NL Pitchers You Can Back For Cy Young

Baseball’s opening day is just around the corner and that means we need to start breaking down how to bet futures. I’ve already shared my thoughts on the MVP race, and now we turn our attention to the pitchers. The National League has some very exciting arms to talk about so let’s see who we should take in the NL Cy Young race for this year. 

The favorite for the award is one of the best pitchers from last season, Spencer Strider. He was Rookie of the Year from a few seasons ago and now he is already the favorite to win the Cy Young, quite a start to the season. He won 20 games last season, was first in strikeouts, and ninth in WHIP. His ERA was fine at 3.86, but he saw some moments of struggle that you just can’t have if you’re going to win the award. At +550, I understand why he is listed there, but I’m not sure that I can get there with that short of odds. 

Zack Wheeler is the second favorite at +800, and Logan Webb is third at +950. Webb was a finalist last season, but I personally think he is overrated. He had a nice campaign last year with a 3.25 ERA and 194 strikeouts. The ERA is fine, but I actually think he was better in 2022. Wheeler just agreed to an extension with the Phillies and may have a need to prove himself once again. He is clearly an ace for the Phillies, and he was nominated for the award in 2021, but his ERA actually increased quite a bit last year so I’m not sure he is the guy to back this season. 

ATLANTA, GA - JULY 12: Spencer Strider #65 of the Atlanta Braves pitches during the first inning against the New York Mets at Truist Park on July 12, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

Yoshinobu Yamamoto won’t get my money. I’d rather him win it and me not have a share of him than bet on him and it turn out that his pitching doesn’t translate well in Major League Baseball. Very few rookies win the award. I’m not going to risk it. 

Let’s start talking about some of the guys I would consider. I’m a bit of a homer, but Justin Steele was one of the best pitchers in baseball last season and if he replicates or improves that performance, he should garner some consideration. I think at one point he was a top five favorite in the league. He was 16-5 with a 3.06 ERA and 176 strikeouts. Those are really good numbers. Zac Gallen was another guy that I had in consideration and money on last year and I’d consider it again. He’s going to get more attention now that the Diamondbacks lost the World Series last year. What is unique about Gallen is that he produces these insane scoreless streaks. That makes his ERA stand out and shows just how good he can be. At +1200 for Gallen and +1500 for Steele, I think both are good bets. 

A few quick hits for you: I’m not taking Max Fried again, even though I think he is one of the best pitchers in the game. Fried seems to get injured every time I back him so I’ll pass. Tyler Glasnow came over from the Rays and is a strong pitcher, but I think I’ll pass on him until we see how he performs in the big market. Sonny Gray is already injured so don’t back him. The pair of Padres pitchers could be a good bet. Joe Musgrove went 10-3 with a 3.05 ERA last year. He was great in 2022 and 2021, and that clearly carried over into last year. If he gets a full season under his belt we have a good shot with him. Yu Darvish is the other Padre that you should look at. He didn’t have a great year last year, but I think he still has the stuff to get it done at least. Those two are +3500 and +4000, respectively. 

I’ll personally back Steele and Gallen. The other one I think that has a ton of value is Joe Musgrove. 

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