Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images. Pictured: Shohei Ohtani
Major League Baseball’s All-Star Break is quickly turning into Shohei Ohtani Week and it begins on Monday with the Home Run Derby.
Not only is Ohtani the starting pitcher and leading off for the American League on Tuesday, but he’s the betting favorite on Monday to win the derby. Sportsbooks can’t make odds low enough to avoid the action.
Ohtani has taken more bets and more money to win Monday’s event than anyone else in the field, according to data released by both PointsBet and BetMGM. The left-handed hitter has seen his odds move from +325 to +250 at BetMGM and from +300 to +220 at PointsBet.
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Ohtani leads all of MLB with 33 home runs at the break, five ahead of Fernando Tatis Jr. and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in second place. He’ll face Washington Nationals star Juan Soto in the opening round, with the winner going against whoever comes out ahead between Salvador Perez and Pete Alonso.
Alonso, the defending champion from 2019, is third in total action at both sportsbooks. However, his odds have lengthened at PointsBet from +450 to +500.
Rangers slugger Joey Gallo, who enters the break on an absolute tear, is second on the oddsboard between Ohtani and Alonso. He’s the second-most popular play at PointsBet. He’s also part of one of the most popular props at BetMGM: Ohtani beating Gallo in the final round at +900.
Picking Ohtani to win outright isn’t the only way to get involved on Monday night. There are round matchups, exact matchups and distance props.
In Coors Field, plenty of distance is expected. Ohtani hitting a home run over 500.5 feet is one of the most-bet plays at BetMGM, as is Ohtani beating hometown representative Trevor Story in the final at +750.
Stuck in a first-round match against Alonso with a potential meeting with Ohtani on deck, Royals catcher Salvador Perez is seeing the least amount of bets to win.
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