Best Bets to Win the AL and NL Cy Young

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Jacob deGrom #48 of the New York Mets. Eric Espada/Getty Images/AFP

The MLB season is extremely long with 162 games a year. Injuries are always a large portion of the game, as is fatigue. Betting on Cy Young award winners before the season begins is extremely tough.

You just don’t know what’s going to happen down the line. Last season, Jacob deGrom started off the season red hot and was the easy candidate to win the NL Cy Young. Unfortunately, he got hurt swinging the bat and ultimately ended up losing the Cy Young because he didn’t play enough.

National League Cy Young Award

If you’re going to bet on the Cy Young awards before the season begins, look at durable players that usually last an entire season. deGrom likely won’t have the same issues this season with the designated hitter in place. That’s also something to keep in mind.

Many pitchers will stay healthy because they won’t have to bat in the National League. So if everyone stayed healthy throughout the season, in the National League, the clear favorite to win the award is Jacob deGrom.

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deGrom went 7-2 last year with a 1.08 ERA. He struck out 146 batters in 15 games started but lasted just 92 innings. It seems like deGrom is back to his normal self and that those other lingering issues are now gone. In his career, he’s thrown 1261.2 innings and has 1505 strikeouts. He’s literally a once-in-a-lifetime kind of pitcher.

Plus, if wins and losses matter, the Mets have the best lineup they’ve ever had. Runs should start to come across the plate for deGrom this season. Also, let’s not forget that the defense behind deGrom is also much better than it’s ever been.

You can get deGrom at around +360 at most of the top-rated books. It’s not an amazing price but it’s one that makes the most sense.

Best Bet: Jacob deGrom to Win NL Cy Young (+360) with BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)

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Jacob deGrom to Win NL Cy Young (+360)
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The American League Cy Young Award

On the other hand, if you’re looking to bet on the American League Cy Young, the race is a little bit more wide open. Gerritt Cole is the favorite with a +400 price tag but ultimately, he’s going to have games where he trips up. Shane Bieber is next at +900 but, like deGrom, he wasn’t healthy last year and won’t get much run support from the Guardians.

There’s also Lucas Giolito, Robbie Ray, Dylan Cease, and Lance McCullers Jr. all ranging from +1000 to +2000. Ray won the award last year with the Toronto Blue Jays and could be an interesting target in Seattle. His teammates Jose Berrios and Kevin Gausman have +2500 to +3000 MLB odds respectively.

Read More: Can Robbie Ray Win the AL Cy Young Again?

This race is going to be a bit harder to figure out but if I had to choose at this very moment, I’d look at Robbie Ray at +1500. I don’t think last year was a fluke. With Toronto, he threw 32 games with 193.1 innings pitched. He also had 248 strikeouts and just 52 walks while allowing just 150 hits on the year.

Ray has had his ups and downs throughout his career. But it seems like Ray is finally past those downs and is starting to really develop into a quality pitcher who can strike out a ton of batters. Walks were a problem earlier in his career and really just locating was an issue.

Now, he’s really grown and has become a fierce competitor with absolute precision. I’d take Ray at +1500 as the American League-best bet for Cy Young.

Best Bet: Robbie Ray to Win AL Cy Young (+1500) with BetOnline

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Robbie Ray to Win AL Cy Young (+1500)
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*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.