Whether it's Hunter Brown and Hunter Greene challenging for the Cy Young or Mike Trout making his presence felt in the MVP race, the season has brought plenty of intrigue for voters.
As we continue to watch upon the first games of the 2025 MLB regular season, some notable entrants have made their way toward the front of awards odds for certain operators, including FanDuel where names such as Hunter Brown, Hunter Greene and Mike Trout can be seen at the top of boards. Trout, in particular, is significant due to his health questions in recent time, having missed the vast majority of games he could have taken part in with the Los Angeles Angels.
Understandably, operators like FanDuel have still shown slight hesitancy towards the former Most Valuable Player (MVP), listing him at +2500 albeit still good for third on the leaderboard behind the the favorite Aaron Judge (-280) and runner-up Bobby Witt Jr. (+750). Los Angeles has gotten off to a decent start this season, sitting at 9-8 and second behind the Texas Rangers in the American League (AL) West division, having failed to come even top three in the field for the majority of Trout’s time with the franchise. With multiple MVPs under his belt during what has been an incredible, although slightly hindered, career for the outfield sensation, Trout is looking to put together one more award-worthy affair before his career comes to an end.
Over in the National League (NL), Corbin Carroll, a fellow outfielder playing out west for the Arizona Diamondbacks, has risen to second place in NL MVP voting behind Los Angeles Dodgers hybrid star Shohei Ohtani. The dual pitcher/hitter anomaly sits at +190 on FanDuel to win a second consecutive NL MVP, having been the first player in history to achieve 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season. Carroll is currently listed at +500, having generated a batting average of .329 with six home runs, 16 runs batted in (RBIs) and four stolen bases already to his name. The 24-year-old is one of the most entertaining young talents in all of baseball, cementing himself as a top player in the game with an incredible 2023 and strong back half of 2024 after getting off to a slow start to begin the season.
Clearly those early struggles are behind Carroll, as he has had to carry Arizona at times throughout the first portion of 2025, but standing at 12-7 on the year. In what has been an incredibly competitive NL West, 12-7 is only good for fourth in the division, behind the San Diego Padres (15-4), San Francisco Giants (13-5) and Los Angeles Dodgers (14-6). Perhaps if Arizona can surpass San Francisco and San Diego to challenge Los Angeles for the division crown, Carroll will begin to receive even more recognition as he and Ohtani go head-to-head on the national stage.
In the NL Cy Young award race, given the top overall pitcher of that season, a recognizable name in Paul Skenes has maintained his lead as the favorite with odds of +230, but intriguing faces lie below in the forms of Hunter Greene and Spencer Schwellenbach. Greene is listed at +350, having put together four incredible starts for the Cincinnati Reds up to this point and seemingly getting more in control with each. He has flashed this level of brilliance before, but has failed to stay healthy over the course of an entire season due to various time spent on the injured list. Like Skenes, Greene can overwhelm batters with the velocity of his fastball, while also featuring devastating put-away offerings that leave opponents clueless as to what is coming next.
Schwellenbach has become the top pitcher for an Atlanta rotation that also consists of Spencer Strider and 2024 NL Cy Young winner Chris Sale, generating a 2.55 earned run average (ERA) with 22 strikeouts in four starts. He, like Greene, has flashed ability such as this in the past, but a lack of opportunity has been more of a detriment to Schwellenbach than any injury. With injuries having hit other members of the Braves staff, Schwellenbach has taken the opportunity and ran with it, appearing like a pitcher Atlanta could throw out in a postseason series and have genuine faith in. At +350, Greene stands as the better value given that bettors have seen extended levels of brilliance from the Reds ace prior to 2025, whereas Schwellenbach could be a candidate for regression once his pitches can be studied at a deeper level.
Back in the AL, Hunter Brown of the Houston Astros appears to finally be experiencing his breakout season, putting together a 2-1 record with a 1.50 ERA and 22 strikeouts after showcasing a level of dominance previously unseen before the end of 2024. At +1500, he is still behind notable aces such as Garrett Crochet, Tarik Skubal, who took home the award last season, Cole Ragans and Logan Gilbert, but has undoubtedly earned his place amongst the AL’s best hurlers. Combining with Framber Valdez, who sits at +5500 to receive the honor, to form a strong pitching duo at the front of the Astros staff, Brown could certainly maintain his status as a top candidate for the AL Cy Young through the remainder of 2025.
