By Kenny Burgess Contributor
Updated 8/11/23 2:28pm ET
We’re getting close to the end of the MLB season, but the Cy Young Award in the National League is still very much up for grabs. There are still a handful of candidates that have a serious shot to bring home the award. We’re going to review the top candidates and how their odds have fluctuated throughout the year.
Zac Gallen +200
Zac Gallen of the Arizona Diamondbacks is currently the favorite for the Cy Young and is having a fantastic season. Gallen has a 3.37 ERA and 157 strikeouts, both of which rank top five in the National League.
Gallen didn’t enter the season as a favorite for the award — his odds opened at +1600, which ranked ninth in the National League; however, he started the season extremely well and was the betting favorite at +200 by May. Gallen has been in the top three since then and his odds have been relatively similar since. If he can keep his current pace, Gallen definitely will have a great chance at bringing home his first Cy Young.
Blake Snell +300
Blake Snell has one Cy Young award under his belt and has made a big push at the end of this season to try for his second. Snell currently has the second-best odds at +300, but his odds haven’t always been this short.
Snell started the season poorly and his odds were the longest at the end of June at +14000. Since then, Snell has been one of the most dominant pitchers in the league, and his odds have been progressively shortening.
In his last seven games, Snell has a 1.22 ERA and 50 strikeouts. Overall, Snell has the lowest ERA in the NL at 2.61 and the second-most strikeouts with 164. If he can continue his torrid pace, Snell could end up taking home the award after starting the season with +3500 odds, which ranked 14th in the NL.
Justin Steele +500
Justin Steele has come completely out of nowhere as one of the top candidates to be the best pitcher in the National League. Steele opened the season with most books not even having a line available on him, but now his odds just sit at just +500.
Steele has a sparkling 2.68 ERA, which is second in the league, and has been dominant all season. Just earlier this week, his odds were at +1000, but some other pitchers’ performances mixed with Steele’s recent play have helped his odds.
In his last seven starts, Steele has a 2.79 ERA and has been trending in the right direction. Steele is by no means the favorite, but if he stays consistent down the stretch, he has a shot to win the award.
Other Candidates
Logan Webb and Spencer Strider are the two other pitchers who round out the top five. Webb’s line opened at +4000 before the season, but his odds are down to +700. Webb has a 3.38 ERA, which ranks fifth in the National League, and his odds have been shortening since the middle of July.
Strider has been the favorite for a large portion of the season, but he has been giving up more runs as of late. Strider still leads the National League in strikeouts with 211, but his ERA is at 3.94. His odds currently sit at +750, but his odds got as short as +195 in June, but his high strikeout numbers give him an outside shot if he can be dominant in the final few months of the season.
Photo credit: Google Creative Commons
