Most MLB starting pitchers already have three or four games under their belt at the midway point in April. As a result, we are already starting to see some movement on American Cy Young odds boards. Below, we’ll review how some of the favorites are faring, and check out a couple of surprise names in contention early in the season.
AL Cy Young favorites
Tarik Skubal
Skubal has maintained his position as the AL Cy Young favorite. The Tigers hurler had +400 odds to win his third straight AL Cy Young award prior to the start of the season, and now has +190 odds to win at Fanatics Sportsbook. The Tigers’ lefty is 2-2 with a 2.22 ERA and an 0.95 WHIP in four starts. He has struck out 23 batters thus far.
Skubal has allowed just 1 run or less in three of the four games he’s started this season. His only ugly outing was an April 7 game against the Twins in which he allowed 4 ER and 8 hits in 4.2 innings pitched.
Bryan Woo
Names like Garrett Crochet, Jacob deGrom and Hunter Brown sat well ahead of Woo on the Cy Young odds board prior to the start of the season. But thanks to his hot 2026 start, Woo is currently only looking up at Skubal. The Seattle righty has a 2.16 ERA with a 0.92 WHIP through four games. He was sensational against the Angels on April 3 as he allowed just 1 hit and did not allow a run in 7 innings.
AL Cy Young surpises
Jose Soriano
Soriano has been the breakout star of the early MLB season. The Angels pitcher had +15000 pre-season odds to win AL Cy Young and is now +1400. Only Skubal, Woo, and Max Fried have better odds.
Soriano is an MLB-best 4-0. He is first in ERA at 0.33, second in Ks with 31, and second in WHIP at 0.67.
The 27-year-old Dominican has allowed just 1 earned run in 27 innings pitched thus far.
He has shown flashes of greatness in the past, but this start is otherworldly.
Soriano made 31 starts for the Angels last year and went 10-11 with a 4.26 ERA. He struck out 152 batters last year.
Garrett Crochet
Crochet is having a surprising start to the season, but in a bad way. The Red Sox ace currently has a hefty 7.58 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP. His latest outing was horrific, and was his worst performance in a Boston uniform.
The lefty exited the game in the second inning after allowing 10 earned runs, including two home runs.
It’s far too early for Crochet Cy Young bettors to panic, but the ugly start is certainly notable. Crochet had +425 odds to win the award prior to the start of the season, but is now +1600.
Jack Leiter
Leiter had the same odds as Soriano (+15000) to win baseball’s most coveted pitching award prior to the start of the season. He is now +5000.
The son of former MLB pitcher Al Leiter, Jack is carving out a name for himself. His first two starts of the season were gems as he allowed just 2 ER in 6 IP against the Orioles on March 30, and then followed that up by giving up just 1 earned run in 5.0 innings against the Reds on April 5.
