AL Cy Young Odds Tracker: Gerrit Cole the Early Betting Favorite

AL Cy Young Odds

Odds via PointsBet and as of April 6

The American League Cy Young race is an interesting one to start the season.

At the top, you've got arguably the best pitcher in baseball. After that? An eclectic mix of ascending youngsters, grizzled veterans and established stars returning from injury.

While Gerrit Cole is the favorite, this isn't a clear-cut race. And as we saw last year with Robbie Ray, anything can happen.

Let's dive into some of the top candidates to win the 2022 American League Cy Young award.

1. Gerrit Cole (+400)

Would someone please get this man a Cy Young award?

Cole has been arguably the best pitcher in baseball for the better part of the last four seasons. Yet, he's been edged out for the top spot time and time again. During that span, he's finished second twice, with a fourth and fifth place finish as well.

Last year, Cole came in second to the out-of-nowhere dominance of Robbie Ray. Maybe 2022 is finally the year?

2. Shane Bieber (+600)

It was a forgettable 2021 for Bieber, who was limited to just 96 2/3 innings because of injury. When he was on the mound, he remained brilliant, although the numbers understandably were a bit lesser than his Cy Young brilliance of 2020.

The Guardians are expected to be bad, but if Bieber toes the rubber every fifth day he'll undoubtedly have a shot.

3. Robbie Ray (+800)

Talk about a glow-up.

Fans, pundits and Ray's own teams have been waiting for years for a breakout like we saw in 2021, but I don't think even those with the highest expectations expected this. 193 1/3 innings, 248 strikeouts, a 2.84 ERA.

Ray destroyed the American League a year ago, and cashed in with a free agent deal in Seattle during the offseason. If he can even come close to replicating that feat, he'll be in the discussion.

4. Lucas Giolito (+1000)

Giolito has been a model of consistency for the South Siders since his breakout season in 2019, and has garnered Cy Young support in each of the last three seasons, finishing sixth, seventh and 11th.

He'll front the rotation again in 2022 alongside Lance Lynn. Coming close to 200 innings, topping the 200-strikeout mark and keeping his ERA reasonable will have him in the mix.

5. Chris Sale (+1200)

Sale has finished top-five in Cy Young voting a whopping six times, topping out with a runner-up finish in 2017. His cup of coffee in 2021 after returning from a lengthy injury didn't show a return to that kind of form, but a full offseason to continue to recover may bring him back to his dominant ways.

6. Lance McCullers Jr. (+1600)

McCullers broke out in a big way in 2021 and joins Framber Valdez as young and talented arms for the Astros. In an era where home runs are flying left and right, he led the league in preventing them, allowing just 0.7 HR/9.

Walks are an issue for McCullers. He led the majors with 76 in 2021. A downtick there along with all the good he brings would make him a legitimate candidate.

7. Dylan Cease (+1800)

Another breakout candidate from 2021, Cease has some of the best swing-and-miss stuff in the game and led the league with 12.3 punchouts per nine innings. Consistency is the main thing missing, but Cease has the talent to make a Robbie Ray-like leap up the odds board.

8. Justin Verlander (+1800)

Hello, old friend.

The two-time Cy Young winner and 2011 AL MVP is back after missing almost all of the last two seasons. He's 39 now, but you can't have a Cy Young list without Verlander if Verlander is there.

9. Kevin Gausman (+1800)

Gausman brought his talents north of the border during the offseason, parlaying a dominant season in San Francisco into a free agent deal with the Blue Jays.

Gausman was arguably the most reliably consistent pitcher in the majors a year ago, striking out a ton of guys, limiting walks, and pitching nearly 200 innings in an era where we rarely see guys reach that mark.

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