By Stuart Kirsch
NL Cy Young Odds Tracker: deGrom Will Need Offensive Help for Back-to-Back-to-Back Cys
Jacob DeGrom was a ninth-round pick out of high school who was awarded the 2014 NL Rookie of the Year award as the best in a rather weak class. Sonny Gray was a first-round pick out of Vanderbilt who grew to stardom on some awful Oakland teams. By 2015, they were both All-Stars and Cy Young contenders.
Gray became the next in a long line of A’s emerging stars to leave and sign big contracts with teams who paid handsomely. deGrom still wears blue and orange pinstripes and has two Cy Youngs and an NL Pennant in his trophy case.
After coming over from the Yankees, Gray is the ace of the Cincinnati staff. He has been the best pitcher in baseball in the early going, sporting a 3-0 record with a stellar 0.96 ERA and 28 strikeouts over 18 plus innings. His 0.70 WHIP and .129 batting average against are both miniscule. Gray’s odds for the 2020 NL Cy Young award are +2300 and likely falling by the day.
Gray has been fortunate to have terrific run support from the Reds lineup which leads the league in homers. But Gray’s two victories are the squad’s only two of the young season.
The Mets, likewise, are running hot and cold behind their rotation-leader. deGrom shined in his Opening Day start against the Braves, surrendering only one hit and one walk over five innings, striking out eight, and leading the team to a 1-0 victory. He pitched well enough in his second start, a two-run six-inning effort against the Red Sox, exiting with a 3-2 lead.
But a blown save in the seventh by the New York bullpen led to a Boston win and a No Decision for deGrom. The reigning two-time Cy Yong winner is 1-0 on the young season with a 2.12 ERA and 22 strikeouts over his 17 innings after fannig 10 against the Braves in their series finale. deGrom’s odds for they Cy Young are +350.
An Unlikely Cubbie Has Fantastic NL Cy Young Odds
Joining Gray at the top of the pitching charts is the unheralded Cubs’ middle rotation starter Tyler Chatwood. Exiled to the bullpen in 2019, he was a workhorse in relief to reclaim his starting role in David Ross’ staff.
The 30-year-old has an identical 2-0 record with a 0.71 ERA to Gray, and has struck out 19 in his 12 plus innings. Chatwood is not on most futures boards for the 2020 NL Cy Young award.
The Early NL Cy Young Odds Favorites
Three-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer was far from dominant in his Opening Day performance against the Yankees, taking the loss while allowing four runs on six hits and four walks in five and a third. He did punch out 11 Pinstripers, and followed that with a 10-strikeout scoreless outing against the Jays.
He took the No Decision as that game remained scoreless until the Nats pushed across four after Max had left. Scherzer finds himself at 0-1 with a 2.84 ERA with 21 Ks and 7 BBs. His odds for the 2020 NL Cy are +600.
Dodger Walker Buehler’s odds are +750, but a poor performance in his outing against the Astros may lengthen his odds. Buehler could not get out of a fourth-inning jam, after already giving up a second-inning bomb to Carlos Correa. The Dodgers eventually put up a crooked number and took home the win. Buehler is 0-1 with a 4.91 ERA.
Jack Flaherty of the Reds, on the other hand, picked up a victory in his initial start against the Pirates. Flaherty, with Cy Young odds at +900, gave up two runs on six hits in seven innings, for a 1-0 start with a 2.57 ERA.
Padres Rising Up the Charts?
The San Diego Padres are an early-season surprise atop the NL West. Two young pitchers in their rotation are a big part of the reason. Both Chris Paddack and Danelson Lamet are 1-0 in their first two starts with ERAs under 2.00, each yielding only two earned runs while striking out double digits in 10 innings plus pitched.
San Diego has not sniffed a Cy Young award since Jake Peavey swept the first place votes for the Friars in 2007. Paddack’s odds for the CY Young are +2700; Lamet’s are +4500.
