NL Cy Young race: How MLB season so far has impacted odds

We are a month and a half into the MLB season. Every two weeks, we here at DK Nation provide an update on the movement of the odds for individual player awards. In this article, we will focus on the odds for the NL Cy Young Award courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook. When the season started, Sandy Alcantara lead the pack at +450 to win the award, but things have changed only six weeks into the season.

Updated NL Cy Young odds as of 5/16

Zac Gallen +175 Spencer Strider +240 Clayton Kershaw +1000
Julio Urias +1800 Mitch Keller +2200 Zack Wheeler +2500
Justin Steele +2500 Dustin May +3000 Corbin Burnes +4000
Freddy Peralta +4000 Jesus Luzardo +4000 Justin Verlander +4500

NL Cy Young race: Takeaways and best bets

Zac Gallen (+175)

The Arizona Diamondbacks ace is off to a stellar start in 2023. He has amassed a 6-1 record with a 2.35 ERA through nine appearances. Gallen has punched out 70 batters in 57.1 innings while only walking eight. Last year’s winner was Alcantara, who finished with a 14-9 record and a 2.28 ERA. Gallen is well on his way to a Cy Young campaign and heads into the second half of May with the best odds of winning the award.

Spencer Strider (+240)

Strider has cemented himself as the next ace of the Atlanta Braves. The 24-year-old has made eight starts so far this season and has tallied a 4-1 record and a 2.51 ERA. His fastball has been tough for opponents to deal with, and he has struck out 79 hitters in just 46.2 innings of work. Strider has a 0.92 WHIP and 1.5 WAR so far this season.