Smart Money Might Be On Derek Jeter for All-Star Game MVP
by Bovada Sportsbook Staff | July 14, 2014
Betting on the MLB All-Star Game MVP is pretty much a crapshoot. First off, you have to determine which league will win the game because MVP rarely goes to a player on a losing side. The American League has opened as the slight favorite at Bovada for Tuesday night’s Midsummer Classic. That’s largely because the AL is the home team at Minnesota’s Target Field. It also means the designated hitter will be used because it’s an AL park. Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton will start for the NL.
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The All-Star Game MVP is a popularity contest, and there’s no denying the popularity of Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, a first ballot Hall of Famer. He’s also retiring after this season. Should Jeter be the American League starter at shortstop on his 2014 production? Definitely not. He’s batting .272 with two homeruns and 25 RBIs. However, no one can argue with the fans’ vote for Jeter. It’s akin to a lifetime achievement award.
Jeter is 5/1 to win game MVP honors on Tuesday and one needs to look no further than last year to see why that’s a smart bet. Former teammate Mariano Rivera played in his final All-Star Game in 2013 and was named the MVP without even getting a save. He pitched a scoreless eighth inning. AL Manager Jim Leyland wasn’t sure if Rivera would get a save chance in the ninth, so he wanted to make sure Rivera got in the game. It was a great moment when Rivera arrived on the mound as he was all alone. Out of respect, the rest of the AL team remained in the dugout until Rivera was done warming up with catcher Salvador Perez.
Rather amazingly, Rivera, the first pitcher to
win MVP honors since Boston’s Pedro Martinez in 1999, was just the second Yankee to win All-Star Game MVP honors. The first was Jeter in 2000. He was 3-for-3 with two RBIs that night at Atlanta’s Turner Field, a 6-3 American League win.
The National League won three straight All-Star Games before last season. Coincidentally or not, the NL also won three straight World Series before the Boston Red Sox beat the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2013 Fall Classic. The league that wins the All-Star Game gets home-field advantage in the World Series.
Angels’ Mike Trout is arguably one of the game’s best hitters and is 9/1 to win the MVP. Trout has been a two-time runner-up. He’s hitting .310 with 22 home runs and 73 RBIs. He’s red hot right now, entering the break on a six-game hitting streak, going 10-for-26 over that span.
There is a group of four who are all 14/1 to win the All Star Game MVP: Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen, the reigning NL MVP, Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton and Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano. None of these guys have previously won MVP honors.
econd base has the longest drought out of any position to win ASG MVP honors. Roberto Alomar was the last winner there in 1998 with the Orioles. Cano starts for the AL at second base while the NL starter at the position is Philadelphia’s Chase Utley (33/1).
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