ERA, strikeouts, innings pitched, WHIP and more go into deciding the Cy Young award candidates each season. Starting pitching is arguably the most important aspect of a team's success, which is why the winner of the Cy Young also tends to get some MVP votes. In fact, a few Cy Young Award winners have also won the MVP, most recently Clayton Kershaw in 2014.

Milwaukee Brewers starter Corbin Burnes led the NL in ERA in 2021 en route to his first Cy Young award -- one that was all but locked in for New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom to win after starting the season on an all-time pace. However, an injury ended deGrom's season prematurely and opened the door for Burnes.

The Milwaukee right-hander finds himself in the mix once again and is listed as the favorite through two months of the season. However, as we saw just a year ago, things can change in a hurry, so this race is far from over.

Here are some of the odds to win the NL Cy Young award:

• Corbin Burnes (+450)

• Sandy Alcantara (+450)

• Joe Musgrove (+600)

• Pablo Lopez (+1100)

• Carlos Rodon (+1200)

• Walker Buehler (+2000)

It's no surprise to see the reigning NL Cy Young award winner atop this list as he's off to another strong start in Milwaukee. Along those same lines, Walker Buehler has emerged as an ace over the past couple seasons and it wouldn't be a shock to see him win a Cy Young at some point in his career if he doesn't take home the hardware in 2022. Burnes and Buehler may be the most familiar names among the top six, but that's part of what makes this -- and many other baseball awards -- so tough to predict. Players can seemingly come out of nowhere and turn in dominant seasons.

Carlos Rodon spent the first seven seasons of his career with the White Sox and signed with the Giants as a free agent prior to the 2022 campaign. He's coming off the best season of his career, but many wanted to see if his 2021 campaign was a fluke, or his new standard. We are still early in 2022, but it's looking like Rodon is the real deal. Similar things can be said about Pablo Lopez, who has improved in each of the past three seasons, but is still looking to truly establish himself as elite.

Sandy Alcantara is the biggest surprise of the season so far. He has an ERA below 2 and a WHIP below 1 as we enter June. 

Look a bit further down the board and you'll find even more familiar names like Clayton Kershaw (+5455), Max Scherzer (+5098) and Yu Darvish (+8238). Handicapping the Cy Young isn't easy, but there is certainly value to be had.