Bamford threw a dart at Alejandro Kirk at 100-to-1, calling the Blue Jays backstop a "little fat catcher who can hit one over the fence." Kirk’s contact skills and sneaky pop make him the kind of reserve who could enter late, park a homer, and steal voter headlines—exactly how several longshot MVPs have cashed this past decade.

Malcolm Bamford independently landed on Kyle Stowers at triple-digit odds, pointing to the Elias Diaz template—come off the bench, run into one, walk away with the trophy. Bamford reminded listeners that Stowers’ weekend three-homer explosion shows the power is real and that reserve hitters have dominated recent MVP voting. With bases-loaded heroics all it takes, Bamford felt the 100-to-1 price was "completely nutty" relative to Stowers’ path.

At 100-to-1, Smith loves Kyle Stowers as a pure upside swing. Eight of the last 11 MVPs have been reserve hitters, and Stowers just posted a three-homer game, signaling a scorching bat. Smith noted that a late pinch-hit "bomb" in a bases-loaded spot is exactly how recent longshots have cashed, making Stowers the type of volatility he wants to chase.

Smith’s second dart is Byron Buxton, citing the Twin’s weekend cycle as evidence that his bat is locked in. Buxton’s power-speed profile fits the All-Star Game MVP template—he can leave the yard or swipe a bag in a single trip. At long-shot odds, Smith likes buying into a hitter who is "in really good form" and capable of filling up the box score in multiple categories.

Lonte Smith tabbed Elly De La Cruz at 25-to-1 as his favorite MVP bet. Smith expects a high-scoring exhibition and argued that De La Cruz’s rare blend of 80-grade speed and 450-foot power plays perfectly in a game where one highlight can decide the award. If the Reds phenom reaches base, Smith thinks he’ll "try to steal multiple bases," and a stolen-base/extra-base-hit combo has produced several recent MVPs. Add in the possibility of an electric defensive gem and Smith believes De La Cruz’s ceiling dwarfs the mid-tier price.

Lonte Smith is siding with the National League despite its 1-28 stretch, arguing that the NL’s collection of arms gives it the higher ceiling in a one-off exhibition. He highlighted starter Paul Skenes and a bullpen full of swing-and-miss relievers, noting the NL staff is "more prone to getting strikeouts," exactly what you want when every opposing hitter is an elite bat. In a game where pitchers rarely face the same batter twice, Smith believes that superior whiff potential offsets the AL’s historical edge and makes the NL a worthy play at pick-em odds.

Malcolm Bamford said he is happily backing the American League at the pick-em price-point (-111) simply because the league has owned the midsummer classic. The AL has dropped the National League in all but one All-Star Game since 2013, winning 28 of the last 35 overall. Bamford compared it to seeing seven straight reds on a roulette wheel—he is not stepping in front of that heater until it finally cools off. With nothing separating the rosters on paper, he believes the long-term trend itself provides enough betting edge to justify taking the AL moneyline.