When it comes to Major League Baseball betting, Cy Young odds have become one of the most popular MLB futures betting markets at legal online sportsbooks across the country. The same is true at legal betting apps in North Carolina.
Below, find the latest Cy Young Award odds for both the American and National Leagues, followed by a guide to understanding this betting market and a look at the best NC sportsbooks for Cy Young and other MLB awards betting.
AL Cy Young betting odds
Who are the AL Cy Young odds favorites?
Look at the list just above for the current American League Cy Young odds markets. Top contenders for the AL Cy Young this year include:
- Tarik Skubal
- Corbin Burnes
- Cole Ragans
- Luis Castillo
- Pablo Lopez
NL Cy Young betting odds
Who are the NL Cy Young odds favorites?
See above for the current favorites in the National League Cy Young odds markets. Here’s a quick look at the key names expected to be in the NL Cy Young conversation:
- Zach Wheeler
- Shota Imanaga
- Ranger Suarez
- Tyler Glasnow
- Chris Sale
How MLB Cy Young odds work
Cy Young Award odds for the following season tend to come out just as the previous season is concluding. That means you can bet on who will win the AL and NL Cy Young Awards in the upcoming season anytime from the offseason through to the day the awards are eventually handed out.
The Cy Young betting market asks you to bet on the pitcher you think might win the award at currently posted odds. The Cy Young odds for the NL and AL will definitely fluctuate, based on performance and each pitcher’s perceived chances of winning down the season-long stretch. However, just like other futures markets, you lock in the sportsbook odds for your Cy Young bet when you place it, no matter how much they change later.
This usually means the earlier you get a bet down on one of the favorites to win the award, the better the MLB Cy Young odds will be. As you can see on the odds board above, even the favorites are reasonably priced ahead of opening day.
However, those prices will rise significantly on the true Cy Young Award favorites as the season goes on and certain pitchers start putting up Cy Young-like stats.
Cy Young betting trends
If there’s a secret to picking winners in this year’s Cy Young futures market, it begins with looking at all the past Cy Young Award winners. This will show you that starting pitchers win better than 90% of the time. A reliever might win this year, but only nine relief pitchers have won since 1967. That means it’s never really a good idea to bet on the bullpen.
Legendary closer Dennis Eckersley won the 1992 AL Cy Young by posting an incredible 51 saves and 1.91 ERA. He was also named the 1992 AL MVP. Closer Eric Gagne nabbed the NL Cy Young in 2003, posting an even better 55 saves of 55 in save opportunities. That’s the kind of season it takes for a reliever to win the Cy Young.
Cy Young winners are right-handed pitchers around 70% of the time. Lefty Randy Johnson won four Cy Youngs in a row from 1999-2002, and southpaw Clayton Kershaw won it in 2011, 2013, and 2014. But righties are still the better bet.
Another good bet is that the Cy Young Award winner will win 20 games, since Cy Young winners have averaged that many wins since 1967. However, Sandy Alcantara posted just 14 wins, and Justin Verlander had 18 in winning the awards in 2022. Blake Snell and Gerrit Cole, winners of the award in their league in 2023, won 14 and 15 games, respectively.
You’ll never be too far off base picking a right-handed starter projected to win 20 games to win the Cy Young, particularly if you bet on one early enough to get decent odds.
More MLB futures odds
The Cy Young markets aren’t the only MLB futures available for season-long achievements. Here’s a look at some other MLB betting options.
- Division/Pennant winners
- Team win totals
- Wild Card/Postseason
- World Series winner
- AL/NL MVP, Rookie of the Year, Manager of the Year, Reliever of the Year, Comeback Players of the Year
Cy Young odds in North Carolina
There is no Major League Baseball team in North Carolina, but there are most certainly a ton of MLB fans here.
You might be a diehard Tampa Bay Rays fan if you support the club’s AAA affiliate Durham Bulls. Or if you live in or around Durham, the Washington Nationals might be your team, as Nats games are just a four-and-half-hour drive away.
Of course, Atlanta Braves games are about the same distance from Charlotte, and the Queen City is home to the Chicago White Sox’s AAA affiliate Charlotte Knights. The Braves have a dedicated fan base in NC both because of the proximity of the team and the many years of Atlanta games being available on the WTBS Superstation back in the 1980s.
Either way, North Carolina baseball fans usually support one of these four MLB teams, and for a good reason. These teams are among the most successful in MLB history that are not called the New York Yankees or Los Angeles Dodgers.
That success is evident particularly when it comes to pitching. The Braves (7), Nationals (3), White Sox (3), and Rays (2) have all had at least two pitchers win the Cy Young Award. In fact, the seven Braves Cy Young winners tie the club for the second most by any MLB team behind 12 from the Dodgers.
Cy Young betting FAQ
Baseball Writers’ Association of America members vote on the Cy Young awards. Ballots are cast with voters choosing who they believe is the first, second, third, fourth and fifth place finisher. Points are awarded for each place. The pitcher with the highest score in each league wins. The award is shared in the event of a tie.
San Diego Padres starter Blake Snell won the 2023 NL Cy Young, becoming one of the few pitchers to win the award in both leagues after having won it back in 2018 with the Tampa Bay Rays. New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole won the 2023 AL Cy Young, his first time winning.
Jacob deGrom won the NL Cy Young Award back-to-back in 2018 and 2019. However, the most wins he posted in either season was just 11. He had the lowest ERA in the league in 2018 and led the NL in strikeouts in 2019. However, the low win totals made him a somewhat controversial choice.
Steve Carlton (1972) and Bob Welch (1990) each won 27 games in the years they earned Cy Young honors. That’s the record for wins in a Cy Young-winning season. Then, Eric Gagne posted 55 saves in 55 opportunities in 2003 when he won the Cy Young. It was a perfect season for the closer. When gauging the best Cy Young-winning seasons, it’s hard to argue with perfection.
Let’s talk about the man himself. Cy Young was an MLB pitcher from 1890 through 1911. He still holds the MLB record for wins (511), losses, games started, innings pitched and complete games. Young is in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and a year after he died in 1956, the Cy Young Award was created to honor his legacy.
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