American League Cy Young Odds, Predictions, Picks & Best Bets
Compared to just two weeks ago, the 2023 AL Cy Young sports betting odds are tightening up.
Depending on which sportsbook you use, you’ll find the four players we’ll examine below to have varying odds, but all under +1000.
The MLB Cy Young odds race is gearing up to be as exciting as the real-life battle. Below, we’ll examine where we are two weeks later from our initial diagnosis as to who the top pitcher in the American League will be come season’s end.
Favorites for the 2023 NL Cy Young Award
Shane McClanahan, Tampa Bay Rays
6/7/23 Pitching Stats: 9-1, 2.02 ERA, 75.2 IP, 87 Ks, 29 Walks
6/7/23 Odds: DraftKings Sportsbook (+300)
6/21/23 Pitching Stats: 11-1, 2.12 ERA, 89.1 IP, 97 Ks, 33 Walks
6/21/23 Odds: DraftKings Sportsbook (+225)
McClanahan has best one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball. Over the last two weeks, he has maintained that title.
His ERA went up to 2.12 from 2.02, but he picked up two more wins and 10 strikeouts.
Despite his ERA success, some pitchers, as you’ll see below, are improving their ERA and have higher strikeout totals than the Rays ace, which, compared to the other pitchers on this list, is his weak spot.
That said, McClanahan never has terrible outings; his 11-1 record showcases that.
Still, claiming the AL Cy Young is not a foregone conclusion for him, and he must maintain his sub-2.20 ERA.
Framber Valdez, Houston Astros
6/21/23 Pitching Stats: 7-5, 2.27 ERA, 99 IP, 104 Ks, 21 Walks
6/21/23 Odds: DraftKings Sportsbook (+300)
Emerging as the new No. 2 in our MLB betting ranking is the 29-year-old Framber Valdez of the Houston Astros.
Valdez has been a valuable pitcher for the Astros since 2020, and he’s on the heels of McClanahan in the AL Cy Young odds.
Looking at the stats, Valdez has an ERA somewhat close to McClanahan's but has more innings pitched, strikeouts, and fewer walks.
It might come as a surprise that Valdez is here with a 7-5 record, but in all of his losses, Valdez has surrendered three runs in just two of them and less than that in the others — the offense wasn’t there for him.
Valdez has been excellent all season and has gone seven innings or more in three of his four June starts.
With the All-Star Break on the horizon, Valdez showcases some of his best pitching. His 2.27 ERA is one of his lowest marks all season, and it’s never gone above 2.84.
Kevin Gausman, Toronto Blue Jays
6/7/23 Pitching Stats: 5-3, 2.63 ERA, 82 IP, 113 Ks, 18 Walks
6/7/23 Odds: Caesars Sportsbook (+700)
6/21/23 Pitching Stats: 7-3, 3.10 ERA, 98.2 IP, 127 Ks, 25 Walks
6/21/23 Odds: Caesars Sportsbook (+700)
If not for his June 11 outing, where he allowed six earned runs, Gausman would likely be in second place odds-wise here.
Gausman has been prolific in striking out batters this season with 127, which is second in the league. However, with an ERA over 3.00, that’s not going to get it done in the company of guys with ERAs of 2.27, 2.12, or even 2.64, as seen by the fourth-place odds-on favorite.
If Gausman can limit the shellings and drop his ERA while maintaining his ability to strike batters out, we could see a late-season surge in the odds for him.
Gerrit Cole, New York Yankees
6/7/23 Pitching Stats: 7-0, 2.82 ERA, 79.2 IP, 84 Ks, 28 Walks
6/7/23 Odds: FanDuel Sportsbook (+600)
6/21/23 Pitching Stats: 8-1, 2.64 ERA, 99 IP, 106 Ks, 30 Walks
6/21/23 Odds: FanDuel Sportsbook (+800)
Cole isn’t leading any statistical categories but is rock-solid across the board. He has just one loss, which came in a 3-2 loss against the Boston Red Sox.
He had a rough May, allowing 19 earned runs, but since then has been stellar, allowing just five runs in all of June.
If he can maintain that pace, his ERA will continue to go down, and his strikeout numbers are respectable enough that he could be a dark horse in this entire race.
Depending on the sportsbooks you visit, you may find Gausman and Cole with the same futures odds, and rightfully so — Cole isn’t far off at all from this award.
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