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2018 AL Cy Young Winner Blake Snell Listed at 16-1 to Repeat

Robert Duff

by Robert Duff in MLB Baseball

Updated Apr 2, 2020 · 3:32 PM PDT

Blake Snell
Tampa Bay Rays Cy Young award winner Blake Snell will face Houston Astros' ace Justin Verlander on Opening Day in what should be a low-scoring game. Photo by Mark LoMoglio/Icon Sportswire.
  • Tampa Bay pitcher Blake Snell is fifth in the odds to win the 2019 AL Cy Young Award at +1600
  • Snell won the AL Cy Young last season
  • No pitcher has won back-to-back AL Cy Young Awards since Pedro Martinez in 1999-2000

When it comes to the 2019 American League Cy Young Award, the odds of Blake Snell turning two are long indeed.

Online sportsbooks list the Tampa Bay Rays southpaw at odds of +1600 to repeat his Cy Young Award-winning performance in 2019.

2019 AL Cy Young Award Odds

Pitcher  2019 AL Cy Young Award Odds
Corey Kluber +250
Chris Sale +325
Luis Severino +600
Justin Verlander +1400
Blake Snell +1600
Carlos Carrasco +1600
Gerrit Cole +1600
David Price +2000
Trevor Bauer +2000
James Paxton +2200

*All odds taken 03/07/2019. Follow link for complete list.

Just four pitchers have won back-to-back AL Cy Young Awards since it was first presented in 1967.

There’s Plenty of Contenders

Including Snell, three of the top five with the best odds to win the 2019 AL Cy Young Award are pitchers who’ve been there and done that. Cleveland Indians pitcher Corey Kluber is the chalk to claim the honor, as he’s previously done in 2014 and 2017. Fourth betting choice Justin Verlander was the AL Cy Young Award winner in 2011.

In total, there are seven active AL pitchers who already have their name on the award: Rick Porcello of the Boston Red Sox (2016), Porcello’s BoSox teammate David Price (2012), Felix Hernandez (2010) of the Seattle Mariners, and CC Sabathia of the New York Yankees (2007).

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An Ominous Start for Snell

Snell was 21-5 with a 1.89 earned-run average and 221 strikeouts last season, but his 2019 spring training debut was very un-Cy Young like. He was lit up and chased in the first inning by the University of South Florida.

Snell allowed two runs on two hits, a walk and a hit batsman. Just 15 of his 29 pitches were strikes.

Just like one-hit wonders in the music industry, there can be one-hill wonders in the Cy Young department as well.

Consider the curious case of Porcello. He was 22-4 in his Cy Young season. Then in 2017, he suffered a career-high 17 losses and surrendered an MLB-worst 38 home runs.

Not that we’re suggesting this fate is what awaits Snell.

The Rays certainly aren’t panicking over a flubbed preseason outing against inferior opposition. Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash already pegged Snell as his opening-day starter.

Two in a Row is Rarely How it Goes

You can count the pitchers who’ve won consecutive AL Cy Young Awards on one hand. It’s only been done four times by three pitchers.

Pedro Martinez achieved this feat most recently in 1999-2000. Roger Clemens (1997-98, 1986-87) turned it twice. Jim Palmer did it in 1974-75, and that’s it.

Snell could have very good season and not even come close to getting a sniff at the Cy Young.

Our advice would be to put your money on Corey Kluber. It’s hard to look past a guy who’s averaged 18.6 wins over the past three seasons. You know he’ll rack up plenty of W’s against those inferior AL Central clubs.

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