The National League Cy Young chase is heating up. At about the halfway point of the season, there are a few players who stand above others on the quest to take home hardware.
Pittsburgh Pirates starter Paul Skenes is currently the favorite according to the oddsmakers. He’s listed at -145 on FanDuel Sportsbook. Trailing him narrowly is Philadelphia Phillies righty Zack Wheeler. The Phillies also have left-hander Cristopher Sanchez with an outside shot to win. San Francisco Giants sinker-baller Logan Webb is tied with Sanchez in odds at +1600.
Skenes leads the group in ERA at 2.03, though trails in other key categories. Webb has the edge in innings; however, he has made one more start than Skenes. The Giants’ righty also leads the league in Fielding Independent Pitching, a metric valued by many voters. Wheeler leads the pack in strikeouts with an absurd 32.9% strikeout rate.
The Pirates’ ace also has the worst pitching record of any of the candidates, although voters appear to be willing to ignore wins and focus on other metrics.
Skenes’ odds had dropped as low -375 at one point in June. A string of short starts has closed the gap, but Skenes hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down. His fastball velocity has held strong, and he’s still striking out hitters at a high rate. Some poor batted ball luck has led to fewer innings, but he’s still on track to win the award.
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The Pirates haven’t had a pitcher win the Cy Young since Doug Draber in 1990. Vern Law also won the award in 1960.
Skenes and Wheeler are both scheduled to start on Sunday. An excellent outing or blow-up start by either could shift the odds in one way or another.
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