Gerrit Cole and Jacob deGrom aren’t only the pitching princes of New York City, they are the kings of the hill in all of baseball, according to a host of futures odds released Monday by the William Hill sportsbook.
DeGrom and Cole are the 3/1 favorites to win the Cy Young award in their respective leagues.
“DeGrom has won two Cy Youngs in a row and is in his prime, and Cole is coming off of one of the greatest pitching years of all time,” said Nick Bogdanovich, William Hill’s director of trading.
The 31-year-old Mets’ righty is trying to become the third pitcher in history to win as many as three consecutive Cy Youngs (Greg Maddux and Randy Johnson each won the award four times in a row). Just behind deGrom at 4/1 is Max Scherzer of the Nationals, followed by Walker Buehler of the Dodgers (8/1). Other Mets listed are Noah Syndergaard (20/1), Marcus Stroman (75/1), Rick Porcello (100/1) and Steven Matz (150/1).
Cole, 29, who signed a nine-year, $324 million contract with the Yankees in the offseason, lost out to Astros teammate Justin Verlander in 2019. Verlander is the second choice for 2020 at 7/1, followed by Chris Sale of the Red Sox at 8/1. Luis Severino leads the rest of the Yankees pitchers at 18/1, with Masahiro Tanaka and Aroldis Chapman at 50/1 and J.A. Happ at 250/1.
The New York aces also top the lists in other futures markets. Cole is the 3/1 favorite to lead the majors in strikeouts, with deGrom tied for third at 11/2. DeGrom is the 5/1 favorite to have the lowest regular-season ERA, with Cole a close second at 7/1.
The Yankees’ Chapman is the favorite to lead the majors in saves at 6/1. The Mets’ Edwin Diaz is tied for fifth in that market at 12/1.