It's a great time to start diving into big-picture betting odds on Major League Baseball. We're not just talking about betting odds for the 2022 World Series, either. All of the awards races are heating up with the 2022 MLB regular season nearing its halfway point. Naturally, we've already started going through some of them, such as the best bets to win 2022 MLB MVP honors in the American League and National League. Next up on our docket is a race Mackenzie Gore of the San Diego Padres seems to be running away with: The 2022 National League Rookie of the Year award.
To start us off, here are the latest online betting odds in the National League for Rookie of the Year:
Pick to Win 
MacKenzie Gore +150 Nolan Gorman +250 Seiya Suzuki +600 Alek Thomas +1400 Juan Yepez +1800 Oneil Cruz +2000 Hunter Greene +3000 Spencer Strider +3000 Max Meyer +3500 Luis Gonzalez +4000
Make sure you're double-checking these MLB betting odds before settling on your National League Rookie of the Year prediction. All MLB futures are subject to shift until the very end of the season, and our betting odds to win 2022 NL Rookie of the Year are accurate, entering games on Friday, June 10.
With so much time separating us from the end of the season, you have plenty of opportunities to go through our reviews of the top online sportsbooks. These in-depth evaluations have been configured to ensure you have no issue spotting the best MLB betting sites in 2022. Take advantage of them!
Now, we move on to more pressing matters—like whether anyone can catch Mackenzie Gore in the 2022 National League Rookie of the Year race.
Mackenzie Gore May Be Untouchable in MLB Rookie of the Year Race
Anyone who was smart enough to work offseason odds on Mackenzie Gore (+150) to win NL Rookie of the Year is on the verge of securing a huge payout. He has gone from an ultra-long shot to the odds-on favorite.
Though he wasn't expected to play a prominent part in the Padres' rotation, he has since emerged as one of their most lethal weapons. On the season, Gore is 4-1 with a stingy ERA of 1.50. He has flashed a vast array of pitches and gets both a ton of movement and velocity behind his fastball.
After a down year last season, San Diego appears to be back in the World Series hunt. Mackenzie Gore is a huge reason why, and knowing how rare it is for rookies to star so prominently on contenders, his case seemingly grows stronger by the week.
Is Nolan Gorman Nipping at the Heels of Mackenzie Gorman?
Nolan Gorman (+250) is currently leaving his imprint on a St. Louis Cardinals team that's seized hold of second place in the NL central. The utility infielder is batting .289 with an on-base-plus-slugging-percent of .881—a top-six mark among all rookies. Even Gorman's defense has impressed while spending time at both second base and third base.
Skeptics will point to a limited number of major league appearances as cause to avoid Gorman. He started the year in Triple-A and has yet to amass even 20 games played on the season.
Still, MLB Rookie of the Year voters tend to be more forgiving of volume in instances where a player is called up. That bodes well for Gorman's chances.
Don't Sleep on Juan Yepez for NL Rookie of the Year
What's better than having one NL Rookie of the Year candidate on the roster? Having two, of course! That's exactly what the Cardinals enjoy in Juan Yepez (+1800).
After showing out in Triple-A to start the season, the 24-year-old first baseman has done a fantastic job translating his power to the majors. His batting average recently dipped below .250, but he continues to make life difficult on pitchers deep into the count, and his glove work on first dramatically exceeds his experience level.
At an 18-to-1 payout, we love Yepez's value. He's one hot-hitting streak away from blowing this race into a different stratosphere.
Seiya Suzuki Generating More Rookie of the Year Buzz
Some will overlook Seiya Suzuki (+600) because the rookie has struggled to generate a ton of power behind the place. He has just four home runs, and nearly 150 at bats.
This doesn't deter us. Suzuki's slugging percentage still ranks sixth among all qualified rookies, and he's also in the top eight of on-base-plus-slugging percentage for the year. This amounts to a pretty big deal given that he's racked up more plate appearances so far, than any of our other best bets to win 2022 MLB NL Rookie of the Year.
PREDICTION: Mackenzie Gore Wins 2022 NL Rookie of the Year
From where we're standing, Mackenzie Gore is the only reasonable choice to win NL Rookie of the Year.
This isn't meant to discredit the cases of everyone else. Nolan Gorman, in particular, is closer to usurping Gore than people think. But Gore is putting up Cy Young candidate-type numbers as a newbie on the mound. That's borderline unheard of.
We also worry that some of the Rookie of the Year options won't get enough reps under their belt. It won't be a problem for Suzuki, but guys like Gorman and Yepez, among other midseason call-ups, need to get more at-bats on their resume. Gore has a leg up on them all, since he began the year in the Padres' starting rotation and gets to see his impact measured in innings pitched and overall record rather than total appearances.
OSB Prediction for 2022 NL Rookie of the Year: Mackenzie Gore (+150)
Check out this list of the top online sportsbooks so you can decide which one to use for all of your 2022 MLB betting:
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