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Our 2020 MLB award previews at SportsbookWire continue with a look at the National League Cy Young. NL pitchers won’t be required to hit in the shortened 2020 season, meaning they’ll each need to face a designated hitter every time through the opponent’s batting order. Below, we make our picks and best bets to win the 2020 NL Cy Young Award.
2020 NL Cy Young best bets: Favorite
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Saturday, July 11 at 2:35 p.m. ET.
Max Scherzer, Washington Nationals (+450)
Scherzer leads all National League pitchers with an average of 12.60 strikeouts per nine innings in the first half of the season since 2017. His 2.30 first-half ERA ranks third over the last three season and his 129 1/3 innings pitched are the most of all starters.
Scherzer has three career Cy Young Awards, including back-to-back wins in 2016 and 2017. He hasn’t finished outside of the top five in voting since 2012 while still with the Detroit Tigers in the American League. His odds are nearly twice as high as those of reigning back-to-back winner Jacob deGrom (+280).
New to sports betting? A $10 bet on Scherzer (+450) to win the NL Cy Young would return a profit of $45. The same bet on deGrom fetches a return of just $28.
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2020 NL Cy Young best bets: Contender
Josh Hader, Milwaukee Brewers (+3300)
I’ve been down on Hader as a 2020 Fantasy Baseball target, but his versatility and importance out of the Brewers bullpen could have him in the running for the 2020 NL Cy Young in a season expected to shake up conventional pitcher roles.
Hader ranked ninth among all Brewers pitchers with 75 2/3 innings pitched last year. Top-two starters Zach Davies and Chase Anderson left this offseason. De facto No. 1 starter Brandon Woodruff tossed just 121 2/3 frames in his breakout 2019 campaign.
Hader went 3-5 with 37 saves last year. He enters the 2020 campaign as the Brewers’ closer, but he could also make some starts as an opener this year. The modified extra-inning rules, which will see each team start every half-inning with a runner on second base, could give Hader more win opportunities this season.
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2020 NL Cy Young best bets: Long shot
Robbie Ray, Arizona Diamondbacks (+5000)
Ray ranks second to Scherzer with an 11.78 strikeout rate over the first half of the last three seasons. He finished 2019 with a 4.34 ERA but a career-best 12.13 K/9. He even cut down on his walk rate from 2018.
He’s the incumbent ace of an improved Diamondbacks team entering the season. SP Madison Bumgarner was signed in free agency, and his experience could help Ray, who enters just his sixth full season.
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