Now that the grueling 162-game season has concluded, let's take a look at the top NL Cy Young Award candidates. Below, we'll go through the odds of each candidate, courtesy of Bet MGM.
NL CY Young Odds
Favorite: Sandy Alcantara, Miami Marlins (-10000)
Sandy Alcantra had a fantastic season, and he's the clear-cut favorite to come away with his first Cy Young Award. He finished 14-9 with a 2.28 ERA, 2.99 FIP, and 0.98 WHIP. While the Marlins had a disappointing year, Alcantara was lights out from start to finish, and he has now established himself as one of the best pitchers in the MLB.
Alcantara had been named an All-Star back in 2019, and his last few seasons have been very good, but this year, he took a massive leap.
Not only was Alcantara able to limit baserunners and total runs overall, but he was an absolute workhorse. His 228 2/3 innings led the MLB, and he finished ranked fourth in the NL in strikeouts with 207. It's rare to see pitchers throw as many innings as Alcantara did, and looking at the overall body of work, it's safe to say that he's a sure lock to win NL Cy Young this year.
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Dark Horses
Zac Gallen, Arizona Diamondbacks (+10000)
Zac Gallen entered the season with just 50 career games started over three seasons, but in his first actual full year, he was able to dominate. He finished with a 12-4 record, 2.54 ERA, and a league leading 0.91 WHIP. Gallen wasn't even named an All-Star, but he put the league on notice in the second half. Following the All-Star break, he posted a 1.49 ERA and 0.74 WHIP as he was virtually unhittable.
Gallen, like Alcantara, didn't see his team have much success this year, but his performances show that he could be in the running for future Cy Youngs. He also led when it came to allowing the fewest hits per nine innings, and next year he'll be out to prove that this season wasn't a fluke.
Julio Urias, Los Angeles Dodgers (+10000)
Julio Urias is part of arguably the best rotation in baseball, and this year he was able to build on his incredible season from last year. In 2021, Urias led the league in wins with 20, and this year, he recorded 17, which was the second-best mark in the NL. His ERA, though, was amazing as he finished with a 2.16 mark, which led all NL pitchers. While he'll likely place third when the voting results are announced, look for Urias to play a major role in the Dodgers' upcoming postseason run.
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The Rest:
Max Fried, Aaron Nola, Corbin Burnes, Kyle Wright, Max Scherzer, Edwin Diaz (Each at +50000)
All of these pitchers had great seasons, including last year's winner Corbin Burnes, but their numbers simply didn't stack up to the players listed earlier in this article. If Alcantara isn't announced as the winner, it'll be a shock, so everyone else listed is merely an honorable mention.
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