Updated odds to win American League Cy Young Award

The AL CY Young is likely going to go to either Zack Greinke of the Royals, Justin Verlander of the Tigers, or C.C. Sabathia of the Yankees. Odds makers have made Greinke the favorite at -150 and listed the other two quite a bit behind him. Verlander has been posted at +300 to win the award and Sabathia has been listed at +400. All three have had great seasons but Greinke has been outstanding but his overall record could hurt him as he has lost a lot of games for a likely CY Young candidate.

Zack Greinke -150:

Zack Greinke has been outstanding all year long in 2009 as his 2.32 ERA indicates. However, he has lost 8 games which is very high for someone looking to take home the CY Young. What must be considered when looking at Greinke’s 13-8 record is the fact that he plays on an absolute awful team which is why the record is not as impressive as he would like. Only the Washington Nationals have a worse winning percentage than the Royals as KC is 51-85 and 24 games out of first place. Greinke is 5-7 in his last 12 decisions where the Royals have only given him an average of 3.63 runs per game making it difficult to chalk up W’s. If the voters look past the record, Greinke should take home the AL CY Young.

Justin Verlander +300:

Justin Verlander has also turned in a nice season for the Detroit Tigers. Verlander is 15-7 with a 3.38 ERA. He overcame an awful start to the season where he was crushed for 21 runs in his first 21 innings pitched. That start has clouded his earned run average a bit but is still outstanding and Verlander has been devastating ever since. He leads the league in strikeouts and has been a steady performer for Detroit and is a big reason why the Tigers are in first place. Everyone likes to talk about Greinke and Sabathia so Verlander often gets overlooked but he does have an outside shot to win this thing.

C.C. Sabathia +400:

Sabathia didn’t have a great first half to the season going 8-6 with a 3.86 ERA but has had a stellar second half. Since the break he is 7-1 with a just a 2.95 ERA putting his full season numbers at 15-7 with a 3.56 ERA. Sabathia could benefit from his stellar second half as it is fresh in the minds of voters but Greinke has been outstanding all year long. Also, Sabathia gets a ton more run support pitching in New York and a healthy average of 5.64 runs a game. However, we can’t overlook what Sabathia has done. He has been a vital part of the Yankees run to the post-season in the second half and definitely warrants some votes for the award.

2009 Cy Young Award Betting Odds listed in this article are pulled from Sportsbook.com