For the first time this season, Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler has become the favorite to win the National League Cy Young award, surpassing Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes in betting odds. According to BetMGM, Wheeler’s current odds are -125, translating to a 55.56% implied probability of winning his first Cy Young Award. Initially, he was valued at +800 during the preseason.
Wheeler, aged 35 and in his 11th MLB season, has previously come close to winning this accolade. He finished second in the Cy Young race in both 2021 and 2024. In addition, he ranked sixth in 2023 and twelfth in 2020 with the Phillies.
This season, Wheeler has been instrumental for a Phillies team leading the National League East. His record stands at 9-3 with a 2.36 ERA over 19 starts. He leads the league with 154 strikeouts against just 26 walks across 122 innings pitched. Baseball Reference notes that Wheeler tops all pitchers with a WAR of 4.8.
Despite these developments, there is still significant time left in the regular season for changes in NL Cy Young odds.
Skenes now holds +100 odds (50% implied probability) for winning the award after achieving an MLB-best ERA of 2.01 over his last twenty starts with 131 strikeouts and thirty walks across a total of 121 innings.
Last year as a rookie, Skenes finished third in voting for NL Cy Young which initially positioned him as a +400 favorite before this year’s All-Star break when he was leading.
At BetMGM sportsbook bettors remain divided between these two contenders: Wheeler accounts for most bets placed at13 .1%, while Skenes commands highest betting handle at26 .8%.
Currently no other player is listed better than22 /1 mid-July on prospects winningNL CyYoung award .
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