Cy Young Races Already Starting to Move Early in the Season

It’s still early, but this is usually when the Cy Young board starts to shuffle a bit. Not completely, just enough where you notice a few names creeping up and a couple slipping back. A week ago, things looked one way. Now it’s already a little different, especially in the American League.

Tarik Skubal (+210) of the Tigers is still sitting at the top in the AL, and nothing that’s happened so far has really changed that. He’s coming off back-to-back Cy Young wins, and through his first few starts, it looks about the same as what people expected. Strikeouts are there, walks are low, and hitters aren’t doing much damage. Earlier odds had him right around +200, so this isn’t some big shift. It’s more that nobody has done enough to move him.

The interesting part is what’s happening behind him.

Jose Soriano (+600) with the Angels has jumped up pretty quickly. He wasn’t sitting here to start the season — more like +800 — and now he’s right in that second group. It’s been a clean start for him. Not a lot of extra traffic on the bases, working deeper into games, just getting outs without much trouble. That’s usually enough early on to move a number.

Cam Schlittler (+600) of the Yankees is in that same spot, and that one stands out a little more. He wasn’t near this range when things opened. Now he is, mostly because hitters haven’t been comfortable against him so far. Strikeouts help, but it’s more than that — he’s been in control of counts, and that shows up quickly.

After those three, it spreads out a bit. Max Fried (+750) of the Yankees is still right there, which isn’t surprising. He doesn’t really need a huge stretch to stay in the mix — just steady outings. Dylan Cease (+950) of the Padres has moved up from where he started, and with him, it’s always going to come down to strikeouts. If those stay high, he’s going to hang around this part of the board.

The National League looks a little tighter, at least near the top.

Paul Skenes (+180 at BetOnline) of the Pirates is still leading, and that hasn’t changed either. He had that dominant season last year, and he’s picked up right where he left off. The odds dropping from +260 to his current +180 tells you how strong that start has been. It doesn’t take long for the market to react when it’s that clear.

Behind him, there’s more of a group than a clear second name.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto (+450 at BetUS) of the Dodgers is right there and probably benefits from the team he’s on as much as anything. Wins still matter, even if they don’t carry the same weight they used to. Chris Sale (+700) of the Braves has worked his way back into the mix, and Cristopher Sanchez (+750) of the Phillies is still hanging around after performing well last season.

Shohei Ohtani (+850) of the Dodgers is the one people keep watching, and that’s not going to change. His number has come down a bit from earlier, and if he keeps building innings, he’s going to stay in this range. There’s just more attention on him than most pitchers in this race, so every start gets noticed.

That’s really what stands out right now. The favorites haven’t changed, but the space behind them already has. And this early, that’s usually how it goes.

Give it a few more weeks, and this board will probably look different again.