PressBox’s Stan “The Fan” Charles, Glenn Clark and Spencer Schultz share some of their favorite midseason baseball futures bets. All odds are from FanDuel Sportsbook in mid-June.
Stan “The Fan” Charles
Carlos Rodón To Win American League Cy Young Award (+4800)
Look, I get why Tigers lefty Tarik Skubal is the favorite followed by Orioles right-hander Corbin Burnes, but Rodón is looking really good too. The Yankees look like they could win almost every time he pitches. I see him possibly winning 20-plus games. I still have lingering doubts regarding Skubal’s ability to reach the type of innings total he’ll need to lock down the award.
José Alvarado To Win National League Reliever Of The Year (+3800)
It looks like the Phillies will win more games than anyone else in the National League, and in the second half of the season, I think skipper Rob Thomson will give Alvarado more save opportunities by lessening the load the top three starters have been carrying up to this point. Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola and Ranger Suárez could turn over an awful lot of leads, and Alvarado seems to have been anointed the closer.
Aaron Boone To Win American League Manager Of The Year (+900)
Sure, I get Matt Quatraro (Royals) and Stephen Vogt (Guardians) being at the top of the heap for Manager of the Year. But give me the guy managing Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, Gerrit Cole, Luis Gil and Carlos Rodón when that wager will pay a lot more than the first two.
Glenn Clark
Phillies To Win National League (+270)
I completely understand why, given their roster, the Dodgers are the favorites to win the NL. But those odds are way too good for a Phillies team that, as I type, has a better record than the Dodgers and whose staff is off to a truly ridiculous start to the season. Considering how close they’ve been to winning it all in recent years, I also expect the Phillies to be aggressive at the deadline.
Corbin Burnes To Win American League Cy Young Award (+460)
Tarik Skubal is a sizeable favorite as I type this, but I’m very hard-pressed to imagine he’ll keep his ERA below 2.00 for the entire season. That doesn’t mean I think Skubal is going to “crash,” per se. It’s just that if the numbers between Burnes and Skubal end up being similar, the likelihood is that Burnes will have done it for the better team and made more high-profile starts late in the season. That probably would give him the edge among voters.
Paul Skenes To Win National League Rookie Of The Year (+210)
I fear this one might already be useless by the time you read this. Shota Imanaga got off to an unbelievable start this season, but Skenes looks like a phenomenon. With awards typically being storyline-driven, Skenes looks like he’s on pace to be one of the most “must-watch” players in all of baseball for the foreseeable future and if he keeps this up, he’ll get the hardware.
Spencer Schultz
Texas Rangers To Win American League West (+450)
The Rangers represent incredible value. The reigning World Series champs have the core to power them past the Mariners, who lack the bats to be as heavily favored as they are (although they could acquire bats via trade).
Gunnar Henderson To Win American League MVP (+500)
Aaron Judge deserves to be the favorite, but voter fatigue could kick in. If the Yankees’ injury woes rattle them for the 100th consecutive year, Henderson’s odds could plummet in a hurry. If he hits 40-plus home runs as a 22-year old elite defensive shortstop and the Orioles win 95-plus games, he will garner strong consideration.
Tarik Skubal To Win American League Cy Young Award (+135)
Skubal’s fastball is devastating and will continue to work. As long as Skubal stays healthy he should rack up more wins, strikeouts and Cy Young votes than any other AL starter. Corbin Burnes is settling in and presents solid long-shot value.
Kansas City Royals To Win 90 Games (+195)
The Royals have the staff, bats, defense and star power to cruise to 90 wins.
Photo Credit: Colin Murphy/PressBox
Originally published June 19, 2024