Post-All-Star Break MLB Futures, Season Award Bets, More Odds

With the 2025 MLB All-Star Game in the rearview, the darkest part of the sports calendar is over, and we finally have something to watch and bet on again. That said, I'm not really into gambling on regular-season MLB games because they are just too random. Here or there, ya know? 

That said, MLB futures are my jam. Unfortunately, the 2025 AL and NL MVP races are pretty much over. Barring injury, of course. New York Yankees icon Aaron Judge (-650) and Los Angeles Dodgers legend Shohei Ohtani (-1100) will probably win back-to-back MVPs this year. Judge is flirting with a Triple Crown and Shohei is pitching again. 

Related: MLB GETS MASSIVE RATINGS FOR ALL-STAR GAME, AS BASEBALL CONTINUES TO GROW

The Cy Young races are a little tighter, albeit not much. Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal is a -200 favorite at DraftKings to win his second consecutive AL Cy Young. Philadelphia Phillies workhorse Zack Wheeler (-125) holds a slight lead over Pittsburgh Pirates prodigy Paul Skenes (-105) in the NL Cy Young betting odds. 

Nevertheless, I found betting action for MLB, post-All-Star game, elsewhere. This includes bets in the season-award, divisional winner, and major-league-leading strikeout markets. The best part about these futures, and MLB in general, is that you can fade or follow them weeks after the All-Star Game. Without further ado, here are my best MLB second-half bets. 

AL Rookie of the Year: [Homeless] Athletics SS Jacob Wilson (+110) at DraftKings 

Even though I don't love betting such a short price halfway through the season, Wilson is still undervalued vs. his competition. He was the starting shortstop for the 2025 AL All-Star team and led the league rookies in batting average (.332), WAR (2.9), and runs (44) in the first half of the year. 

The next closest guy in WAR is Boston Red Sox C Carlos Narváez (2.8), the fourth betting choice, and Wilson only trails teammate and third-betting choice, 1B Nick Kurtz, in RBI (44-42). However, besides a strong May, Narváez has been mediocre at the plate this season, and Kurtz is a defensive liability at his position.

Lastly, Wilson would be an "odds-on favorite" (-110 or pricier) if he played for 25+ other clubs, or if he were one of the highly-discussed rookies entering the year, such as Kansas City Royals OF Jac Caglianone, Houston Astros OF Cam Smith, New York Yankees OF Jasson Domínguez, etc. But, value is value, and Wilson is a good bet at even-money or better. 

NL Central Division Winner: Milwaukee Brewers (+240) at FanDuel

I'm doubling down after betting Milwaukee (+280) to win the NL Central before the season. The Brewers are only a game behind the Chicago Cubs for first in the division. Chicago was a +110 favorite to win the division preseason and a -300 favorite post-All-Star break, which is a 75% implied win probability. 

While the Cubs are a better team, they aren't that much better. Their No. 1 starter is 34-year-old journeyman LHP Matthew Boyd, who's having a career year. This is Boyd's fifth team in the last five years, and his first time pitching 100+ innings since 2019. If he continues pitching like this, so be it, but it's something I'm willing to gamble on. 

Milwaukee Brewers rookie RHP Jacob Misiorowski pitches during the 2025 MLB All-Star Game at Truist Park in Atlanta. (Photo credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images)

In contrast, Milwaukee has All-Star starting RHP Freddy Peralta, two-time All-Star RHP Brandon Woodruff, who returned from injury earlier this month, and All-Star and odds-on NL Rookie of the Year favorite, RHP Jacob Misiorowski, in its rotation. So, the Brewers may have the best starting rotation in the NL playoffs behind the Philadelphia Phillies. 

The Cubs are second in hitting WAR, but Milwaukee is 10th. Lastly, the Brew Crew's two setup men and All-Star closer (RHP Trevor Megill) are higher in FanGraphs' power rankings than Chicago's closer and setup men. Relief pitching is the most important thing in MLB nowadays, and the Brewers have a deeper pitching staff in general. 

Most Regular Season Strikeouts: Phillies RHP Zack Wheeler (+330) at DraftKings 

Wheeler is second in strikeouts (154) in baseball after the first half of the season, behind Red Sox LHP Garrett Crochet (160) and followed by Skubal (153) and San Francisco Giants RHP Logan Webb (139), the distant third betting choice at +3000. This is partly a bet on Wheeler's usage and partly on his performance. 

For example, since joining the Phillies in 2020, Wheeler has the most innings pitched in MLB, with three 200+ strikeout seasons. Whereas Skubal has only pitched 150+ innings once in his first five years in the big leagues, and Crochet has never pitched 150+ innings since coming to The Show in 2020. 

Also, Wheeler is fourth in swinging-strike rate and fourth in Stuff+, per FanGraphs. Granted, Skubal and Crochet are two of the starters ahead of him. Yet, Detroit has an 11.5-game lead in the AL Central, so there's a chance the Tigers restrict his innings at the end of the regular season to save him for the playoffs. 

_____________________________

Follow me on X (or Twitter, whatever) @Geoffery-Clark, and check out my OutKick Bets Podcast for more betting content and random rants. I'll add bets to my MLB 2025 betting record via X all season.