Tyler Glasnow becoming interesting play in AL Cy Young market

New York: It’s the pitching capital of Major League Baseball right now. While Jacob deGrom dominates in the NL, New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole has been worth every penny in the AL. He has taken an early lead in the Cy Young race in the junior circuit, but there are a couple of worthy candidates not too far behind.

Let’s dive into these AL Cy Young odds from DraftKings Sportsbook and highlight where the value lies.

Cole, the AL Pitcher of the Month for April, has moved from +350 to +160. Even that looks like a value considering how Cole has overpowered the opposition. He has recorded double-digit strikeouts in each of his last three starts. He has four starts with 10+ K’s and zero walks already, which matches a franchise record. And lest I remind you what franchise we’re talking about here. On the year, he has 62 strikeouts, three walks and the best FIP in baseball (0.48). He’s not on deGrom’s level, but he’s pretty close through one month.

Cleveland Indians SP Shane Bieber has been nudged from +400 to +350, giving him the second-shortest odds on the board. Bieber entered Tuesday with an MLB-high 68 strikeouts. But Bieber’s own past success hurts his 2021 Cy Young case. Whatever he does this year will be compared to his 2020 campaign when he did take home the award thanks to his 1.63 ERA and 122 K’s in 77.1 innings. It’s unfair to ask any pitcher to repeat those kinds of stats, but Cy Young voters will judge Bieber against that daunting backdrop at the end of this season.

My favorite non-Cole pick is the Tampa Bay Rays ace Tyler Glasnow, who is also my favorite AL starting pitcher to watch right now. His fastball-slider-curve mix is so nasty, and opposing hitters have a .143 batting average against those pitches this year. Only Bieber has more strikeouts than Glasnow’s 64. His walk rate isn’t quite Cy Young-caliber, but otherwise, Glasnow has everything you need to win this award. Unfortunately, Cole is in his way. But if you don’t want to take the chalk pick, Glasnow is the best option.

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