After the remarkable year, we saw in 2022 for Major League Baseball, more of the same is on the way for 2023. With Opening Day coming this week, people can’t wait to see which sluggers record huge campaigns for their teams. And leading up to Game 1, Yankees star Aaron Judge is favored to hit the most MLB home runs in 2023. What will he be able to do for an encore?
Last year, Judge made history, belting 62 dingers to set the new American League HR record. Because of this, he was the no-brainer selection for AL MVP. What sucked for Judge, though, is that the Yankees could not take care of business in the playoffs, and they recorded yet another season without going back to the Fall Classic. Judge is ready to change that this year.
| HR leader odds |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Judge to win | +550 | +550 | +550 |
| Schwarber to win | +750 | +750 | +750 |
| Trout to win | +900 | +900 | +900 |
| Ohtani to win | +1100 | +1100 | +1100 |
For the Yankees to have a shot at increasing their World Series betting odds late in the season, there’s no doubt that Judge is going to have to be a rockstar both at the plate and in the outfield. Judge has high expectations, but he’s not letting the pressure get to him. After signing his $360 million deal, he’s just focused on being the best he can be for this club.
According to the best-rated sportsbooks, which includes the reliable Bovada review, Judge holds +550 MLB betting odds to finish with the most home runs during the regular season. Other names, including Kyle Schwarber and Mike Trout, are expected to give Judge a run for his money here. However, we think that Judge will get the job done and be the HR king again. He’s our pick for this season.
Elsewhere in terms of betting options, Judge also holds strong AL MVP odds. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, as Judge took home the honor last season, and the Yankees figure to make plenty of noise this spring, summer and fall as well. Judge would love to win AL MVP again, as it would show people that he is living up to the hype of his massive contract.
However, this surely won’t be easy for him, as there’s one guy in particular who is the leading candidate right now: Shohei Ohtani. The Los Angeles Angers superstar nearly won AL MVP last season, but he saw Judge explode for his 62 homers, which of course locked in the honor for him. However, Ohtani is entering the new season with a ton of swagger.
Earlier this month, Ohtani made a statement by helping Japan win the World Baseball Classic. In the final inning, he came on to close out the game for his country. The last batter he faced was Trout. This was the matchup that people were hoping to see in the final. So, how did Ohtani do? He struck out Trout on a nasty pitch to close things out. It was remarkable.
Per the oddsmakers, Ohtani holds +450 AL MVP odds for this season, while Judge is right behind him at +500. We could see a surprise player emerge and potentially snatch the award up, but our feeling is that it will either go to Judge or Ohtani. Both of these guys will be brilliant in ’23 regardless, but if we have to make a pick between the two, we’re going to have to go with Ohtani.
With all of that said, one of the main questions on fans’ minds leading up to Opening Day is how many wins the Yankees will finish within 2023. In the first half of the regular season last year, the Bronx Bombers were sensational. Indeed, Aaron Judge’s men looked like the best team on the planet, and it felt like they were headed for the World Series.
However, the Yankees recorded one of the worst second-half performances we’ve seen, as they truly sputtered after the All-Star Break. The NY supporters are hoping that won’t be the case again this year, as fans are tired of seeing teams like the Astros, Red Sox, and Rays have so much more successful than them. Judge and Co. need to step things up a bit this year.
Luckily for them, Judge is back on his massive mega-deal, while the team was also able to bring in star left-handed pitcher Carlos Rodon. This is going to make a huge impact on the rotation, as it will take off a little bit of pressure on Gerrit Cole. Cole and Rodon are expected to be one of the best starting duos in the bigs this year, as they’re two talented hurlers.
Right now, the Vegas oddsmakers have given the Yankees +210 odds to win at least 100 games next season. Remember that there are 162 games on the regular season schedule. From our chair, we think it would be a shocker to see the Yankees not cover them over here. We’re picking them to win north of 100 contests this season. Judge will be a big reason why.
