AL Cy Young Betting Pick
No single pitcher has better betting odds to win the Cy Young, in either league, than Gerrit Cole. The most popular online sportsbooks have pegged the Yankees’ Cole with a betting line +250 shorter than the next-best pitcher in the American League. Here’s how the AL Cy Young betting odds currently shake out:
| Pitcher |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Gerrit Cole | +450 | +450 |
| Shane Bieber | +700 | +700 |
| Robbie Ray | +950 | +950 |
| Dylan Cease | +1200 | +1200 |
| Lucas Giolito | +1400 | +1400 |
| Justin Verlander | +1500 | +1500 |
| Kevin Gausman | +1800 | +1800 |
| Shohei Ohtani | +1800 | +1800 |
We’re going to have to agree with the top baseball betting sites because Cole absolutely deserves a bet right here. We mean, it’s a little crazy to think he’s yet to win this award. Cole has arguably been the game’s best pitcher over the last four seasons. During that stretch, he’s come up awfully close to winning the Cy Young, finishing runner-up twice, plus fourth- and fifth-place seasons.
Being in the AL East — a division in which four teams won at least 90 games in 2021 — will make or break Cole’s Cy Young chances. Potentially break because, well, there are no gimme games in this division. Toronto has a stacked lineup, Tampa is well-rounded, and Boston is Boston — the Yankees' main rival that eliminated them a year ago in the wildcard round (with Cole on the mound no less). But it’ll also potentially make Cole because if he pitches at an elite level, it’ll mean extra given the stiff competition he’ll be routinely facing.
Our money says that Cole succeeds in the vaunted AL East and for New York, as a whole. Yes, we’re very well aware that Cole faded late in the season a year ago. But let’s not overlook the hamstring injury that affected him during that stretch. Before injuring the hammy, Cole’s ERA was 2.73 ERA, while striking out 215 hitters across 155 innings. That’s runaway Cy Young-winning numbers, folks.
One more factor to consider: playing in the media-crazed New York market, Cole’s on-mound performance is naturally going to be magnified. That goes both ways whether he’s good or bad. So if he pitches like his usual ace self in 2022, Cole will benefit from the “New York bias” when it comes to voting. All things considered, Cole is the right betting choice to make here.
NL Cy Young Betting Pick
Up until a few weeks ago, the Mets’ Jacob deGrom was an overwhelming favorite to win the award in the NL. He was as high as +450, but another injury setback has nosedived his chances to win (sitting now at +1800). With that literal curveball, the NL Cy Young betting options are all over the place. Here are the current favorites:
| Pitcher | | |
|---|---|---|
| Max Scherzer | +600 | +600 |
| Corbin Burnes | +750 | +750 |
| Walker Buehler | +900 | +900 |
| Zack Wheeler | +1000 | +1000 |
| Brandon Woodruff | +1400 | +1400 |
| Carlos Rodon | +1500 | +1500 |
| Jacob deGrom | +1800 | +1800 |
For the first time in a long time, the Dodgers have their fair share of question marks at pitching. Max Scherzer is a goner (and the Cy Young betting favorite with his new team, the Mets). Clayton Kershaw is injury-prone and playing on a one-year contract. However, no questions exist about Buehler, the bonafide ace of, arguably, MLB’s most talented team.
In 2021, Buehler’s output was simply insane. He finished second in the NL in innings pitched with 207.2 while posting a 2.47 ERA — which was 0.04 behind Corbin Burnes (the eventual Cy Young winner that year) and 0.01 behind teammate Scherzer. But get this, Buehler did this despite tossing 41 more innings than Burnes and almost 30 more than Scherzer. You could make the case that Buehler was snubbed in the 2021 voting, which we certainly believed so.
But that was then and this is now: Buehler is only 27 years old and in the prime of his career. We see no reason he can’t build upon a 2021 campaign that included 25 starts with two or fewer runs allowed (seriously, how did this guy finish fourth in the Cy Young voting?). He’s the leading ace on a club that’s going to have the best offensive lineup in baseball. Therefore, wins should be easy to stack up for Buehler.
Buehler checks all the boxes you want out of a Cy Young candidate. Capable of handling a huge workload? Check. Coming off a season with career bests across the board? Sure is, as Buehler posted personal bests in ERA, wins, innings pitched, and starts. Plays for a top-notch team (in a huge media market)? Oh, you betcha! Buehler is the best bet to make in the NL, without question.
How To Bet 2022 MLB Futures?
The betting market for 2022 MLB futures is vast. There are individual awards like the Cy Young or MVP, and there are team awards such as World Series and pennant winners. All of these are bet-able at one of the bookmakers below. On top of huge MLB betting menus, these same bookies offer lucrative sign-up bonuses to new players. See for yourself by clicking around the table features underneath.
