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The 2021 MLB season will begin on Thursday afternoon, and 15 games will take place on opening day. Opening day will feature some of the league’s top arms, and baseball fans will get to see three of the top five candidates for the National League’s Cy Young Award on the mound. Let’s go over who’s garnering the most attention from the public on DraftKings Sportsbook.
The New York Mets’ Jacob DeGrom is favored to win his third NL Cy Young Award at +400 and commands an overwhelming amount of the handle and tickets. The public has placed 60% of the money and 31% of the total bets on the 32-year-old right-hander. He’ll have plenty of competition this season, though. Chicago Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks (+6600) is garnering interest as the public’s favorite longshot with 6% of the handle and 9% of the tickets. The St. Louis Cardinals’ Jack Flaherty (+1500) could also be in the mix and command 5% of the handle, alongside the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Walker Buehler (+1000). The San Diego Padres’ Yu Darvish (+1200) isn't far behind with 4% of the handle and 5% of the tickets, but there’s a ton of other talented players capable of making a run.
Here’s the full breakdown of who the public backed the most ahead of the season.
NL Cy Young Betting Splits
| Handle Rank | Team | Odds | % of Handle | % of Bets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Handle Rank | Team | Odds | % of Handle | % of Bets |
| 1 | Jacob deGrom | +425 | 60% | 31% |
| 2 | Kyle Hendricks | +6600 | 6% | 9% |
| 3 | Jack Flaherty | +1500 | 5% | 6% |
| 4 | Walker Buehler | +1000 | 5% | 9% |
| 5 | Yu Darvish | +1200 | 4% | 5% |
| 6 | Corbin Burnes | +4000 | 4% | 6% |
| 7 | Brandon Woodruff | +2200 | 3% | 4% |
| 8 | Zac Gallen | +5000 | 2% | 2% |
| 9 | Aaron Nola | +1200 | 1% | 3% |
| 10 | Trevor Bauer | +700 | 1% | 5% |
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