AL Cy Young Predictions

With the another season now underway, a turn to picks for the Cy Young Award in the American League reveals heavyweight contenders, familiar faces, and some unexpected possibilities.

If you’re talking pitching in the American League – serious pitching – you’re talking about Felix Hernandez. Hernandez has been my, and just about every sportsbook capper’s top-rated AL pitcher for quite some time now. Thus far, there’s no indicator that anything will change.

The Seattle Mariners Felix Hernandez is the king. The former All-Star finished second for the AL Cy Young Award 2009, just behind Zack Greinke. Hernandez, still a very young player, will turn 24 this year, and many fans of sports betting indicated their faith in this being his year. Hernandez finished 19-5 with 217 strikeouts and a 2.49 ERA.

Jon Lester is perhaps the other most obvious pick, after having emerged from Boston as a leader of their club’s outstanding pitching staff. Lester struck out 200 batters for the first time in his career last season, and many are predicting this year will mark his first 20-win season. At just 26, he is still making improvements to his game, and could surprise many by taking the 2010 AL Cy Young Award.

Perhaps the only other player favored by some to take the crown is the previous year’s Cy Young winner, Zack Greinke. Owner of a 2.16 ERA, Greinke unfortunately does not have the solid supporting cast that other potential hopefuls do, however, the Kansas City pitcher was still tabbed in spite of a less than stellar 16-win season. Greinke cannot make up for the deficiencies of the rest of his ball club, however. Fans of online sports betting know that Kansas City’s abysmal defense means that Greinke will be fighting an uphill battle in his quest to make it two in a row. For those weary to pick Greinke because of his poor supporting cast, Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers is an alternate pick.

Verlander can match Greinke in terms of overall stats, but has a much more solid team behind him. Fans of sports betting know that Verlander has to be concerned about Detroit’s run production, however. Verlander is easily a top five pitcher in the American League, but he’ll need help from his batters. Last year, the Tigers line up cost the pitching staff dearly. With the rumor mill working overtime with regard to front office happenings and personnel changes, it will be interesting to see if Detroit makes a move to shore up that deficiency, and provide Verlander the support he needs to be in contention. Confidence will also be an issue – after the Tigers fell apart last year, will the rest of the team have the mental fortitude to backup their potential star?