Lance Lynn Charges into Top 3 in AL Cy Young Odds After Picking Up MLB-Best 11th Win
- Lance Lynn has 11 wins at the All-Star break which ranks first in the American League
- Justin Verlander is 10-4 with a 2.98 ERA and is looking to win the 2nd AL Cy Young Award of his career
- Verlander was named the starter for the AL team in the 2019 All-Star Game based on his first half performance
The AL Cy Young Odds don’t lie and it certainly seems like the American League race is down to five contenders.
Odds to Win 2019 American League Cy Young
| Pitcher | Odds |
|---|---|
| Justin Verlander | +150 |
| Gerrit Cole | +300 |
| Lance Lynn | +300 |
| Charlie Morton | +400 |
| Mike Minor | +500 |
*Odds taken 07/09/19
Lance Lynn has firmly established himself in the tier of candidates thanks to an American League-leading 11 wins, a 3.91 ERA which ranks 18th, and 123 strikeouts, which sits eighth. The tough thing is, Lynn is still an underdog candidate that is no longer paying like an underdog. With the value all but drained from the Texas Rangers righty, your focus should sit squarely with Justin Verlander.
"Yeah that hat Lance Lynn is wearing, we will take ALL of them!"#TogetherWe pic.twitter.com/Ik9kYwCmz9
— FOX Sports Southwest (@FOXSportsSW) July 5, 2019
All-Star Game Starter Gunning for 2nd Cy Young
Justin Verlander won the award back in 2011 and is prime position to capture it for the second time in his career. The 36-year-old hurler was named the starter for the AL in the 2019 All-Star Game. He ranks in the top three in wins with 10, ERA with 2.98, and strikeouts with 153. Impressive stats, especially if you believe what he has to say about the juiced baseballs being used this year.
Justin Verlander has some harsh words for Major League Baseball. ? https://t.co/kT0L9HiyNx pic.twitter.com/5IArdWBoyO
— theScore (@theScore) July 8, 2019
Name value isn’t everything, but it certainly helps. Verlander is an eight-time All-Star and when you look at it, the only player at the top of the odds list that would have been a consideration for the award at the beginning of the year. If Verlander can continue racking up wins, it would take a performance from Cole, Lynn, Morton or Minor that I’m not sure any of them are capable of to steal the award.
Astros Give Verlander Distinct Advantage
Winning matters. Yes, getting the win has been diminished by baseball nerds and analytic types, but a gaudy win total is always useful when it comes to winning the Cy Young award. Verlander and his teammate, Gerrit Cole, have a big time advantage over the other top candidates for the award.
#AllStrosGame photoshoot. ? pic.twitter.com/o6N76zjNiK
— Houston Astros (@astros) July 9, 2019
Lance Lynn and Mike Minor pitch for the Rangers who sit nine games back of the Astros in the AL West. Charlie Morton and the Rays are sporting a 52-39 record which is nice, but it still has them 6.5 games back of the New York Yankees in the AL East. In short, they are pitching for good, not great, teams.
The Final Verdict
I think it will be a two horse race between the Astros teammates in Verlander and Cole. For my money, I’m siding with the proven commodity in Verlander. If there was great value looking in another direction maybe I could be swayed, but since they are all on short odds, I’m sticking with who I think has the best chance to win.
Pick: Justin Verlander (+150)
Ryan has been working at TSN for over eleven years, and is now a lead writer and content producer at That's Hockey. Over the years, he's launched and hosted TSN's first NCAAF podcast, The College Football Show, and been featured on the likes of TSN 1050, Sportscentre, and That's Hockey 2Nite.
