This article is part of our MLB Picks series.
An Opening Day that was firmly in limbo just a few weeks ago is almost upon us, with 18 teams taking the field on Thursday, April 7 to cut the ribbon on the once-troubled 2022 season. With a full 162-game marathon still in store despite the delayed start to the campaign, we've got a wealth of futures bets available at major sportsbooks to delve into. Below, we take a look at five intriguing betting markets while keeping a close eye out for value.
It's possible to optimize one's chances of a strong return on a wager with futures bets, where even the favorites often are listed at plus money. And, it's possible to maximize value even when taking a flyer on one of those top five players in the betting market. As such, we'll break down one such option as well as one eye-catching longshot for each of four player prop bets before looking at one team-based prop that's also worth considering.
AL MVP
Best Value in Top 5
Mike Trout, Angels 
(+550 on FanDuel Sportsbook)
Despite his astronomical name value and past body of work, there's at least a twinge of uncertainty attached to Trout as the 2022 season begins, considering he last took a regular-season at-bat on May 17, 2021. Now fully recovered from the calf injury that shut down what was already looking an MVP-caliber campaign, Trout returns to action rested and refreshed if nothing else – he's played just 89 games since his 2019 MVP campaign when also factoring in the COVID-shortened 2020 season.
Although it feels like he's been terrorizing pitchers forever, Trout won't even turn 31 until August and has already taken AL MVP hardware home three times overall. The power, high walk rate, modest strike rate and even the stolen-base production required for a robust MVP-caliber resume are typically there with Trout, and with fellow candidate Shohei Ohtani, last season's breakout star Jared Walsh and a one-time NL MVP contender in Anthony Rendon among those that can offer some protection around him, Trout makes for an excellent value if you're playing it on the safer side with this bet.
Best Longshot Value
Luis Robert, White Sox 
(+2200 on FanDuel Sportsbook)
Robert's vast upside has long been evident, as he put together some eye-popping stat lines at several minor-league stops and held his own against big-league arms right from his first MLB cup of coffee in 2020. The 24-year-old then offered a glimpse of what he might be capable of once he really puts it all together when he produced a .338/.378/.567 line with 36 extra-base hits and 43 RBI across 68 games last season.
Making those numbers all the more impressive was the fact Robert missed over three months with a hip flexor injury, remaining on the shelf from early May to nearly mid-August. Now back to full health, Robert has already started to demonstrate how far that might take him, posting a .353 average and 1.113 OPS in 13 spring games. With speed, power, a discerning eye at the plate, strong splits against either handedness of pitcher and plenty of other capable hitters around him, Robert could break out at an MVP level if he plays in the neighborhood of 145-150 games.
NL MVP
Best Value in Top 5
Bryce Harper, Phillies 
(+1000 on BetMGM)
The reigning NL MVP has formidable competition at the top of the leaderboard (Juan Soto, Ronald Acuna), but his combination of power, speed and impressive lineup around him make Harper an intriguing value in the upper echelon of candidates. Much like Trout, opposing pitchers would probably swear Harper has been feasting on them too long to still be the ripe young age of 29, but the left-handed masher has essentially been dominating big-league arms since he was 19.
There's no question Harper is still very much in his prime following his .309/.429/.615 line from last season that included the second-most extra-base hits (78) of his career. Harper also swiped double-digit bags for the sixth time in his career and boasted a walk rate in the upper teens. In short, there really isn't a category in which Harper isn't capable of thriving in to the level that warrants MVP consideration, and it certainly doesn't hurt that the likes of Nick Castellanos, Kyle Schwarber and Rhys Hoskins are available to help ensure he can't just constantly be pitched around.
Best Longshot Value
Ketel Marte, Diamondbacks 
(+10000 on BetMGM)
Granted, it's always helpful for an MVP candidate's team to at least play at a level somewhat resembling a contender. It's fair to question whether the Diamondbacks, a 52-win team a year ago, can get to 70 even with vast improvement this season. However, it's a safe bet any resurgence Arizona does experience will feature the ultra-talented and versatile Marte as one of its centerpieces. What's nowhere as safe a bet is for Marte to take MVP hardware, hence the five-digit odds.
Nevertheless, there's no question that the talent to put up the necessary numbers across the board is there if he can stay healthy. Last season, the 28-year-old navigated injuries that limited him to 90 games, still generating a .318/.377/.532 slash line that included 44 extra-base hits (out of 108 total), 14 home runs and 50 RBI. There's also already hard evidence of what Marte can do when playing 140+ games – he posted a .329 average, .981 OPS and 32 home runs back in 2019. Factoring in he's also capable of double-digit steals and has posted a strikeout rate of 16.0 percent or less in five straight seasons, and you've got yourself a viable longshot to take a chance on.
MLB Home Run Leader
Best Value in Top 5
Mike Trout, Angels (+1500 on FanDuel Sportsbook)
Having already covered Trout in-depth with respect to the AL MVP market, I'll quickly hone in on his HR-king potential. There's certainly not much argument against Trout's credentials for this category, either, considering he averaged 37.2 homers per season from 2014-19. With the aforementioned protection he'll enjoy in the order and his unquestioned power, getting Trout at this price could pay handsome dividends if his health endures.
Best Longshot Value
George Springer, Blue Jays 
(+6000 on FanDuel Sportsbook)
Speaking of prolific sluggers, Springer definitely catches the eye at this price given his prodigious power. The veteran not only plays his home games in hitter-friendly Rogers Centre, but he's simply mashed throughout his career at the type of clip that can lead to an HR title. Even in last year's injury-shortened debut campaign in Toronto, Springer averaged a home run every 15.5 plate appearances.
That figure was actually a tick behind his even more elite average of a round tripper every 14.3 PAs over a much larger sample of 556 plate appearances back in 2019 in Houston. Looking ahead to 2022, Springer is healthy and already swinging a blistering bat this spring, hitting .450 with a pair of homers across seven exhibitions. As with the likes of Trout and Harper, Springer should also be well-insulated within a high-upside Toronto lineup that won't give pitchers much respite or ways to pitch around its multiple dangerous bats.
Hits Leader
Best Value in Top 5
Wander Franco, Rays 
(+1600 on BetMGM)
Franco is actually a solid candidate in several futures markets, and he makes for strong value if you're rolling the dice near the top of the leaderboard in this category. The precocious 21-year-old never generated anything less than a .313 average or .872 OPS in four minor-league stops, and he hit the ground running in his first regular-season exposure against big-league arms a year ago by posting a .288 average and .347 OBP across his first 308 MLB plate appearances.
Franco averaged a hit every 3.8 plate appearances last season, and he clearly had already started to correct early mistakes as the campaign wound down. Franco posted a .338 average and .386 OBP across his final 70 PAs of the regular season, producing a hit every 3.2 times he stepped into the batter's box over that sample. Perhaps just as impressive is the fact Franco struck out at just a 12.0 percent clip over the entirety of his first big-league stint, and that was far from a fluke – he'd never produced a figure higher than 11.7 percent on his way to the majors.
Best Longshot Value
Jake Cronenworth, Padres 
(+5000 on BetMGM)
Franco's old Rays organization mate profiles as a worthwhile longshot in this same market. The 28-year-old is certainly much more of a late bloomer than Franco, but Cronenworth is coming off an All-Star nod a year ago. He followed up a stellar final season in the minors that saw him slash .334/.429/.520 at Triple-A Durham in 2019 with a rock-solid .271/.343/.464 slash line in his first two big-league seasons.
Cronenworth has averaged one hit every 4.2 plate appearances over that span, and like Franco, brings a high-contact power bat that's necessary to have a shot at taking home the total hits crown. Cronenworth has struck out just 14.5 percent of the time over his first two big-league seasons, yet he isn't overly selective at the plate, either (8.8 percent career walk rate). As such, the emerging second baseman is a name to keep in mind if scouring beyond the top end of the market for value.
To Make Playoffs
Seattle Mariners 
(+180 on FanDuel Sportsbook)
It's hard to not be taken with the AL's many shiny objects, which include the likes of the Yankees (as customary), Red Sox, White Sox Blue Jays and Astros. Consequently, the Mariners are easily lost in the shuffle and considered a second-tier up-and-comer at best in many circles, yet Seattle has the talent to improve on what some might forget was a 90-win season in 2021. Scott Servais' club didn't even come close to standing pat, either, with no less than reigning AL Cy Young winner Robbie Ray, standout hitters Adam Frazier and Jesse Winker and prolific basher Eugenio Suarez brought on board this offseason.
When combined with veteran holdovers J.P. Crawford, Mitch Haniger, Luis Torrens and Ty France, that collection of bats would qualify as a formidable lineup foundation. However, adding elite ascendant players such as Kyle Lewis (knee), Jarred Kelenic and top prospect Julio Rodriguez – the latter having just officially made the Opening Day roster on Monday – into the mix makes for a starting nine that has the potential to compete with virtually any AL squad if it lives up to its potential.
The Ray-led pitching staff also includes the steady Marco Gonzales, potential future ace Logan Gilbert, the resurgent Chris Flexen and the promising Matt Brash. Servais also has the benefit of a highly nimble bullpen that arguably boasts four pitchers capable of filling the closer's role, a long reliever with excellent stuff in Justus Sheffield, and a savvy set-up man in Sergio Romo. Consequently, despite what will be an ultra-competitive field, banking on the Mariners qualifying for the postseason at this price makes them one of the best values in a market that features 13 teams with minus odds.
