As the long wait continues for the start of the 2020 MLB campaign, Mike Trout sits atop the odds to lead the majors in home runs this season as a +1000 betting favourite at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
The defending AL MVP was limited to just 134 games with the Los Angeles Angels last season but that was all he needed to hit a career-high 45 home runs, second only to Jorge Soler among American League sluggers. Trout has steadily upped his power performance at the plate in recent years, connecting on 39 or more home runs in three of the past five seasons.
Trout’s bid for his first career home run title should get a boost from an improved Angels squad. Winners of just 72 games last season, the Angels were set as a solid -125 wager at online betting sites to win OVER 85.5 games in 2020 before the current COVID-19 crisis spurred MLB to delay the start of the season indefinitely.
New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge sits second to Trout on the odds to lead MLB in home runs in the 2020 season at +1100, just ahead of reigning home run king Pete Alonso, who joins Giancarlo Stanton at +1200.
Judge should benefit physically from the delay to the start of the 2020 season. The 2017 AL Rookie of the Year and home run leader saw action in just 102 games due to rib and shoulder injuries last season, and remained hobbled through spring training. Originally expected to miss the start of the year, Judge will enjoy much needed time to heal before the campaign gets underway, and will be aiming to return to the form that netted him 52 home runs three years ago.
Injuries also remain a concern as Stanton gets set to begin his third season with the Yankees, who continue to lead the way as +350 favourites on the World Series odds. A two-time NL home run leader during his time with the Miami Marlins, Stanton tallied 38 home runs in his Yankees debut, but saw action in just 18 games last season due to injury and made just one Grapefruit League appearance before spring training shut down.
Alonso will be aiming to build on a spectacular MLB debut in 2019. In addition to setting a major league record with 53 home runs as a rookie, Alonso earned Rookie of the Year honors, but failed to go yard in 12 Grapefruit League appearances this year.
Further down the MLB home run leader odds, Joey Gallo sits knotted with Cody Bellinger and Yordan Alvarez at +1300, while Milwaukee’s Christian Yelich trails as a +1400 wager.
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