Now that we are one month into the 2023 MLB season, the award markets have begun to take shape heading into the summer.
Few markets feature as much starpower as the American League Cy Young race, which has the likes of Gerrit Cole (New York Yankees) and Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Angels) at the top. Neither player has won the award in their respective careers, however, which means bettors might be wise to look elsewhere in this market.
Let’s take a look at the AL Cy Young oddsboard at WynnBET and try to make sense of it.
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Betting Odds for AL Cy Young
Gerrit Cole +300
Shohei Ohtani +400
Shane McClanahan +800
Luis Castillo +1000
Jacob deGrom +1200
Kevin Gausman +1200
Dylan Cease +1500
Framber Valdez +2500
Sonny Gray +2500
Carlos Rodon +4000
Favorites
Gerrit Cole (+300) — Is this finally the year for Cole? The 32-year-old ace has been in the mix since 2018, finishing top-five (or better) in voting in five of the last six seasons. He was runner-up in both 2019 and 2021.
This season, the Yankees only seem to perform well when he is on the bump. Cole is 5-0 with a 1.35 ERA in seven starts. He has struck out 52 batters over 46 2/3 innings of work, allowing just 28 hits in the process. If the award was being handed out today, Cole would claim it.
Shohei Ohtani (+400) — We can’t talk about any AL award without mentioning MLB’s premier two-way superstar. Ohtani is two years removed from being the AL MVP, and will continue to be a MVP contender for the next several seasons.
This year, Ohtani has been even better as a pitcher. He is 4-0 in seven starts, posting a 2.54 ERA in a total of 39 innings. He has tossed 59 strikeouts and given up just 16 hits to start the 2023 season. After finishing fourth in voting last year, Ohtani has a chance to win this award.
Best Bet
Shane McClanahan (+800) — With Cole and Ohtani starting off the year strong, we have seen McClanahan’s odds dip a bit. But the left-handed hurler for the Tampa Bay Rays is 6-0 with a 2.03 ERA in seven starts. He has whiffed 51 batters and given up 28 hits over 40 innings of work.
I’ll take the +800 price now, as McClanahan should climb up the oddsboard this summer.
