Camila Sosa
After knowing who were the favorites to win the award for best pitcher on both MLB circuits in 2022, here we provide you with a list of the pitchers who could surprise and take the American League Cy Young award in the current campaign along with their odds in the world of betting. Although they are not among the top favorites, their profiles have everything it takes to achieve the feat either by potential, current scenario or by their trajectory. The unexpected candidates are the following:
3.- Tarik Skubal – Detroit Tigers (+3300)
There’s no doubt that this is the most bizarre prediction of the season, but the young Tigers pitcher had a solid full debut campaign at 24 years of age in the big leagues: 8-12 record with 4.34 ERA, WHIP of 1.25, 47 bases per ball and 164 strikeouts in 149.1 innings completed. Tarik’s big problem during 2021 was his home runs, allowing an absurd amount of 35, but considering his ratios, he must improve during this campaing.
There’s a reason Skubal’s odds are so low, but along with Casey Mize (who was bolstered with the spirit of starting to compete immediately in 2022), these are the names for the future of Detroit’s rotation. Skubal is a name to follow definitely for the future and this year he could give a pleasant surprise to more than one.
2.- Dylan Cease – Chicago White Sox (+1200)
Previously, it was mentioned that the young right-hander of the White Sox lacks a little performance, and he is too young yet to be part of the favorites for the award for the best pitcher. However, his potential is just as real as his numbers: he is the leader of the American League in strikeouts per nine innings (12.3), he is fifth in all of MLB in strikeout percentage with 31.9% of its batters being sentenced for their pitches, and he has the eighth-best soft contact ratio (19%).
These numbers along with the extended durability Cease will have in 2022 (he was limited to 165.2 innings despite making 32 starts), it’s no surprise that everyone has him on their radar as a possible candidate to surprise in this harvest, but the hype is incredibly high for a prospect who could also have a dip in his numbers as he faces his second full year in the big leagues.
1.- José Berríos – Toronto Blue Jays (+2200)
The Puerto Rican had his best full campaign as a professional in six years of major league baseball: with a 12-9 record with a 3.52 ERA, a WHIP of 1.06, 204 strikeouts (all the best marks of his career so far) along with an FIP of 3.47 through 192 episodes pitched in 2021. The move to the Toronto Blue Jays is a more complicated challenge as they enter the American League East division, but at 27 years old Berríos is ready to take the leap and get into the conversation of the best pitchers in the entire division.
His numbers even saw improvements as he started pitching with the Canadian team, and with a Toronto team that boasts one of the best offenses and defenses in all of baseball to support the Bayamon native, we could see the best version of the right-hander in 2022, and become a legitimate candidate for his first Cy Young.
