MLB futures: Who can knock Braves' Ronald Acuna Jr. from run-scoring throne?

Technically the season has started. However, DraftKings is still taking bets on season stats leaders because it was only a couple of teams (featuring significant players for sure) that got the season going in Seoul. 

Last year, Atlanta OF Ronald Acuna Jr. scored an amazing 149 runs, running away with the category. To put that in context, nobody had broken 140 since A-Rod back in 2007 (143), and the last player to have more runs was Jeff Bagwell back in 2000. Scoring mega runs usually comes from a combination of getting on base mixed with some power. Sometimes you gotta drive yourself in, right?

The top of the table features a lot of familiar names from previous articles so I am going to frame them in logical pairs with who I like better from each. 

MLB Run Leader Futures

Ronald Acuna Jr., Atlanta Braves + $400 or Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers +550

There are very good reasons why these two are at the top of the odds tables for this category. I would lean into Acuna Jr. here as he is at the top of the same lineup and there is no reason to think he can't post similar numbers. In L.A., it probably works with the addition of big bats in Shohei Ohtani and Teoscar Hernandez, but there is some newness and therefore some uncertainty. 

Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers +600 or Juan Soto, New York Yankees +600

Both of these sluggers switched teams and leagues this offseason. I love Soto to have a monster season in New York but Ohtani is the play here. He might not be as much of an on-base machine as Soto but he has the much deeper lineup behind him. Unless things evolve to Judge hitting behind Soto, I expect a lot of times Soto is standing on first after a walk followed by not much. 

Trea Turner, Philadelphia Phillies +1000 or Julio Rodriguez, Seattle Mariners +1000

I love J-Rod, but I was surprised that he is priced the same as Turner. In the lineup that Seattle has, he does not have nearly as much support as Turner, making it hard to see how he scores more than the 102 runs he did last year. Turner matched that last season and is hitting at the top of a more potent lineup. He also has a better track record overall. 

Corbin Carroll, Arizona Diamondbacks +1300 or Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals +1300

If you have been reading these preseason articles, you know I love both of these players heading into this season. Both are capable of scoring from first with their speed and of knocking themselves in with the long ball. The odds are telling us that both are long shots to lead the league in runs, which is somewhat reflective of their general team status. Carroll has more support so if I am choosing from these two he is the choice. 

Marcus Semien, Texas Rangers +2000 or Jose Ramirez, Cleveland Guardians +2000

If you want to take a sleeper it would be hard to do better than Semien. He led the AL in runs last season and has 100+ runs in four straight non-COVID seasons. In each of those four years, he has led the AL in games played too. Plus, he is at the top of one of the best lineups in the majors. As for Ramirez, he does not have as much help as you would like but he is almost always in the lineup and I have seen several prognosticators like him for MVP this season. I don't see it. Semien is the pick here for me.