AL Cy Young Odds Rankings: Cole Bet Down, Castillo Rising

The American League is littered with great pitchers, with some new faces joining as potential candidates to win the MLB’s AL Cy Young.

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1. Gerrit Cole -210 (Last week: -155)

Gerrit Cole has re-established himself as a favorite to bring home his first career Cy Young Award. The Yankees ace has continued to be a top-of-the-rotation arm, and his elite tendencies are prevalent whenever he takes the bump. 

Cole has been consistently impressive for the Yankees and is coming off another incredible outing against the Tampa Bay Rays. The powerful righty struck out eleven batters and improved to 11-4 on the campaign, to go along with a 2.95 ERA and 181 strikeouts. With another great start, Cole had some more juice added to his odds, getting bet down from -155 to -21o.

Last Start: August 25 @ Tampa Bay Rays (7 2/3IP, 3H, 1ER, 11SO) 

Next Start: August 30 @ Detroit Tigers 

Ever since the Seattle Mariners acquired right-hander Luis Castillo from the Cincinnati Reds at the 2022 MLB trade deadline, he’s delivered as a legitimate ace for the club. Castillo gives the Mariners a headliner in a rotation that was looking for one and proved remarkably valuable again in 2023. 

Castillo has continued to see his odds of winning the AL Cy Young rise after putting together another elite start against the Kansas City Royals. Castillo threw seven one-hit innings and struck out six, registering his eleventh victory of the year. In addition, the former Red has a 3.01 ERA over 27 starts and has struck out 181. Castillo has seen his odds rise from +350 to +300 after another positive week. 

Last Start: August 27 vs. Kansas City Royals (7IP, 1H, 0ER, 6SO) 

Next Start: September 2 @ New York Mets 

The Toronto Blue Jays entered the regular season with a strong rotation, and a significant reason for that is the consistency of Kevin Gausman. He’s been doing an excellent job of holding the Blue Jays staff together. 

Gausman has been superb since signing with Toronto last year. One might even argue he’s been a bargain. The righty has posted a 10-8 record over 26 starts, paired with a 3.30 ERA and 202 punchouts. Gausman did manage to pick up the win his last time out against the Washington Nationals but was hardly perfect, causing his odds of winning the AL Cy Young to double from +350 to +700. 

Last Start: August 28 vs. Washington Nationals (5IP, 7H, 3ER, 7SO) 

Next Start: September 3 @ Colorado Rockies 

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4. George Kirby +2300 (Last week: +2000)

One thing that’s been very obvious about the Seattle Mariners in 2023 is that they have an elite pitching staff. George Kirby joins his teammate Luis Castillo in the top five odds to win the American League Cy Young after continuing to put up quality starts with his high-end pitch mix. 

Kirby has inserted himself into the AL CY Young discussion and is coming off a no-decision against the Chicago White Sox, where he stuck out nine. Kirby has registered a 10-8 record over 25 starts, paired with a 3.28 ERA and 142 strikeouts. Over the last week, Kirby has seen his AL Cy Young odds drop from +2000 to +2300. 

Last Start: August 23 @ Chicago White Sox (5 2/3IP, 8H, 3ER, 9SO)

Next Start: August 29 vs. Oakland Athletics 

5. Framber Valdez +3000 (Last week: Unranked in Top Five)

The Houston Astros left-hander has become a prominent figure in the American League Cy Young picture over the past few years. Framber Valdez headlines the Astros rotation and has the stuff to be considered one of the league’s top starters. Not only has his record proved that over the years, but his pitch mix is high-end. 

Valdez had found himself outside the AL Cy Young race looking in over the last week, but throwing a gem against the Detroit Tigers brought him back into the mix. The Dominican hurler threw seven no-hit innings and struck out six batters, yet was still left with a no-decision. Valdez has re-entered the conversation to win the AL Cy Young at +3000 but is considered a longshot. 

Last Start: August 25 @ Detroit Tigers (7IP, 0H, 0ER, 6SO) 

Next Start: September 1 vs. New York Yankees

Top 5 AL Cy Young Odds on FanDuel Sportsbook. 

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