The second half of the 2021 MLB season is in full swing, which means we’re getting that much closer to crowning the individual award winners. That includes the AL Cy Young race, which has been pretty close throughout the season. BetOnline has recently updated their odds surrounding the trophy, which now favor Chicago White Sox right-handed pitcher Lance Lynn at -150.
The Texas Rangers traded Lynn to the White Sox back in December 2020 and the deal has looked fantastic for Chicago ever since. The two-time MLB All-Star has started in 19 games this season, pitching to a 10-3 record with an American League-leading 2.07 ERA and a 1.049 WHIP. That’s not even to mention how Lynn also leads the MLB with a 6.7 hits per 9 innings pitched (IP) rating. There’s also the fact that he hasn’t registered a loss since June 19, so it’s clear that any time Lance pitches, the White Sox have a shot at winning. In other words, it’s no surprise seeing him as the AL Cy Young favorite.
While Lynn’s pitching is impressive on its own, his performance has helped the White Sox earn a 63-45 record on the year — good for first place in the AL Central. Assuming things stay that way and the 34-year-old’s pitching doesn’t fall enough, it’s hard not seeing him in contention to be named the American League’s top pitcher.
2021 AL Cy Young Odds
Odds via BetOnline as of Thursday, August 5
- Lance Lynn (-150)
- Gerrit Cole (+225)
- Carlos Rodon (+375)
- Robbie Ray (+1200)
- Chris Bassitt (+3300)
- Sean Manaea (+3300)
Cole Falls to Second-Best Odds
Back in June, New York Yankees RHP Gerrit Cole was favored to be the AL Cy Young winner at -200 odds. Now, he finds himself having +225 odds to win the award. Cole is currently 10-6 through 21 starts this season and owns an ERA of 3.11 and an AL-leading 0.990 WHIP. While those stats are impressive on their own, the four-time all-star has been struggling in his past few outings.
Cole has lost his past two starts — the first time this season that he’s lost multiple games in a row. During that span, he’s allowed 10 earned runs and has not pitched beyond the sixth inning. Considering how Cole has never given up 10 runs in a two-game span this season, it’s understandable to see some people showing some concern. Nevertheless, even the best players go through slumps and Cole is the type of player who has the talents to turn things around. Only time will tell if he can pull it off and jump back into the top spot of the AL Cy Young race.
Rodon AL Cy Young Odds
While most teams would be lucky to have one AL Cy Young-quality pitcher, the White Sox are fortunate enough to have two. Carlos Rodon has +375 odds to win this year’s award — an improvement over the +550 he had in the middle of June.
The 28-year-old lefty has been a mainstay in Chicago ever since he was drafted by the White Sox in 2014. However, he had never pitched like a Cy Young candidate until this year — which includes throwing a no-hitter. Now, Rodon sits with an 8-5 record through 18 starts, pitching to a 2.49 ERA and 0.965 WHIP. He’s also averaging career-bests in H/9 (6.3), BB/9 (2.4) and SO/9 (12.8). All of those impressive statistics earned Rodon his first MLB All-Star appearance and have helped the White Sox get to where they are today.
Obviously, Rodon stats aren’t as good as Lynn’s, but there are still a lot of games left to be played. Anything can happen before the season ends, however, the White Sox likely won’t fuss over the outcome as long as one of their starters walks away with the 2021 AL Cy Young Award.
