As the 2021 MLB season approaches its halfway point, baseball fans are already focusing on the individual awards. That includes the National League Cy Young Award. Even though competition for the award has been tight in the past, this year’s race is more of a one-man show. New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom is, by far, BetOnline’s favorite to win the NL Cy Young Award at -450 odds.
The fact is that it’s been a long time since the MLB has seen a pitching performance like the one deGrom is putting on in 2021. Through 13 starts as of July 1, the two-time NL Cy Young winner is 7-2 with a mind-blowing 0.69 ERA. That’s not even to mention how he’s also struck out 122 batters through 78.0 innings pitched and has only surrendered 3 home runs on the year. Needless to say, it would take an astronomical collapse in the second half of the season for deGrom to stop being the award favorite.
There’s also some historical significance behind a potential NL Cy Young win. He would become the 11th pitcher of all time to win the award, joining some of the best pitchers of all time.
2021 NL Cy Young Odds
Odds via BetOnline as of Thursday, July 1
- Jacob deGrom (-450)
- Brandon Woodruff (+700)
- Kevin Gausman (+900)
- Corbin Burnes (+1600)
- Yu Darvish (+2200)
- Zack Wheeler (+2200)
- Max Scherzer (+2800)
Full odds list available at BetOnline.ag.
Can Woodruff Pull Off the Upset?
Even though his NL Cy Young odds sit at +700, that doesn’t change the fact that Milwaukee Brewers righty Brandon Woodruff has the second-best odds to win the award. While he was an all-star back in 2019, Woodruff has never been in the Cy Young conversation. Not until this season, at least. The 28-year-old has pitched to a 7-3 record with a 1.87 ERA through 16 starts this season. Nobody in the MLB has a better walks and hits per innings pitched rating than Woodruff, who sits at .782.
It’s also important to keep in mind that Woodruff’s efforts have helped the Brewers to a 48-33 record as of July 1. That’s good for first place in the NL Central by a six-game margin. It’s going to be difficult for Woodruff to catch deGrom in the NL Cy Young race, however, he’s on the right path to helping Milwaukee return to the playoffs for the fourth season in a row — something the club has never done before.
Gausman Having a Career Year
At +900 odds, veteran pitcher Kevin Gausman has the third-best odds to be awarded NL Cy Young honors this season. The 30-year-old righty has been a stud for the San Francisco Giants this year, pitching to an 8-2 record and a career-best 1.68 ERA. Considering how deGrom is the only pitcher in the MLB with an ERA better than Gausman’s, which shows you just how impressive of a season the latter is having.
Like the other top candidates, Gausman’s pitching has helped the Giants achieve a 50-29 record as they lead the NL West division. It’ll be interesting to see if Gausman can sustain his production throughout the rest of the season, but he hasn’t shown any signs of falling off any time soon. As long as the Giants continue to dominate and give Gausman all of the confidence he needs to succeed, there’s no reason why he can’t make the NL Cy Young race a little bit more interesting as the 2021 MLB season continues.
