Nothing excites baseball fans as much as a home run; the crack of the bat, the gasp of the crowd as the ball soars over the wall, followed by the hitter flicking his bat away and trotting around the bases. Sportsbooks have put out odds for which MLB player will win the home run title in 2020 and there are no shortage of candidates.
With more balls flying out the park than ever before – a record 6,776 home runs were mashed around the majors in 2019, 11 percent more than the previous record – there are a ton of sluggers with staggering home run potential across both the AL and NL.
Three-time MVP Mike Trout is the betting favorite (+900) after coming off a career-high 45 home runs in 2019, despite playing in just 134 games. Just behind Trout is last year’s MLB home run leader Pete Alonso (+1,000) who cranked 53 homers as a rookie. Pitchers will be more cautious about pitching to the Mets slugger in year two.
Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge had seen his odds to win the home run title plummit after news that he has a stress fracture in his right rib, but the delay to the regular season has helped him climb back to +1,400.
The odds board is absolutely dripping with young talent with 21-year-olds Vladimir Guerrero Jr and Juan Soto, 22 year-olds Yordan Alvarez and Ronald Acuna Jr, and 23-year-olds Eloy Jimenez and Gleyber Torres all featuring in the Top 20.
Alvarez cranked 27 homers in just 87 games for the Astros last season while Jimenez knocked 31 balls out the park in 122 contests with the White Sox. Guerrero Jr hit only 15 round-trippers in 123 games but displayed eye-opening power which has fans in Toronto drooling. Padres sophomore Fernando Tatis Jr is off the odds board despite jacking 22 dingers in just 84 games as a 20-year-old in 2019.
Here are the 20 players with the best odds to win the 2020 MLB home run title:
ODDS TO WIN 2020 MLB HOME RUN TITLES
| Players | Odds to win (as of March 24) |
|---|---|
| Mike Trout | +900 |
| Pete Alonso | +1,000 |
| Joey Gallo | +1,200 |
| Christian Yelich | +1,200 |
| Aaron Judge | +1,400 |
| Cody Bellinger | +1,400 |
| Yordan Alvarez | +1,400 |
| Eloy Jimenez | +1,600 |
| Ronald Acuna Jr. | +1,800 |
| Nolan Arenado | +1,800 |
| Vladimir Guerrero Jr. | +2,000 |
| Miguel Sano | +2,000 |
| GIancarlo Stanton | +2,000 |
| Juan Soto | +2,000 |
| Matt Olson | +2,200 |
| Jorge Soler | +2,500 |
| Eugenio Suarez | +2,500 |
| Bryce Harper | +2,500 |
| Gleyber Torres | +3,000 |
| JD Martinez | +3,300 |
