MLB Preview: The Top Pitchers of 2010

It is that time of year when sportsbook makers throw out their predictions for the top pitchers of 2010 and who they feel will win the Cy Young in each league. Before you get into your online sports betting, it may help to take a few moments to check out the top three candidates from each league and see who the best pitchers of 2010 will be.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Tim Lincecum (San Francisco Giants)

It is impossible to start off a list of potential 2010 National League Cy Young winners without starting with the two-time defending Cy Young winner. Lincecum has youth on his side, enthusiasm and a breaking ball that makes hitters cry. You can add a 97 MPH fast ball to that, which makes his change up legendary, and you have one of the top pitchers in the National League.

Roy Halladay (Philadelphia Phillies)

Halladay is new to the National League, but he is hardly new to pitching in the major leagues. Halladay won the Cy Young in 2003 and is a six-time American League all-star. He has spent the last 11 seasons pitching to the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees, so he should be able to adjust well to the National League. The Phillies could ride the arm of Halladay all the way to the World Series, and his arm is more than strong enough to get them there.

Adam Wainwright (St. Louis Cardinals)

In basketball betting it is a good idea to recognize the talent that other players in the league respect. Last season Adam Wainwright was voted as the National League’s Most Outstanding Pitcher by the players in the National League. That is a pretty high compliment when the guys that have to face you all season vote you the best they have seen. Wainwright also won a Golden Glove award last season for his fielding from the mound. He won 19 games last season and already has two wins this year.

Pick: Roy Halladay

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Jon Lester (Boston Red Sox)

Jon Lester is not only a great pitcher he is a hero to many because of his battle with lymphoma in 2006. When he returned he re-established himself as one of the premier pitchers in baseball. Last season he won 15 games and even though he is having a rough start to 2010, Lester remains a top candidate for the Cy Young in the American League.

CC Sabathia (New York Yankees)

When you talk about MLB betting the Yankees starting rotation inevitably comes into the conversation. The ace of the Yankee staff is CC Sabathia, and his pedigree is impressive. He has won the Warren Spahn award as the best left-handed pitcher in baseball three times, he won the 2007 American League Cy Young and was the MVP of last year’s ALCS. Sabathia is consistent and powerful, and that makes him a top Cy Young candidate in any league.

Zack Greinke (Kansas City Royals)

How does a pitcher for the Royals win the Cy Young? Last season Zack Greinke answered that question with 16 wins and the best season of his career. Last season he finished with an ERA of 1.07, and so far in this young season he has picked up right where he left off with an ERA of 1.18.

Pick: Jon Lester