Get your picks in: Bettor's Eye 2022 preview

Looking for advice on what picks to make for the 2022 MLB season before Opening Day arrives Thursday? Look no further.

Bettor's Eye presented by BetMGM aired its season preview show on Wednesday. Hosts Keith Irizarry and Matt Striker broke down the major awards races and made their picks for the pennant winners, World Series champion and more.

Starting on Thursday, Bettor's Eye will also stream daily Monday through Friday at 6 p.m. ET on MLB.com and in the MLB app.

Here are the Bettor's Eye experts' predictions for the various season races, with the odds for each courtesy of BetMGM.

American League MVP

Irizarry: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays (+500)
Striker: Shohei Ohtani, Angels (+350)

After Vlad Jr. broke out with a Major League-leading 48 home runs and runner-up MVP finish in 2021, the 23-year-old slugger could be a good bet to win the award this year at 5-to-1 odds.

Or will Ohtani be the first back-to-back MVP winner since Miguel Cabrera in 2012-13? The two-way superstar is coming off a season in which he had 46 homers, 26 steals and 100 RBIs as a hitter and a 9-2 record, a 3.18 ERA and 156 strikeouts as a pitcher.

"Here's the thing about Ohtani: He's redefining the award," Irizarry said. "Do we forget that last year, wasn't Vlad Guerrero flirting with a Triple Crown and no one would even mention him? … As long as Ohtani does this thing that he does, it's his award to lose."

AL MVP longshots

Irizarry: Wander Franco, Rays (+2,000)
Striker: Luis Robert, White Sox (+2,200)

Franco and Robert are both trendy MVP picks who have favorable odds, with both at 20-to-1 or greater. They're both young stars on the rise, with the 21-year-old Franco a Rookie of the Year finalist for the AL East champion Rays last season and the 24-year-old Robert batting .338 with 13 homers in just 68 games for the AL Central champion White Sox.

"Wander Franco was a wunderkind last year," Irizarry said. "I think that now he takes another step forward, and the odds are sweet for him."

• 5 dark horse MVP candidates for 2022

National League MVP

Irizarry: Juan Soto, Nationals (+300)
Striker: Soto

The 23-year-old Soto is arguably the best hitter in the world. The Nationals star batted .313 with 29 home runs and was the NL MVP runner-up in 2021, and he's a preseason frontrunner in '22.

NL MVP longshots

Irizarry: Trea Turner, Dodgers (+1,600)
Striker: Nick Castellanos, Phillies (+5,000)

Turner's power-speed combo in the star-studded Dodgers lineup makes him an enticing pick -- he had 28 home runs and a league-leading 32 stolen bases in 2021 while winning the MLB batting crown at .328. Castellanos will be a fun longshot to watch at 50-to-1 odds -- after batting .309 with 34 homers for the Reds in 2021, he'll hit in the middle of a deep Phillies lineup in '22 alongside reigning MVP Bryce Harper.

"I'm gonna go a bit higher to some odds that some people might go, 'You're crazy,' but when I say the name -- no I'm not," Striker said. "It's my favorite player right now. It's Nick Castellanos. This is an extra-base-hitting machine. And now he has lineup protection."

AL Cy Young

Irizarry: Shane Bieber, Guardians (+800)
Striker: José Berríos, Blue Jays (+2,000)

Bieber could return to his Cy Young form from the 2020 season, when he led the Majors with a 1.63 ERA and 122 strikeouts. Berríos will be a pitcher to watch at those odds. The 27-year-old righty finished top 10 in Cy Young voting last year after going 12-9 with a 3.52 ERA and 204 strikeouts.

NL Cy Young

Irizarry: Corbin Burnes, Brewers (+800)
Striker: Freddy Peralta, Brewers (+3,000)

Both expert picks come from the Brewers. Burnes is the reigning Cy Young Award winner, and the NL has had some repeat winners in recent years -- Jacob deGrom from 2018-19, Max Scherzer in 2016-17 and Clayton Kershaw in 2013-14. But Peralta is the dark horse -- the 25-year-old had a breakout 2021 season, going 10-5 with a 2.81 ERA and 195 K's.

AL Rookie of the Year

Irizarry: Spencer Torkelson, Tigers (+500)
Striker: Julio Rodríguez, Mariners (+400)

Both of these players are top-five prospects who are ready for their big league debuts. Rodríguez is ranked No. 3 overall by MLB Pipeline; Torkelson is ranked No. 4. Torkelson belted 30 homers in the Minors last season; Rodríguez hit .347 with 13 homers and 21 steals in 74 games.

NL Rookie of the Year

Irizarry: Oneil Cruz, Pirates (+425)
Striker: Joey Bart, Giants (+1,100)

Bart is the successor to Buster Posey in San Francisco and will look to win the Rookie of the Year Award just like his catching predecessor. Cruz could have been a Rookie of the Year favorite, but the 6-foot-7 shortstop will start the season in the Minors and could face competition from the Cubs' Seiya Suzuki, who hit 38 homers in Japan last year. But you don't always need a full season to be Rookie of the Year -- players like Yordan Alvarez, Wil Myers and Ryan Howard have done it while playing fewer than 90 games.

American League champion

Irizarry: Blue Jays (+450)
Striker: White Sox (+550)

The Blue Jays are loaded with stars like Vlad Jr., Bo Bichette, George Springer, Matt Chapman and Berríos. The White Sox are loaded, too, with Robert, Tim Anderson, ​​José Abreu, Lucas Giolito, Liam Hendriks and more. Both teams won more than 90 games last season.

"The Toronto Blue Jays were not my first love ever -- I grew up a Yankees fan -- but I am absolutely in love with this Blue Jays team this year," Irizarry said. "I think that everything about them screams historically good."

National League champion

Irizarry: Dodgers (+250)
Striker: Brewers (+700)

The Dodgers are the NL favorites, especially after adding Freddie Freeman this offseason. But the Brewers' pitching could carry them through the playoffs, with the starting trio of Burnes, Peralta and Brandon Woodruff and the bullpen duo of Josh Hader and Devin Williams.

World Series champion

Irizarry: Blue Jays (+900)
Striker: White Sox (+1,100)

Both Bettor's Eye hosts think the World Series champion will come out of the AL this season, after the last three winners came from the NL (the Braves, Dodgers and Nationals).

Regular-season wins totals (over/under)

Irizarry:
Angels OVER 84.5 wins (-110)
Dodgers OVER 98.5 wins (-110)
Twins OVER 81.5 wins (-110)

Striker:
Dodgers UNDER 98.5 wins (-110)
Marlins OVER 76.5 wins (-110)
Twins OVER 81.5 wins (-110)

The experts disagree on the Dodgers, who have a very high win total for over/under predictions. Los Angeles easily surpassed that 98.5 mark last year, winning 106 games, and the Dodgers have broken the 100-win mark in three of their last four full seasons.

"I'm just gonna ride the trend of, this is what they do," Irizarry said. "They win over 100 games."