At the end of the 2021 MLB season, Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies joined a very small — and very elite — group of MLB players when he became the 12th multiple winner of the National League Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award. Harper is the eighth player from the Phillies to claim the award.
Since 1931, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America has voted for the MVP in the National and American League. Voters complete and submit their ballots before the postseason begins.
Harper joins Barry Bonds (7x), Mike Schmidt, Stan Musial, Roy Campanella, Albert Pujols (3x), Carl Hubbell, Willie Mays, Ernie Banks, Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan and Dale Murphy (2x) as a multiple-time NL MVP winner.
As for the Phillies, Harper joins Schmidt, Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, Jim Konstanty and Chuck Klein as NL MVP winners from that club.
Harper finished with 17 first place votes and 348 points in the MVP voting. Juan Soto of the Washington Nationals, who earned 274 points, followed him as the NL MVP runner-up.
Before we look at the players in the running for the 2022 National League Most Valuable Player Award, check out our tips on betting on the MLB MVP as well as the best sites for betting on MLB in 2022.
2022 MLB NL MVP picks
Manny Machado
Manny Machado finished the 2021 MLB season with .278 batting average, an .836 OPS, 28 home runs and 106 RBI’s. He garnered minor consideration for the 2021 NL MVP. Things are looking a lot different for the San Diego Padres infielder in 2022.
The 29-year-old is second in the majors with a .365 batting average, first in hits with 58 and third in OPS at 1.043. If he maintains the run he is on, Machado is in position to have a career best year in batting average, OPS and hits.
Machado is a big reason why the Padres are in second place in the NL West and hot on the heels of the NL leading Los Angeles Dodgers.
Nolan Arenado
Nolan Arenado had a run between 2016 and 2019, where he hit between .294 and .315. His average took a dip in the next two seasons at .253 and .255, which were career lows for him. Things look to be back on track for the 31-year-old who joined the St. Louis Cardinals in 2021 after spending the first eight years of his MLB career with Colorado. Arenado is hitting .294 this year with an OPS of .908.
Arenado started the season incredibly hot for the Cardinals. His offense has fallen off a bit from that start, but he remains in the mix to win the 2022 NL MVP award.
Mookie Betts
The 2018 American League MVP moved from the Boston Red Sox to the Los Angeles Dodgers of the National League in 2020. He has not won the NL MVP, but it seems like it might just be a matter of time before he becomes a two-time MVP.
Betts did not start the 2022 season well. He had a .230 batting average in April. He’s improved that number to .325 in May to go along with a 1.068 OPS. In the past seven days, his average has been .407 and his OPS 1.441. It seems as if Betts has yet to hit his stride for the 2022 MLB season — and that could be a scary proposition for any team facing the Dodgers, who are leading the National League right now with a 29-13 record.
Our pick
If Betts has yet to play his best baseball of 2022 and he keeps getting better or at least sustains the run he is on and the Dodgers keep leading the National League, it’s going to be hard to see a scenario where he doesn’t get the majority of the attention for the NL MVP in 2022.
Pick: Mookie Betts to win the 2022 National League Most Valuable Player Award.
See below a list of reliable sportsbooks and choose the best one for you.