Darvish’s 2019 NL Cy Young Odds Go from +6600 to +3300 after Promising Spring

• Jacob deGrom won the 2018 NL Cy Young
• Yu Darvish was injured much of his first season with the Chicago Cubs
• Darvish has been great in spring training but could miss the start of the year due to a nagging blister

Though it’s coming a year later than Cubs fans had hoped, Yu Darvish has been awesome this spring. His ERA is down and his K/9 is up, but a nagging blister could put the beginning of his year in jeopardy.

Despite the potential for missed time, Darvish has still seen his odds to win the NL Cy Young go from +6600 to start the spring all the way up to +3300.

2019 NL Cy Young Odds

There’s no doubting Darvish is a talented pitcher.  He was good enough to earn a six-year, $126 million contract from the Cubs only a year ago. The issue is that he followed up inking that huge deal by starting only eight games and winning just once.

Cubs starter Yu Darvish left a split-squad game against the Mariners because of an apparent injury on his right pitching hand.https://t.co/QMiw78EJFt via @MDGonzales pic.twitter.com/yomIwZeVCJ

— Chicago Tribune Sports (@ChicagoSports) March 19, 2019

Despite the value and the great spring, it’s tough for me to see a pitcher coming off a 40-inning, 4.95-ERA season as a solid bet, especially in a National League field this deep.

That said, there is a definite value play on the list above.

Aaron Nola is the Best Value Play

Aaron Nola arrived on the scene as a legitimate Cy Young contender last season, posting a 17-6 record, 224 strikeouts, 2.37 ERA, and 0.97 WHIP.  Those numbers are absolutely lights out and led Nola to a 3rd-place finish for the award last year.

The two pitchers who finished ahead of him were the winner, Jacob deGrom, and Max Scherzer, a three-time winner himself.

The important thing to notice here is, those pitchers are getting only +250 and +400, whereas Nola is being treated like a longshot at +900.

Justin Verlander just had arguably the best year of his career at age 35. Meanwhile, Aaron Nola broke out at age 25.

Who's the better fantasy ace this season? @MBeller and @kaelenjones debate https://t.co/LsTRg00PeU

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) March 13, 2019

Darvish clearly has the baseball world’s attention, as you can see from his line moving so drastically, but don’t be distracted by a lottery ticket here. Nola at +900 is incredible value in what’s likely to be a three-horse race with the same two players he hunted down all of last season.

Phillies Won’t Go Under The Radar In 2019

One other major reason why I love Nola in 2019 is the Philadelphia Phillies will permanently be stealing headlines.  After the mega-signing of Bryce Harper, every single game they play will be on the highlight shows; they’ve already been featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s season preview.

You have a young, dominant, ace who will be in the spotlight all year long.  Most of last year, Nola was only considered a star by fantasy owners and die-hard baseball junkies. This season, he’ll establish himself as a household name.

They hit Bryce, Bryce hit back. #RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/JCD6YKMOeh

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) March 21, 2019

Harper may have brought the attention to the Phillies, but it shouldn’t take long for Nola to steal a large amount of that spotlight.  With the team much improved, Philadelphia also has a great chance to make the playoffs, which only bolster his Cy Young case.

Last season, 90% of Cy Young voters had Nola in their top three.  In 2019, expect much of the same, but with a lot more voters putting him first on their ballots.

PICK: NOLA (+900)