By Larry Rupp
Don’t look now, but the 2022 MLB season is going to be here sooner than you know it. Opening Day is on March 31 and teams are starting to fill out their rosters in an attempt to win a World Series title. Of course, one roster will contain the eventual National League Cy Young winner.
Let’s take a look at the top three candidates to take home the honors, with all odds according to DraftKings Sportsbook.
Jacob deGrom, New York Mets (+450)
The NL is full of talented pitchers, but no one truly compares to New York Mets’ ace Jacob deGrom when he is firing on all cylinders. The two-time Cy Young winner was on pace for a career year in 2021 before suffering an elbow injury that forced him to sit in the dugout instead. Overall, deGrom posted an impressive 1.08 ERA through 15 starts and tallied 146 strikeouts as well.
What’s dangerous about deGrom this upcoming season is the fact that the only thing holding him back lately is his health. The Mets are realistically guaranteed a quality start from him every time he takes the mound. deGrom has had more than enough time to return to full health and has finished with an ERA under 2.50 in each of the last four seasons. The 33-year-old’s dependability is a tier above the rest. His low odds shouldn’t come as a major shock here.
Jacob deGrom, 100mph Painted Fastball and 93mph Slider, Individual Pitches + Overlay. pic.twitter.com/ErW6uA0LRh
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) January 29, 2022
Corbin Burnes, Milwaukee Brewers (+800)
The NL Cy Young battle last season came down to the wire and ended with one of the closest votes in MLB history. It was Milwaukee Brewers’ Corbin Burnes that came out on top, though. The 27-year-old was once considered to only be a middle reliever, but has jumped to the top of the rotation in a dominant way. He finished the 2021 season with a 11-5 record and led the league with a 2.43 ERA mark. Burnes also logged 234 strikeouts compared to just 34 walks.
It’s not crazy to think that Burnes hasn’t even reached his full potential yet. He only has 41 starts to his name and is still finding out how to pitch to batters the second and third time through the order. Milwaukee is starting to build a stronger lineup and Burnes would really benefit from having more run support behind him. A repeat could be in the cards here.
CROWN HIM!
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) November 17, 2021
Corbin Burnes is your 2021 NL #CyYoung winner! He's the third Cy Young winner in franchise history.@Burnes16 | #ThisIsMyCrew pic.twitter.com/tnzw8waR4Q
Max Scherzer, New York Mets (+800)
It didn’t take long for Max Scherzer to find a new home in free agency as he signed a huge three-year deal worth $130 million with the New York Mets in late November. He is set to join deGrom and create the scariest one-two punch in baseball. Scherzer has no shortage of accolades, earning eight all-star bids and winning three Cy Young awards in his 14-year career. He is showing no signs of slowing down, either.
In fact, Scherzer finished with the best ERA of his career in 2021 (2.46 across 30 starts) and led the league with a 0.864 WHIP. He now gets to stay in an NL East division that he has a ton of experience pitching in, which should be seen as a major advantage. Scherzer is used to playing under the bright lights and should feed off a raucous Mets crowd. He is in the perfect situation to thrive.
Max Scherzer has 103 10-strikeout games in his career.
— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) August 27, 2021
5th most all-time. pic.twitter.com/4i9wpr3EQV
The rest of the top 10 players include Walker Buehler (+800), Zack Wheeler (+900), Brandon Woodruff (+900), Aaron Nola (+1200), Max Fried (+1200), Logan Webb (+1500) and Jack Flaherty (+1800).
Picture Credit: Wikimedia
