2024 MLB odds: Ohtani favored to win home run title; Alonso, Judge chasing

Major League Baseball

Updated May. 8, 2024 1:17 p.m. ET

The MLB season is underway, meaning the race for this year’s home run king is off and running.

New York Yankees star Aaron Judge opened the season as the favorite to regain the home run crown — he led the league in 2022 — but he has since fallen down the oddsboard after hot starts from the Dodgers’Shohei Ohtani and the Mets’Pete Alonso.

Here are the latest home run leader odds for the upcoming season at BetMGM Sportsbook:

2024 MLB HOME RUN LEADER ODDS: *

Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers: +325 (bet $10 to win $42.50 total)

Pete Alonso, Mets: +450 (bet $10 to win $55 total)

Yordan Alvarez, Astros: +850 (bet $10 to win $95 total)

Aaron Judge, Yankees: +900 (bet $10 to win $100 total)

Kyle Schwarber, Phillies: +1200 (bet $10 to win $130 total)

Adolis Garcia, Rangers: +1300 (bet $10 to win $140 total)

Marcell Ozuna, Braves: +1300 (bet $10 to win $140 total)

Juan Soto, Yankees: +2000 (bet $10 to win $210 total)

Gunnar Henderson, Orioles: +2000 (bet $10 to win $210 total)

* odds as of 5/8/24

Ohtani is the new favorite, and as of May 8, he leads Major League Baseball in home runs (11) and batting average (.365).

Judge has gotten off to a slow start by his standards, with just seven dingers in 37 games.

FOX Sports’ Ben Verlander ranked the Yankees fifth in his latest MLB power rankings, and had this to say of Judge and his teammate, Juan Soto:

“Sometimes, teams keep winning while their prized offseason acquisition adjusts to his new surroundings. The opposite is true with the Yankees. Juan Soto has been carrying New York this season offensively. The pitching staff has also performed admirably in Gerrit Cole’s absence. A 23-13 Yankees team with no Cole and a struggling Aaron Judge is an impressive feat.”

Here are the home-run leaders for the previous 10 seasons:

2023: Matt Olson, Braves (54)

2022: Aaron Judge, Yankees (62)

2021: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays, and Salvador Perez, Royals (48)

2020: Luke Voit, Yankees (22)

2019: Pete Alonso, Mets (53)

2018: Khris Davis, A’s (48)

2017: Aaron Judge, Yankees (52)

2016: Mark Trumbo, Orioles (47)

2015: Chris Davis, Orioles (47)