Odds to Win the 2012 National League Cy Young Award


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The National League is loaded with great starting pitching. The battle for the 2012 NL Cy Young figures to be a heated competition. Not to say the AL doesn’t have some outstanding starters, but overall there is a lot more depth in the NL. Clayton Kershaw won the award in 2011 at the age of just 24. The list of players who I think have a serious shot at this award is 10-15 deep. For now, I am going to just take a look at the three pitchers with the best odds to win the award, but I’ll also throw in my favorite sleeper.

Roy Halladay, Philadelphia Phillies (+550) – Despite not winning the award in 2011, Halladay is the odds on favorite heading into 2012. Halladay won the NL Cy Young back in 2010, but he also won the AL Cy Young in 2003. His numbers last year were pretty much identical to that of 2010. He went 19-6 with a 2.35 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and set a career-best with 220 strikeouts in just 32 starts. That kind of performance will win this award more times than not. I don’t think there is any doubt that he is the safest pick, but there are a lot of young arms in the National League that have been putting up some ridiculous numbers.

Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers (+650) – Kershaw went 21-5 with a 2.28 ERA and 0.98 WHIP in 33 starts. He also set a career-high with 248 strikeouts. It was the third straight season where Kershaw finished with an ERA under 3.00. I’m pretty confident that Kershaw will win at least one more Cy Young, if not more. The fact that he won 21 games with the Dodgers mediocre offense at his back, really says a lot about just how far he can go over the next 10 years.

Cliff Lee, Philadelphia Phillies (+800) – Lee went 17-8 with a 2.40 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in 32 starts last year. The most impressive stat for Lee was the fact that he threw six complete game shutouts, including three straight. In the month of June he went 5-0 with a 0.21 ERA with three consecutive shutouts and a scoreless streak that spanned 34 innings.

Sleeper Pick: Stephen Strasburg (+1800) – There are currently 10 pitchers with better odds than Strasburg. That just goes to show you how loaded the National League is with starting pitching. I know Strasburg isn’t technically a sleeper. Most people are well aware of what he can do, but at +1800 he is worth a shot. This is likely the last time you will get him at these odds unless he suffers another big injury. After missing most of last season, Strasburg returned at the end of the year to make five starts. He went just 1-1, but posted a 1.50 ERA and 0.71 WHIP. The potential for a 20-win season with an ERA around 2.30 is within reach.

Complete Odds to Win 2012 NL Cy Young

Roy Halladay +550
Clayton Kershaw +650
Cliff Lee +800
Tim Lincecum +900
Zack Greinke +1000
Adam Wainwright +1400
Cole Hamels +1400
Matt Cain +1500
Yovani Gallardo +1500
Josh Johnson +1500
Stephen Strasburg +1800
Ian Kennedy +2000
Gio Gonzalez +2500
Madison Bumgarner +2500
Daniel Hudson +2500
Mat Latos +2500
Johan Santana +2500
Chris Carpenter +2500
Mark Buehrle +2500
Jordan Zimmerman +3000
Tommy Hanson +3000
Matt Garza +3000
Johnny Cueto +4000
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