NL & AL Rookie of the Year Odds 2026: Who’s MLB’s Next Young Star? (April 23)

There may not be a harder award race to pick in sports than MLB Rookie of the Year Awards.

Unlike in the NBA or NFL, where the top draft picks enter the league right away, and the best of the best typically are known from their first game, picking a rookie to win in the marathon of a 162-game season is a much more difficult task.

Often, the first part of the battle is just getting the rookie to the show to make their MLB debut, then it’s a matter of staying up. We have seen Rookie of the Years lead their race wire-to-wire, like Corbin Carroll in 2023, or Julio Rodriguez in 2022.

Other times, a clear-cut Rookie of the Year can be harder to find, like when Jonathan India won in 2021, or even when Luis Gil ended up taking home the 2024 award in the American League.

All it takes is a few hot months for any player or pitcher to vault themselves right to the top of a Rookie of the Year race. The only question is who will be the young stars that emerge this year.

This page will be your guide to the updated betting odds throughout the season, as we follow along with what is sure to be a thrilling race for both AL and NL Rookie of the Year.

Current Rookie of the Year Award Odds: Top Contenders for 2026

Before we dive a little bit deeper into the races in each respective league, let’s just take a look at the current updated odds from BetMGM in the two Rookie of the Year races.

2026 American League Rookie of the Year Odds

After such a hot start to the year, Guardians’ sensation Chase DeLauter has cooled off quite a bit. Over the last 14 days, DeLauter is 7-for-42 with a 77 sOPS+ (Split Confined OPS+), and the odds from BetMGM have reflected this.

More interestingly, Munetaka Murakami of the Chicago White Sox is absolutely terrorizing baseballs this season with a .978 OPS and nine home runs. His odds have skyrocketed from +700 at opening all the way down to +260, which just trails our odds leader, Kevin McGonigle (+220).

Jumping down the list, the player with the greatest increase in probability from opening to current odds is none other than Parker Messick of the Cleveland Guardians. On April 6th, Messick opened at +3000, and after nearly throwing a no-hitter on 4/16 against the Baltimore Orioles, the odds have shifted all the way to +650.

Good enough for third place on the board currently, Messick and his six-pitch repertoire sport a 0.88 WHIP and a 1.76 ERA through five starts this season.

Touching on our current AL odds leader, Kevin McGonigle of the Detroit Tigers, fresh off an eight-year, $150 million extension, has slashed .322/.410/.494 through 23 games and has a bright red Savant page to back it up.

Widely considered one of the best predictive offensive metrics, McGonigle boasts a .424 xwOBA, good for the 96th percentile out of qualified batters this season. Needless to say, BetMGM understands this and will reflect it in its decreasing payout price as the season moves along.

2026 National League Rookie of the Year Odds

It made sense that the already somewhat proven Nolan McLean of the New York Mets would open the season as the odds leader for NL ROTY, and he hasn’t pitched poorly at all whatsoever (2.67 ERA, 0.76 WHIP).

Unfortunately for him, being a pitcher doesn’t help his chances, and Reds’ rookie phenom Sal Stewart has absolutely taken over the race. Slashing .299/.394/.632 through 24 games, Stewart leads all NL rookies in fWAR with 1.2 and is tied with Kevin McGonigle for the rookie MLB lead.

Notably, Konnor Griffin (56 OPS+) of the Pirates has seen his odds crater, now sitting at +1000. We all know his talent is there, and the soon-to-be 20-year-old, fresh off a massive nine-year, $140 million extension, will likely rebound, but his chances to win the ROTY award are marginal at best.

As the season progresses, it’ll be interesting to see if anybody can catch up to Sal Stewart in the odds, as he has built himself quite a cushion. If anything, it might be a mid-season call-up like Giants’ Bryce Eldridge, who has a better shot at swooping in and stealing the award from Stewart.

How to Follow the MLB Rookie of the Year Odds

When betting on awards futures, timing is everything. Knowing when it is right to strike is half the battle in making sure you are finding value on the board. Consistently keeping tabs on the odds each week will show you how a player’s market is fluctuating, which can help you find the right time to place your future bet.

At the end of the year, BBWAA voters typically base their criteria on who wins these awards largely on stats, but narrative and team role certainly do factor in. In 2024, a great case could have been made for Jackson Merrill, but the narrative and sensation that was Paul Skenes was too much for him to topple.

Last year, Nick Kurtz mashed his way to win the AL ROTY, while Drake Baldwin took advantage of a relatively weak NL field. Keeping all those aspects in mind can help you pick the right horse in this race.

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