- Who do you put money on in the 2022 American League Cy Young race? It is basically between Dylan Cease and Justin Verlander.
- Both pitchers have been sensational, and what’s more amazing is that the veteran, Verlander, has a terrific shot at being named the AL MVP.
- These are the two clear frontrunners for the American League Cy Young Award, and the odds aren’t even remotely close to the third choice in this list (Shane McClanahan and Framber Valdez at +6600).
The 2022 MLB season is approaching the best time of the year: Playoffs. With that, awards will be handed out, and the American League Cy Young race is one of the most interesting ones of them all.
AL CY Young Odds 2022
At the beginning of the season, Shohei Ohtani, Gerritt Cole, and Shane Beiber were a couple of trendy picks for the AL Cy Young. However, right now it looks as if the award will go to one of Dylan Cease or Justin Verlander. Let’s examine their odds and see who has the best shot to take home the prestigious award.
Dylan Cease: +1000
The Chicago White Sox hurler has been nothing short of sensational this year. Even with Tony LaRussa causing a headache for White Sox fans, Cease has been steady with a 2.06 ERA and a 14-7 record while striking out 222 batters, just four shy of his career mark from 2021.
Surprisingly, Cease wasn’t named to the AL All-Star in a massive overlook, and he has allowed a grand total of 19 earned runs in his last 22 starts combined. Those are unworldly numbers, and it’s unfortunate that the White Sox are out of the playoff race and ruining a masterful campaign from Cease.
Since May 29, he has a 1.29 ERA. Let that sink in.
Justin Verlander (-1600)
As good as Dylan Cease has been this year, it would be surprising if the veteran Justin Verlander doesn’t win the award.
The 39-year-old right hander has been magnificent once again for the Houston Astros, and it helps that Houston has the best record in the American League and are just a few wins behind the Los Angeles Dodgers for the MLB mark.
Verlander underwent Tommy John Surgery in 2020 and then missed the entire 2021 season, so that makes this even more remarkable. In 2022, Verlander leads the the MLB in ERA (1.82) and leads the AL in wins (17) and has walked only 27 batters all year long.
While Tommy John Surgery usually makes it difficult for pitchers to return to a high level, Verlander has put up career numbers, and done it all just before turning 40.
The comeback story is one thing, but Verlander winning the AL Cy Young after pitching just one game in two years has to be one of the most amazing recoveries of all time. The best part of it all is that we might see Verlander hurl some massive innings in the postseason, especially with the Astros on a crash course in what should be a deep run in the playoffs.
At -1600 odds, Verlander should be a lock to win the 2022 AL Cy Young award.
Remaining 2022 AL Cy Young Options:
- Framber Valdez +6600
- Shane McClanahan +6600
- Alek Manoah +50000
- Shohei Ohtani +50000
With awards such as these, it is very rare that somebody outside of the top two or three options wins it, so don’t think about making a long shot bet here. Cease and Verlander’s odds are far above the other options, and Verlander seems to be the clear-cut choice to win the hardware at -1600 odds.