As the 2021 MLB season progresses, we get closer and closer to deciding who’ll the American League Cy Young Award. Even though there’s still more than half of the campaign left to play, that hasn’t stopped BetOnline from releasing early odds. As of June 18, BetOnline has New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole as the current favorite to win the AL Cy Young Award at -200 odds.
Cole signed a nine-year, $324 million contract with the Yankees ahead of the 2020 campaign. He looked pretty good in his first season with his new team, ending up 4th in AL Cy Young voting. However, that wasn’t good enough for Cole. He started the 2021 season with a vengeance and has yet to slow down. Through his first 14 starts of the season, the 30-year-old ace is 8-3 with a 2.31 ERA — the best of his career if he can keep it up.
Cole’s dominant pitching performances have fuelled the Yankees to find success early on in the season. At 36-32, New York is 6.0 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for first in the AL East. Fortunately, the club is just 4.0 games back of the final wild-card spot, meaning the Yankees still have a good shot at making the playoffs. A lot of that will depend on whether or not Cole can continue pitching like an AL CY Young winner down the stretch.
2021 AL Cy Young Award Odds
Odds via BetOnline as of Friday, June 18
- Gerrit Cole (-200)
- Lance Lynn (+500)
- Carlos Rodon (+550)
- Shane Bieber (+900)
- Tyler Glasnow (+1600)
- John Means (+2000)
Lynn Has Second-Best Odds
While he may not be favored like Cole, Lance Lynn has the second-best odds to win the AL Cy Young at +500. The 34-year-old Chicago White Sox pitcher has been playing the best baseball of his career in the 2021 MLB season. He’s started in 12 games for the White Sox so far, pitching to a 7-2 record with a league-leading 1.51 ERA. That’s not even to mention how he’s already struck out 80 batters through 71.2 innings pitched.
Lynn’s performance may come as a surprise to some, however, it looks like he’s had it in him for quite some time. The former All-Star finished 5th in AL Cy Young voting in 2019 before coming in 6th last season. Even if his odds don’t look too favourable right now, he just needs to continue pitching as he has. After all, if Cole slips up at any point, the opportunity will be there for Lynn to take over.
Rodon Rounds Out Top-3
The White Sox have been one of the best teams in baseball this season and currently lead the AL Central with a 43-26 record. However, their success isn’t all because of Lynn’s pitching. Chicago has a second AL Cy Young candidate on its roster in the form of Carlos Rodon. The 28-year-old lefty entered 2021 while coming off a 2020 campaign that saw him record an 8.22 ERA through 7.2 innings pitched. However, he’s put that poor showing behind him and now sits with a 1.89 ERA and 6-2 record.
While Lynn may be getting a bit more attention in the AL Cy Young race, Rodon is right there behind him at +550 odds, according to BetOnline. It’s not every day that you see two candidates on the same roster, so you can bet that the White Sox are savoring the moment. As long as Rodon and Lynn can keep things going, there's no reason why Chicago can’t be a contender once the postseason arrives.
