MLB Manager of the Year Odds And Predictions 2025: Hinch, Counsell Lead The Pack

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The 2025 MLB Manager of the Year odds market continues to twist and turn — but it does so with three fewer skippers than were available to bet a few weeks ago.

There have been some noteworthy price adjustments, including the American League frontrunner becoming an odds-on favorite.

Additionally, the pecking order has shifted a bit, with one NL Central skipper shooting up the board after a lengthy winning streak.

So here’s an updated look at 2025 MLB Manager of the Year odds, including current prices, historical trends, and Oddspedia’s best bets.

Before making your MLB Manager of the Year wagers at the best sportsbooks, be sure to check the best available odds.

Hinch has been pushing the right buttons ever since the Detroit Tigers went on that incredible 31-13 run to make the playoffs for the first time in a decade...

AL Manager of the Year odds

Manager Odds
Detroit Tigers AJ Hinch -2200
Toronto Blue Jays John Schneider +750
Tampa Bay Rays Kevin Cash +2200
Houston Astros Joe Espada +3800
Boston Red Sox Alex Cora +5000
Seattle MarinersDan Wilson +5000
Cleveland Guardians Stephen Vogt +6000
Kansas City Royals Matt Quatraro +6000
Texas Rangers Bruce Bochy +6000
Minnesota Twins Rocco Baldelli +6000
New York Yankees Aaron Boone +6000
Oakland Athletics Mark Kotsay Off the board
Chicago White Sox Will Venable Off the board
Baltimore Orioles Tony Mansolino Off the board
Los Angeles AngelsRon Washington Off the board

AL Manager of the Year odds courtesy of FanDuel – accurate as of July 9

NL Manager of the Year odds

Manager Odds
Chicago Cubs Craig Counsell -145
Milwaukee Brewers Pat Murphy +450
San Francisco Giants Bob Melvin +650
St. Louis Cardinals Oliver Marmol +700
Cincinnati Reds Terry Francona +1200
San Diego Padres Mike Shildt +5000
Los Angeles Dodgers Dave Roberts +5000
New York Mets Carlos Mendoza +5000
Philadelphia Phillies Rob Thomson +5000
Arizona Diamondbacks Torey Lovullo +5000
Atlanta Braves Brian Snitker +5000
Pittsburgh Pirates Don Kelly +5000
Miami Marlins Clayton McCullough +10000
Colorado Rockies Warren Schaeffer +10000
Washington Nationals Miguel Cairo +10000

NL Manager of the Year odds courtesy of FanDuel – accurate as of July 9

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MLB Manager of the Year odds: Favorites

Detroit Tigers A.J. Hinch (-2200 at FanDuel)

There is no doubt that A.J. Hinch is one of the top managers in baseball and he deserves to be the favorite in MLB Manager of the Year odds.

Hinch has been pushing the right buttons ever since the Detroit Tigers went on that incredible 31-13 run to make the playoffs for the first time in a decade.

That momentum has carried into the 2025 campaign as the Tigers are a contender in World Series odds and heavy favorite in AL Central odds.

If Hinch leads the Tigers to an AL Central title and another playoff berth, he will win AL Manager of the Year.

Chicago Cubs Craig Counsell (-145 at FanDuel)

Shifting gears to the National League, Craig Counsell is the favorite in NL Manager of the Year odds.

With help from surprise breakout star Pete Crow-Armstrong, NL MVP odds contender, Counsell has propelled the Chicago Cubs to being the favorite in NL Central odds.

Unless disaster strikes, the Cubs will be in the playoffs, likely as a division winner and Counsell’s leadership in just his second season as manager is a big reason why.

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MLB Manager of the Year odds: sleeper picks

Kansas City Royals Matt Quatraro (+6000 at FanDuel)

By the time the regular season ended last year, Matt Quatraro had the second-shortest MLB Manager of the Year odds in the American League.

Sure enough, after the votes were tallied, the Kansas City Royals’ field boss finished as the runner-up behind a division rival: Stephen Vogt of the Cleveland Guardians.

Vogt certainly deserved to win the award, as the rookie skipper guided the Guardians to a 92-69 record and first-place finish in the AL Central. At the same time, though, Quatraro definitely didn’t deserve to lose the award.

Because while Vogt led Cleveland to a terrific 16-win improvement from the previous year, Quatraro and the Royals nearly doubled that by going plus-30 in the victory department. 

After posting a 56-105 mark in Quatraro’s first season in 2023 — the second worst in franchise history — Kansas City finished 86-76 in 2024 and earned a wild-card berth, snapping an eight-year playoff drought. Then it went out and upset the defending champion Astros in the Divisional Series.

This year, though, the Royals sputtered out of the gate, dropping 14 of their first 22 games. But just as naysayers were about to scream “fluke,” Quatraro’s troops embarked on a 16-2 run. Included were separate winning streaks of six and seven games.

A 1-6 lull immediately followed, but K.C. has since rebounded to get back in the neighborhood of .500.

Does the 51-year-old have a legit chance to rise to the top and go from bridesmaid to bride? Only if the Royals at least exceed last year’s 86-76 record — and only if division rival Detroit comes back to the pack.

Both are possible, for two reasons: Kansas City has one of the better ERAs in all of baseball, and the Tigers may not keep winning the pace they are winning at for the rest of the season.

Philadelphia Phillies Rob Thomson (+5000 at FanDuel)

It’s difficult to understand why Rob Thomson doesn’t get more respect in the MLB Manager of the Year odds discussion.

The Philadelphia Phillies’ skipper led his team to the World Series in 2022 after taking over on an interim basis and going 65-46 over the final four months of the campaign. 

That was followed by a 90-win season in 2023, which was topped by a 95-win season last year.

So far in 2025? The Phillies are in the playoff race and NL East odds race once again.

Despite these impressive numbers, Thomson finished a distant fifth in Manager of the Year voting in both 2022 and 2024, and he didn’t receive a single vote in 2023.

If the winning continues, Thomson has to receive a lot of MLB Manager of the Year voters come season’s end. So snag his price now, because it likely will nosedive sooner than later.

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Manager of the Year odds 2025: Cubs’ Counsell, Tigers’ Hinch lead the way

The MLB Manager of the Year odds market opens prior to spring training. As with other MLB futures options — MLB MVP odds, Cy Young odds, Rookie of the Year odds, and World Series champion — MLB Manager of the Year odds fluctuate throughout the long 162-game campaign. 

Heading into his second season as the Chicago Cubs’ manager, Craig Counsell was a very slim favorite on the MLB Manager of the Year odds board for the National League.

Counsell’s +500 preseason odds barely topped the +550 price of first-year Cincinnati Reds skipper Terry Francona.

Then as the first week of the campaign neared its conclusion, Francona (+300) jumped ahead of Counsell (+350).

Now? Counsell not only has reclaimed the throne atop the NL Manager of the Year futures board.

As for Francona, he has dropped in the NL, with Bob Melvin of the San Francisco Giants and Oliver Marmol of the St. Louis Cardinals in contention.

Over in the American League, Detroit’s A.J. Hinch has taken over the top spot with MLB Manager of the Year odds.

Boston’s Alex Cora, who opened as the second choice in the AL before assuming the favorite role in early April, is way down on the board now. 

Tampa Bay’s Kevin Cash has vaulted his way up the MLB Manager of the Year odds board following his team’s hot streak.

Four other AL skippers hit mid-April with single-digit odds to win MLB Manager of the Year: the Rangers’ Bruce Bochy (+450 FanDuel; +475 bet365), the Blue Jays’ John Schneider (+500); the Mariners’ Dan Wilson (+700); and the Angels’ Ron Washington (+750). They have all plummeted since.

Finally, the reigning MLB Managers of the Year — Cleveland’s Stephen Vogt and Milwaukee’s Pat Murphy — are currently in dark-horse territory.

MLB Manager of the Year odds 2025: Betting strategy tips

The MLB Manager of the Year odds market opens prior to spring training. As with other MLB futures options — MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, and World Series champion — MLB Manager of the Year odds fluctuate throughout the long 162-game campaign. 

Early on, this fluidity is primarily the result of how a manager’s team performs compared with preseason expectations.

For instance, a skipper whose ballclub is pegged as a bottom dweller but instead gets off to a hot start will see his Manager of the Year odds shrink. One such recent example is Kansas City’s Matt Quatraro. 

In Quatraro’s debut season leading the Royals in 2023, he went 56-106. It was the second-worst record in franchise history. Last year, though, Kansas City got off to a hot start, and Quatraro climbed up the AL Manager of the Year odds board accordingly.

The Royals ended up 86-76 — a 30-game improvement from 2023 — and Quatraro placed second in AL Manager of the Year voting.

On the flip side, if a projected playoff contender stumbles out of the gate, the on-field boss is certain to tumble down the odds board. This happened last season to a pair of AL West skippers: Houston’s Joe Espada and Texas’ Bruce Bochy.

Espada’s Astros started 7-19 and were still seven games under .500 as of mid-June. Although Houston rallied and won the AL West, the early-season trouble dropped Espada from AL Manager of the Year contender to afterthought. 

As for Bochy, he led the Rangers to their first World Series title in 2023 but struggled to keep last year’s team afloat. In fact, Texas fell to 24-25 on May 21 and never again reached .500. As a result, Bochy’s MLB Manager of the Year odds spiraled downward throughout the summer.

So if you’re thinking about dabbling in the in-season MLB Manager of the Year futures market, remember this: Surpassing preseason prognostications usually is more important than a manager’s won-loss record.

Of course, being able to sustain that surprising success is most vital.

MLB Manager of the Year betting trends

Want to cash a winning 2025 Manager of the Year ticket? Identify under-the-radar teams that have a legitimate shot at playing meaningful October baseball.

Here’s why: Only 12% of all Manager of the Year awards — 10 of 84 — have gone to skippers whose teams failed to reach the playoffs. And only once has the honor gone to a manager whose club finished below .500 (Joe Girardi of the 78-win Marlins in 2006).

Also, not counting the 2020 season that was shortened to 60 games because of the COVID-19 pandemic, only three of the last 26 Manager of the Year recipients have guided teams that finished with fewer than 90 wins.

Those winners: the Rangers’ Jeff Bannister in 2015 (88 wins), the Twins’ Paul Molitor in 2017 (85 wins), and the Marlins’ Skip Schumaker in 2023 (84 wins).

What about the importance of reaching (or exceeding) the 100-win plateau as it relates to winning Manager of the Year? It hasn’t been much of a factor.

Yes, at least one Manager of the Year posted 100 or more victories from 2019-2023 (again, discounting the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign). However, no team won 100 games in 2024. And in 17 seasons from 2002-2018 — not a single Manager of the Year recipient in either league hit the century mark.

In fact, only 12 of 84 Manager of the Year winners (14.3%) have won the award following a 100-win season.

Then again, backing a skipper whose team is projected to reach triple-digit victories makes much more sense than betting on last year’s Manager of the Year winners to repeat. 

Why? Because since the awards were first handed out in each league in 1983, only two skippers have gone back-to-back: Atlanta’s Bobby Cox (2004-05) Tampa Bay’s Kevin Cash (2020-21).

To that point, here’s a friendly reminder: Cleveland’s Steven Vogt and Milwaukee’s Pat Murphy are the reigning AL and NL Managers of the Year, respectively.

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Take a look at our comprehensive list of best MLB betting sites in order to get the best MLB odds on all of your wagers.

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Want more MLB insights?

Looking for more ways to make more informed MLB wagers? Take a look at our other articles from our Oddspedia experts:

Manager of the Year odds FAQs

Who is favorite to be Manager of the Year 2025?

Craig Counsell of the Chicago Cubs is currently favorite in the National League, while Dan Wilson of the Seattle Mariners is currently favored in the American League on the MLB Manager of the Year odds board.

Who was Manager of the Year in 2024?

Cleveland Guardians skipper Stephen Vogt took home Manager of the Year in the NL in 2023, while Pat Murphy of the Milwaukee Brewers took home the hardware in the NL. Both managers guided their teams to Central Division titles, with Murphy’s Brewers (93-69) posting a slightly better record than Vogt’s Guardians (92-69).

How are Manager of the Year odds determined?

Votes cast by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America determine the top manager in each league. Each member that receives a ballot votes for their top three choices. A weighted points system is then used to determine the winners. Playoff success (or lack thereof) has no bearing on Manager of the Year voting, as ballots must be submitted at the conclusion of the regular season.

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