MLB Rookie of the Year 2024: Players Making Their Mark on Young Season

• Gunnar Henderson (AL) and Corbin Carroll (NL) were the 2023 MLB Rookies of the Year

• Wyatt Langford (AL) and Yoshinobu Yamamoto (NL) opened the 2024 MLB Season as the favorites

• Jackson Holliday was called back into the Baltimore Orioles’ Major League roster shortly after the season

The AL and NL Rookies of the Year are awards that help create future stars in the league. This past season, the top rookies could have been better, but they were among the top players, if not the best players, on World Series contesting teams. There is even more pressure for the awards this season due to Henderson and Carroll's impact on their teams. The top rookies this season might be among the best players on playoff-caliber teams. Some of the top favorites for the awards in the AL and NL are from teams projected to make a deep playoff run.

Most of the teams have played 16 teams through this portion of the season. The league looks completely different from the projections originally started during the preseason. There were playoff teams last year that did not look good. Meanwhile, some of the league’s top rookies are already making an impact on the field and the standings. The impact created by these players will certainly be noticed in the race for AL and NL Rookie of the Year.

AL Rookie of the Year Odds

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of April 16, 2024. Click the odds in the table below, wager $5 at DraftKings and get $200 in Bonus Bets.

NL Rookie of the Year Odds

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of April 16, 2024. Click the odds in the table below to place your bets at DraftKings and instantly claim $200 in bonuses.

AL Rookie of the Year Predictions and Odds to Win the Award

The race for the AL Rookie of the Year award has already seen a dramatic change from week to week. There are so many impactful rookies playing on ALCS-caliber teams that have the potential to win the World Series.

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Evan Carter (+300) at DraftKings

The Texas Rangers have been up-and-down through their first 17 games of the season. While the Rangers haven’t been completely consistent, rookie left-fielder Evan Carter has been one of the better players among the rookies this season.

Through 15 games played and 53 at-bats, Carter has accounted for a team-high 13 runs, a team-high 10 walks, 12 hits, five double-base hits, two home runs, nine strikeouts, a batting average of .226, an on-base percentage of .359 and a slugging percentage of .434.

These past three games against the Houston Astros have been the best series of the rookie season for Carter. He accumulated for four runs with one being a home run, five hits, two RBIs, one walk and only two strikeouts. If he continues this consistent play at the plate throughout the season, he should easily be considered for AL Rookie of the Year.

Colton Cowser (+300) at DraftKings

The Baltimore Orioles have a loaded, young roster that is still capable of making a run toward a World Series title. This year’s rookie class possesses another slate of impressive rookies for the Orioles to utilize. The most impactful rookie, so far this season, for Baltimore is not future superstar Jackson Holliday, but rather left-fielder Colton Cowser.

Through 15 games played and 38 at-bats, Cowser has accumulated seven runs, 15 hits, a team-high six double hits, a team-high four home runs, a team-high 13 RRBIs, 33 total bases, three walks, two stolen bases, a team-high batting average of .395, a team-high on-percentage of .429 and a slugging percentage of .868.

His best performance of the season, so far, was in the 9-4 win in extra innings over the Boston Red Sox. Cowser accounted for two home runs, three hits, four RBIs, and no strikeouts.

Jackson Holliday (+450) at DraftKings

It was surprising to see that 20-year infielder Jackson Holliday make such a big improvement in his short time in the MLB to potentially make the MLB roster. Shortly before the season started, however, Holliday was moved down to the Triple-A team.

After dominating the Triple-A league for a couple of weeks, the Orioles moved him back up to the MLB roster. Life in the Major Leagues has shown to be a different measure as he has shown signs of difficulty adapting to the talent and lifestyle around him.

Through his first four games played in his young career, Holliday has accumulated three runs, one hit, one RBI, nine strikeouts, a batting average of .067, an on-base percentage of .067 and a slugging percentage of .067 in 15 at-bats. There is still time for him to make adjustments at the plate in this young season and make more of an impact for the Orioles.

NL Rookie of the Year Predictions and Odds to Win the Award

The race for the NL Rookie of the Year award has been loaded full of reliable playmakers coming from across the globe. Most of these either have seen or are currently seeing some difficult performances played in this young season. There is still time for players to make adjustments and play more efficient baseball as the season progresses.

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Yoshinobu Yamamoto (+250) at DraftKings

The Los Angeles Dodgers knew it would take some time for them to get international star pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto adjusted to the MLB. He had struggled during the preseason and in the first week of the regular season, but it appears he has found his rhythm.

After allowing five runs in the first game of the season to the San Diego Padres, Yamamoto has been able to control his composure through the next two games. Yamamoto allowed a combined five hits, no runs, two walks and 13 strikeouts accounted for in the 10 ten innings against the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs.

He did struggle against the Padres on April 12 by allowing four hits, three runs with two of them being home runs. Time will tell if it is just a problem against the Padres.

Jackson Chourio (+350) at DraftKings

The Milwaukee Brewers are a team that looking for more explosive batters at the plate since the end of last season. The Brewers believe they found that player in rookie right-fielder Jackson Chourio, who has been an efficient power-hitter.

Through 13 games played and 54 at-bats, Chourio has accumulated seven runs, 14 hits, three home runs, 11 RBIs, 24 total bases, 16 strikeouts, three stolen bases, a batting average of .259, an on-base percentage of .305 and a slugging percentage of .444.

His best performance of the season came just under a week ago when he accounted for two runs, one hit, two RBIs, one walk, one strikeout and one stolen base in the Brewers’ 7-2 win at the Cincinnati Reds. Chourio will need to be more consistent at the plate and avoid multiple strikeouts, but he is showing his potential in the league.

Shota Imanaga (+700) at DraftKings

Another Japanese Baseball League pitcher who has taken the MLB by storm is Shota Imanaga. While he doesn’t have the publicity Yamamoto does, Imanaga has been stellar at the mound for the Chicago Cubs this season.

In three games played in 15.1 innings pitched, Imanaga has allowed only nine hits, one run, two walks, and a season ERA of 0.00. His best performance this season was in the season opener against the Colorado Rockies when he allowed only two hits while delivering nine strikeouts.

Imanaga has the potential to be a star in the league, even as a rookie. If he has more consistent performances like this, he will attract more attention and have more eyes watching him for NL Rookie of the Year.

Who Will Win the Rookies of the Year?

Texas' Wyatt Langford and San Francisco’s Jung Hoo Lee are at the top of the list through one week of the 2024 MLB Season.

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AL - Colton Cowser (+300) at DraftKings

There have been several players in the Al that have been consistent at the plate. One of the most consistent is Colton Cowserr, who has been the more consistent rookie for the Baltimore Orioles. He's a player that is going to be under look due to the publicity that Jackson Holliday gets, but make no mistake, Cowserr looks like a star already.

NL - Shota Imanaga (+700) at DraftKings

Much like Cowser with his team in the Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga has been underlooked due to the publicity of another star rookie in the league. Los Angeles Dodgers start pitcher Yoshida Yamamoto is going to get a lot of talk and publicity around him for NL Rookie of the Year. So far through the season, it is Imanaga that is looking like the legitimate and I'll Rookie of the Year. He will get his chance as the season progresses to overtake that publicity that has been built up from preseason hype.

Rookie of the Year History

The first player to win the MLB Rookie of the Year was Brooklyn Dodgers second baseman Jackie Robison in 1947. After 1947 and 1948, the MLB gave the award to one player from the AL and NL. The Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers have had 18 players win a Rookie of the Year award with the Boston/Atlanta Braves and the New York Yankees as the next teams to win the most with nine players each.

Previous AL Rookie of the Year Winners

The table below shows the last ten winners of the AL Rookie of the Year award. Gunnar Henderson was one of the top choices to win the award starting the 2023 MLB Season.

Previous NL Rookie of the Year Winners

The table below shows the last ten winners of the NL Rookie of the Year award. Carroll won the award last season after starting the 2023 season as an underdog.

How to Read MLB Rookie of the Year Odds

Sports statistics can be a tough language to understand as each sport utilizes special abbreviations and numbers. Sports gambling has a different set of language and context with numbers and signs.

If there is a specific award that can be gambled on such as the MLB Rookie of the Year Award, there is going to be a long list of players mentioned. How likely a player is close in odds to winning the award is determined by a + or – sign. The closer to zero a player in the negative (or positive signs depending on some sportsbooks), the more likely the player is set to be named for the award.

For the NL Rookie of the Year award, Yoshinubo Yamamoto is the favorite over the next player, which would be Jung-Hung Lee, by a close 250 points. The more a player like Yamamoto separates himself in the race due to their consistent tremendous play, the closer to zero they get. That also means the player with the second-best odds will be distanced from the first-place recipient.

The closer to getting zero someone makes on a bet, the less they will win. The further a player is from the top odds, the more risk there is, but the reward is also higher.

How to Choose the Best Sportsbook for Betting on the AL and NL Rookie of the Year

Users can place bets on DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, and bet365 are some of the best sportsbooks to trust when figuring out where to place a bet. There are other sports WSN has an instruction guide on how to make proper. Profits and credits are rewarded by how successful a user makes on a team’s future and how likely they are to win the AL and NL Rookies of the Year. If a user places a bet on the lower odds like Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Jackson Holliday, the more likely they are to be successful. If a user places a bet on lower-scored players like Kyle Harrison or Everson Pereira, the less likely they are going to win, but the more winnings a user will get if the pick is correct at the end of the season.

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