Henry Roldán
The second half of the season began on Thursday in the Major Leagues, and in Las Vegas they are already starting to release their favorites for various awards, such as the strikeout leader in all baseball.
Dylan Cease currently leads the category with 150 strikeouts, but this is certainly one of the tightest categories in the majors, and the Chicago White Sox starter has nothing locked in.
MLB 2022 Strikeout Leader Favorites Heading Into Second Half
Zack Wheeler (+3000)
Although Zack Wheeler finished the first half of the season with only 108 strikeouts, ranked 12th overall, bookmakers give him some chance considering he finished last season as the National League strikeout leader with 247. After a rather slow start, in April and May, the Phillies starter’s performance improved and left his K/9 at 9.8.
Shohei Ohtani (+1400)
With a few episodes left to qualify among the pitchers, Shohei Ohtani will surely be in the American League Cy Young conversation by the end of the season if he keeps up this pace. The Angels’ Japanese finished tied for eighth place with 123 strikeouts in just 87 innings of work and a K/9 average of 12.7, impressive!
Sandy Alcántara (+1200)
If there’s one thing the leading candidate to win the National League Cy Young this season is missing, it’s striking out a little more. Sandy Alcántara finished tied with Ohtani for eighth in the category during the first half with 123, and moving up a notch will help him consolidate his candidacy as the best pitcher in the old circuit in 2022.
Aaron Nola (+1100)
Excluding the 2020 short season, in his last three campaigns, Aaron Nola has struck out more than 200 opponents, and this year he is on track to maintain that number by finishing sixth in the category after the first half with 137. The Phillies’ starter is a little short of Cease for the strikeout leader award, but his ability to retire opponents in this way keeps him in the running.
Carlos Rodón (+1100)
With an average of 11.3 K/9, Carlos Rodón is on track to achieve his first season with more than 200 strikeouts and be able to fight for the lead in the category. The Giants’ starter finished the first half in fifth place with 138 and Las Vegas gives him, like Nola, a slim chance to climb back up the standings.
Robbie Ray (+700)
With Robbie Ray, we enter the top five favorites to emerge as the Major League strikeout leader in 2022. Although the Mariners’ starter finished seventh with 135, the right-hander has had a rebound in his performance on the mound, and we cannot forget that he is the reigning champion of this category after striking out 248 opponents in 2021 with the Blue Jays.
Shane McClanahan (+400)
Playing for the Rays could end up being the obstacle that cuts Shane McClanahan’s path to the MLB strikeout leader award. The young starter finished the first half with 147 strikeouts, just three behind Cease, but Tampa Bay’s pitching management system and manager Kevin Cash could work against him. McClanahan finished 15th in innings pitched in the first half and had he gotten a few more he would be the undisputed leader in the department.
Gerrit Cole (+350)
The Yankees’ right-hander finished the first half tied with McClanahan for second place with 147 strikeouts and just three off the lead. His K/9 average is 11.7 and if he maintains this pace, there is no doubt that he will fight toe-to-toe with all pending pitchers to take the MLB strikeout leader award, an award that Gerrit Cole already knows when he took it in 2019 with 326 K.
Corbins Burnes (+350)
The National League leader in strikeouts during the first half, with 144, appears tied with Cole for second in the Las Vegas odds, as he also leads the old circuit in K/9 with 11.4. The Brewers’ starter was the Nationals’ Cy Young last season, racking up 234 strikeouts, and in 2022 he’s on a similar course, which is more than enough reason to put him as a real threat to Cease’s aspirations.
Dylan Cease (+300)
Dylan Cease has been one of the pleasant surprises of the season with a more than spectacular performance for the White Sox cause. The 26-year-old starter finished the first half of the season as the leader in strikeouts and K/9 average in all baseball by totaling 150 and 12.9 in just 104.2 innings of work. The only question that arises is whether he will be able to keep up this pace against experienced pitchers who are trying to knock him out of one of the most prized pitching leadership positions.
