Johnny Manziel, the first freshman ever to win the Heisman Trophy, appears to be a lock to win the ESPY for Best Male College Athlete over a field of relative unknowns. However, the most value in betting the ESPYs might be found in the Best MLB Player category.
Manziel, Texas A&M's hot-shot quarterback, is a hefty -500 favorite to best Trey Burke, Drew LeBlanc, and Kyle Dake for the ESPY at Bovada. Burke was the college basketball player of the year, but LeBlanc and Dake are relative unknowns; LeBlanc is a star hockey player for St. Cloud State, and Dake is a Cornell wrestler. Maybe Manziel's off-the-field issues hurt him, but it's hard to imagine him getting tripped up by the likes of Burke, LeBlanc, or Dake. You’ll have to bet $500 to win $100 if you like Manziel, though.
However, you only have to lay $200 to win $100 if you think Miguel Cabrera wins the ESPY for Best MLB Player. Cabrera, of course, became the first player to win the Triple Crown since Carl Yastrzemaki in 2012 and is off to another torrid start this year for the Detroit Tigers. He faces stiffer competition than Manziel, including Mike Trout, Buster Posey, David Price, and R.A. Dickey. However, the odds certainly are cheaper than Manziel.
You can vote for the winners here before the show airs at 9pm ET on Wednesday night.
2013 ESPY Awards odds (courtesy of Bovada)
Best Male Athlete
LeBron James -200
Adrian Peterson +250
Miguel Cabrera +400
Michael Phelps +1500
Best Female Athlete
Serena Williams +125
Brittney Griner +160
Gabby Douglas +250
Missy Franklin +900
Best Fighter
Floyd Mayweather Jr. -150
Jon "Bones" Jones +125
Anderson Silva +400
Canelo Alvarez +2500
Danny Garcia +3300
Best NFL Player
Adrian Peterson -175
Peyton Manning +250
JJ Watt +500
Calvin Johnson +650
Aaron Rodgers +1000
Best MLB Player
Miguel Cabrera -200
Mike Trout +200
Buster Posey +900
David Price +900
R.A. Dickey +900
Best NHL Player
Sidney Crosby -500
Alexander Ovechkin +200
John Tavares +1200
Henrik Lundqvist +3300
Martin St. Louis +3300
Best International Athlete
Usain Bolt -150
Novak Djokovic +225
Lionel Messi +300
Cristiano Ronaldo +900
Juan Manuel Marquez +2000
Best Male College Athlete
Johnny Manziel -500
Trey Burke +300
Drew LeBlanc +1500
Kyle Drake +1500
Best Driver
Tony Kanaan -200
Brad Keselowski +300
Sebastian Vettel +400
Ryan Hunter-Reay +1000
