Travis Bazzana Earns Notable Odds To Win Major MLB Award

We have seen almost three months of regular-season baseball in 2026, so it’s time to check some of the most exciting races for individual awards around the league. As you can probably expect, some members of the Cleveland Guardians are in the running for some hardware.

Kalshi, a prediction market platform, offers updated looks at the strongest candidates in baseball to win the MVP Award, the Cy Young Award, and the Rookie of the Year Award in the American League.

Jose Ramirez’s slow start and injury have taken him out of the running for the AL MVP, at least for the time being. He has frequently been in the top 10 throughout his career.

Gavin Williams and Parker Messick are both enjoying excellent campaigns, but they don’t appear among the top three favorites to win the AL Cy Young. The AL Rookie of the Year, however, is up for grabs for someone who had a late start to his season: second baseman Travis Bazzana.

Favorites to win each AL Award on Kalshi:

AL MVP:
50% — Yordan
23% — Kurtz
14% — Rice

AL CY:
57% — Schlittler
16% — Cease
7% — Rasmussen

AL ROY:
62% — McGonigle
17% — Murakami
13% — Bazzana pic.twitter.com/8tW58kklWc

— Kalshi Sports (@KalshiSports) June 21, 2026

Detroit Tigers infielder Kevin McGonigle appears as the overwhelming betting favorite to be the junior circuit’s best rookie, at 62 percent. Chicago White Sox’s Munetaka Murakami is second with 17 percent, and Bazzana checks in at third with 13 percent.

Bazzana was called up by the Guardians in late April, yet he has managed to impress with a .273/.367/.471 line, seven home runs, 11 stolen bases, and a 134 wRC+. He has racked up 1.5 fWAR in 47 games, an amazing 162-game pace.

McGonigle has played 74 games and has fewer home runs and steals, at six and nine, respectively, and a lower wRC+ than Bazzana, at 133 before Monday’s games. His strong defense has given him a 3.2 fWAR, though, so that’s where he has an edge over the Guardians rookie.

The fact that McGonigle is deservedly ahead of Bazzana, at least by now, doesn’t mean that the race will stay this way all season. On the contrary: now the former No. 1 draft pick in 2024 can apply pressure and get closer to the talented Tigers star.

Bazzana himself has said that consistency is the key to success. If he can find it, he has a good chance to leapfrog McGonigle at some point and make this race a very interesting one.