenes pitched 30 more innings, he'd very likely be the NL Cy Young Award winner.

Despite what Padres fans would have you believe, this wasn't a robbery. Skenes put together a rookie year we won't see again for a very long time.

Past AL Rookie of the Year winners

YearPlayerTeamPositionPreseason odds
2024Luis GilYankeesSPN/A
2023Gunnar HendersonOriolesSS+250
2022Julio RodriguezMarinersOF+400
2021Randy ArozarenaRaysOF+350
2020Kyle LewisMarinersOFOFF
2019Yordan AlvarezAstrosDH/OF+2000
2018Shohei OhtaniAngelsDH/SPN/A
2017Aaron JudgeYankeesOFN/A
2016Michael FulmerTigersSPN/A
2015Carlos CorreaAstrosSSN/A

Past NL Rookie of the Year winners

YearPlayerTeamPositionPreseason odds
2024Paul SkenesPiratesSP+3000
2023Corbin CarrollDiamondbacksOF+400
2022Michael HarrisBravesOFOFF
2021Jonathan IndiaReds2BOFF
2020Devin WilliamsBrewersRPOFF
2019Pete AlonsoMets1B+600
2018Ronald AcunaBravesOFN/A
2017Cody BellingerDodgersOFN/A
2016Corey SeagerDodgersSSN/A
2015Kris BryantCubs3B/OFN/A

MLB Rookie of the Year odds explained

One of the benefits of betting on the MLB Rookies of the Year - as is the case with most player award futures markets - is that the odds on every option are relatively long to start the season.

Therefore, by betting on Rookie of the Year, you can make your money go further by placing a smaller wager and winning more than you would with most daily markets.

The odds will shift throughout the season as players separate themselves with their performances. It's just as important to track the progression of the rookies as it is to the odds themselves.

MLB Rookie of the Year FAQs

Who are the Rookie of the Year favorites?

Luis Gil and Paul Skenes closed as the favorites to win Rookie of the Year in the American League and National League, respectively.

When will the Rookie of the Year winners be announced?

The 2024 MLB Rookie of the Year Award winners were announced on Monday, Nov. 18.

Who won the Rookie of the Year awards last year?

New York Yankees starting pitcher Luis Gil and Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes won the AL and NL Rookie of the Year Awards, respectively, in 2024.

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