With the MLB season starting in just a few weeks, we're breaking down the best bets to lead the league in every major statistical category. On Monday, we ran through the top betting options to pace the field in stolen bases. This time, it's all about contact.
Here are the odds to lead the majors in hits at Barstool Sportsbook, along with a few of our favorite early values:
| PLAYER | ODDS |
|---|---|
| Tim Anderson | +1000 |
| Bo Bichette | +1000 |
| Trea Turner | +1100 |
| Vladimir Guerrero Jr. | +1300 |
| Ozzie Albies | +1400 |
| Freddie Freeman | +1400 |
| Whit Merrifield | +1500 |
| Juan Soto | +1500 |
| Wander Franco | +1600 |
| Rafael Devers | +1700 |
| Fernando Tatis Jr. | +1700 |
| Mookie Betts | +1800 |
| Xander Bogaerts | +2000 |
| Paul Goldschmidt | +2000 |
| DJ LeMahieu | +2000 |
| Mike Trout | +2000 |
| Bryce Harper | +2000 |
| Ronald Acuna Jr. | +2800 |
| Nick Castellanos | +2800 |
| Austin Riley | +2800 |
| Jose Altuve | +3000 |
| Nolan Arenado | +3000 |
| Jean Segura | +3000 |
| Manny Machado | +3300 |
| Ketel Marte | +3300 |
| Jose Ramirez | +3300 |
| Marcus Semien | +3300 |
| Luis Robert | +3300 |
| Jose Abreu | +3500 |
| David Fletcher | +3500 |
| Francisco Lindor | +3500 |
| Starling Marte | +3500 |
| Carlos Correa | +4000 |
| Eloy Jimenez | +4000 |
| Trevor Story | +4000 |
| Trey Mancini | +5000 |
| J.D. Martinez | +5000 |
| Bryan Reynolds | +5000 |
Trea Turner, Dodgers (+1100)
On Monday, we highlighted Turner as someone with the best odds to lead MLB in steals. So why isn't he favored in this market, too? The do-it-all infielder led the league in hits (78) in the shortened 2020 season only to turn around and do it again with 195 hits across a full-length 2021 campaign.
Turner was white-hot over the second half of the season, hitting .338 in 52 games for the Dodgers with a 218-hit pace across 162 games. He almost certainly won't match that - nobody's finished with that many hits since 2014 - but he should rake in the top half of one of the best lineups in baseball.
Whit Merrifield, Royals (+1500)
Any list of elite hitters should include Merrifield, who has made a living as a contact specialist since making his Royals debut in 2016. Merrifield led the majors in hits in 2018 and 2019, hitting better than .300 in both years, and he's played in every single game across the last three campaigns.
Availability is the best asset for counting stats, and Merrifield has led the majors in at-bats each of those last three years. And he's made them count, hitting .291 in his MLB career despite a dip in production the last two seasons. Merrifield's still ranked in the top six in hits in both years, and he's a worthwhile bet at this price to reclaim his spot atop the hitting leaderboard.
DJ LeMahieu, Yankees (+2000)
Was a disappointing 2021 season an outlier for LeMahieu, who finished in the top four in MVP voting each of the previous two campaigns? Or was it the beginning of the end for the 33-year-old utility star?
The Yankees hitter dealt with injuries throughout last season, which likely contributed to his .268 average - his lowest since 2014. LeMahieu hit .316 in the following six years, twice leading the league in batting average, and he paced the AL in batting average (.364) and OPS (1.011) during that shortened 2020 season.
There's a chance LeMahieu never reaches that level again, but he'd be priced among the favorites if not for last year's injury-plagued campaign. If he can stay healthy in 2022 - and that's a big "if" - there are few hitters more capable of slapping 200 hits than baseball's most unheralded perennial MVP candidate.
C Jackson Cowart is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on Twitter (@CJacksonCowart) or email him at [email protected].
