Major League Baseball

2024 MLB odds: Paul Skenes is an All-Star; Wyatt Langford now AL ROY favorite

Updated Jul. 8, 2024 2:56 p.m. ET

The MLB All-Stars have been announced, and one super rookie found his way into the mid-season extravaganza.

While Shota Imanaga began the season on fire — only giving up five runs in his first nine career starts — and was the favorite for NL ROY for over a month, the odds have significantly changed recently.

The surging Paul Skenes is now the current favorite to win the award.

Coming into the majors, expectations were high for Skenes, as he was the No. 1 pick of the 2023 MLB Draft.

After being called up on May 11, the dynamic right-hander has started ten games for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Over those starts, Skenes has shined with a 5-0 record, 2.12 ERA and 78 strikeouts.

This scintillating debut has not gone unnoticed as Skenes was named to the 2024 All-Star Game a mere eight weeks and 10 games after his first major league pitch. He made history as the first player to be drafted No. 1 overall and make the All-Star game the succeeding year.

Before his debut, Skenes' NL ROY odds sat at +2500. Now he is the odds-on favorite to win the award at -360.

Let's take a look at the ROY betting board in the National League at DraftKings Sportsbook as of July 8.

2024 NL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR ODDS:

Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates: -360 (bet $10 to win $12.78 total)
Jackson Merrill, San Diego Padres: +360 (bet $10 to win $46 total)
Shota Imanaga, Chicago Cubs: +1900 (bet $10 to win $200 total)
Joey Ortiz, Milwaukee Brewers: +2000 (bet $10 to win $210 total)
Michael Busch, Chicago Cubs: +2500 (bet $10 to win $260 total)

FOX Sports MLB writer Rowan Kavnar raved about Skenes remarkable career start in his latest Rookie Power Rankings, where the neophyte took the top spot.

"Skenes hasn't logged the innings of other pitchers on this list, but it's clear through nine starts he is already one of the most formidable arms in the sport," he wrote.

"He has gone at least six innings while surrendering one or no runs in each of his past four starts, and he leads all qualified rookie starters in ERA, WHIP, strikeout percentage and strikeout-to-walk ratio. "

Although Merrill is within striking distance, another solid month from Skenes could presumably end the race.

Now, lets take a look at the ROY odds in the AL as of July 8.

2024 AL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR ODDS:

Wyatt Langford, Texas Rangers: +165 (bet $10 to win $26.50 total)
Luis Gil, New York Yankees: +220 (bet $10 to win $32 total)
Colton Cowser, Baltimore Orioles: +550 (bet $10 to win $65 total)
Wilyer Abreu, Boston Red Sox: +750 (bet $10 to win $85 total)
Ceddanne Rafaela, Boston Red Sox: +800 (bet $10 to win $90 total)
Mason Miller, Oakland Athletics: +1200 (bet $10 to win $130 total)

It's been an impressive rookie campaign for Gil thus far, and he is currently tied for the seventh-most wins in the majors. However, he has recently gone cold, only striking out nine batters while giving up 20 earned runs in six of his last seven starts.

His most recent game saw him return to form with nine strikeouts against only one earned run in a loss against the Boston Red Sox on July 7.

Although he still remains a strong candidate, his odds to win the AL ROY have lengthened to +220 from -115 over the past two weeks. He is no longer the odds-on favorite to win the award.

In his rankings, Kavnar speculated that Gil may be suffering from fatigue.

"The first thought is that he might be getting tired," Kavnar theorized.

"The 26-year-old threw a total of 25.5 innings the previous two seasons due to Tommy John surgery and has never thrown more than 96 innings in a professional season — a number he is fast approaching — though he insists he is not fatigued (for whatever it's worth, he has maintained his fastball velocity) and that it's more of a mechanical issue."

Meanwhile, Wyatt Langford has recently moved up boards, shortening all the way to +165 from +1400 in the last two weeks. Kansas City's exceptional left fielder had a torrid June, batting .309 with 30 hits, three homers, 22 RBIs and 11 runs scored in 26 games en route to winning the AL Rookie of the Month honors.

In his first six games of July, he is batting .381 with eight hits, two RBIs and three runs scored.

He is now the AL odds-on leader to win the award.

Follow along with FOX Sports for the latest news on the MLB and other sports.

Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!