Is there still room to bet the best National League Cy Young candidate before he takes over as the favorite?
Chris Sale has put together the most complete resume of any NL pitcher this season, slowly climbing the odds board, sitting second now following another glistening start from the left hander on Wednesday.
Sale pitched six innings of two hit baseball, allowing only one earned run with nine strikeouts against the Giants as he continued to extend his lead in FanGraph’s WAR metric and bolster his stat profile.
Sale is right behind Zack Wheeler on the odds board and separating from the likes of Tyler Glasnow, Ranger Suarez and his teammate Max Fried. Is it a matter of time before Sale becomes the favorite?
First, here are the updated NL Cy Young odds from FanDuel Sportsbook
2024 NL Cy Young OddsZack Wheeler: +180Chris Sale: +270Tyler Glasnow: +700Ranger Suarez: +750Max Fried: +850Reynaldo Lopez: +2500Sonny Gray: +3000Logan Webb: +3500Cristopher Sanchez: +4500Aaron Nola: +4800Chris Sale Gaining Ground in NL Cy Young Race
Sale has had a resurgent season with good health after being traded to the Braves this past offseason, ranking inside the NL top three in key metrics such as WHIP (1st), FIP (1st), WAR (1st), strikeouts (3rd) and ERA (3rd).
The left hander has been pitching at an elite level all season and oddsmakers are starting to note with his odds drawing closer to Wheeler.
Wheeler has been a contender for the award for the last several years, but his numbers pales in comparison to Sale. While still elite, the numbers don’t match the eyes. Wheeler ranks fifth in WAR WHIP, ninth in FIP, 10th in strikeouts and fourth in ERA.
Glasnow leads the National League in strikeouts while Suarez holds the lead in ERA among NL pitchers, but the two don’t have the complete candidacy that Sale has put together to date.