Dodgers' Mookie Betts may have only one shot to join Frank Robinson in league MVP record books

The only player in Major League Baseball history to win the MVP Award in both the American and National League was Hall of Famer Frank Robinson. Could new Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts join Robinson in that exclusive club this year? It might be Betts' only chance to do so, and he's a +700 co-favorite on the moneyline odds at William Hill sportsbook to win NL MVP.

Robinson won the MVP Award in the Senior Circuit in 1961 in helping lead the Cincinnati Reds to the pennant, batting .323 with 37 homers and 124 RBIs while leading the NL with a slugging percentage of .611.

Prior to the 1966 season, Reds owner Bill DeWitt traded Robinson to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for pitcher Milt Pappas, pitcher Jack Baldschun and outfielder Dick Simpson.  Yeah, it would be fair to call that a heist for the Orioles. Robinson would win the 1966 AL MVP and also won the Triple Crown in batting .316 (lowest ever by a Triple Crown winner) with 49 homers and 122 RBIs.

Betts has been arguably the second-best position player in the major leagues over the past four seasons as his combined Wins Above Replacement in that stretch trails only three-time AL MVP winner Mike Trout of the Angels. Betts was the landslide winner of the 2018 AL MVP (Trout was second) in batting .346 (first in AL) with 32 homers, 80 RBIs and 129 runs scored (first in AL) in 136 games.

The Red Sox didn't think they could afford Betts in free agency after this season so they basically attached David Price's awful contract to Betts in trading both to the Dodgers in February. Boston got three minor-leaguers.

This could well be Betts' only season to match Robinson because who knows if he will be in the National League again after 2020 – although, the Dodgers certainly will be among the betting favorites to sign him.

Betts was going to demand around $400 million in free agency, but the pandemic surely has brought his price down significantly. The Atlanta Braves, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays have all been rumored as potential suitors. And one can never rule out the Yankees.

Ariel Cohen's Fantasy baseball projections are extremely high on a first baseman some are overlooking. He's set to hit double-digit home runs during the 60-game 2020 MLB season, but is being picked well outside the top 200 in early Fantasy baseball drafts. You ABSOLUTELY need to see what the ATC system has to say about each player before going on the clock.