Three pitchers stand above the rest in the American League and will continue to jostle for position in Cy Young voting throughout the campaign. Gerrit Cole, Shohei Ohtani, and Shane McClanahan are already rising to the top of the futures board, separating themselves from the pack. The three-horse race will only intensify as the season progresses, meaning now is the time to pick a rider and cruise to the end of the season.
Considering his dominance over the past decade, it’s a surprise that Cole has yet to take home the season-ending hardware as the best pitcher. Nevertheless, we like his chances to break that slump this year.
The New York Yankees’ ace has been sensational to start the campaign. Cole is a perfect 5-0 through six starts, with a sparkling 1.11 ERA and 0.84 walks and hits per inning pitched. More impressively, the five-time All-Star has yet to give up a home run, with AL-best 40.2 innings pitched.
With the rest of his metrics already working in his favor, it’s time for Cole to get his strikeout stuff in order. Cole’s lowest K/9 rate of the last five years is 11.5, and he’s got a career average of 10.5. So far this season, the 32-year-old is striking out 9.7 per nine innings, leaving him well short of career norms. Cole becomes a more formidable candidate as those stats climb toward previous benchmarks.
Cole has finished top ten in Cy Young voting in each of the past five years, failing to earn the year-end honor despite leading the league in noteworthy categories throughout. Still, 2023 is his year, and he should continue to assert himself as the best in the business.
This price will continue to drop, meaning now is the time to buy.
Top 5 AL Cy Young Odds on FanDuel Sportsbook.
| Player | Team | Odds |
| Gerrit Cole | New York Yankees | 320 |
| Shohei Ohtani | Los Angeles Angels | 500 |
| Shane McClanahan | Tampa Bay Rays | 850 |
| Jacob deGrom | Texas Rangers | 1000 |
| Kevin Gausman | Toronto Blue Jays | 1200 |
