Can Spencer Strider Earn The Most Strikeouts For The Second Straight Year?
There's Only One Bet To Make After Looking At The MLB Strikeout Leader Betting Odds
It’s already looking like a weird season in the MLB.
Last year’s AL Cy Young winner will miss multiple months before the season begins due to an injury. On the other hand, the NL Cy Young winner hasn’t signed with a team as of March 14.
Despite Gerrit Cole’s injury and Snell’s lack of a team, the sportsbooks still have futures markets up for strikeouts and other awards.
Cole is still listed at +900 despite knowing he’ll miss at least a quarter of the season. Meanwhile, Black Snell is sitting at +1400 and is not even on a team.
Those two would not be on our short list of who to bet on with the MLB strikeout leader betting odds. But there are other pitchers with plenty of potential to win the award. Let’s discuss them below.
MLB Strikeout Leader Betting Odds
| MLB strikeout leader betting odds Candidates | Odds |
|---|---|
 Spencer Strider | +180 |
 Gerrit Cole | +900 |
 Kevin Gausman | +1200 |
 Blake Snell | +1400 |
 Pablo Lopez | +1800 |
MLB Strikeout Leader Betting Odds Preview
Spencer Strider (+180)
Spencer Strider (+180)Spencer Strider has the highest potential of striking out the most batters this season. He finished with 281 strikeouts last season to lead the league. His MLB odds are the closest to 50% by a long mile.
This year, Fangraphs has projected Strider to earn 234 strikeouts. That would be 30 more than Blake Snell’s projections and 33 more than Cole’s projections. It’s also likely that Cole’s projections will be adjusted now that he will miss at least the first month.
Strider threw a career-high 186.2 innings last season and earned 281 strikeouts while only walking 58 batters.
This year, he’s expected to have a 13.02 K/9 ratio, which would mean Strider would strike out 13 batters every nine innings.
His strikeout rate is projected to be higher than any MLB starter other than Jacob deGrom. However, deGrom won’t pitch for the Texas Rangers until the second half of the season. Therefore, there’s no way deGrom would be able to earn the most strikeouts, only pitching in half of a season.
Gerrit Cole (+900)
Gerrit Cole (+900)Gerrit Cole is expected to miss at least 4-6 weeks with an elbow injury. But we’ve seen this time and time again. Many starting pitchers start with a short timetable but then get multiple setbacks and sometimes miss the entire season.
Cole probably doesn’t need Tommy John surgery as of now. But that could change. Ultimately, this bet would void if Cole doesn’t throw a single pitch this season. But there’s no reason to take a chance on a pitcher who isn’t healthy.
Kevin Gausman (+1200)
Kevin Gausman (+1200)Kevin struck out 237 batters last season, second behind Strider. The 33-year-old right-hander has thrown 31 or more starts in three consecutive seasons, which is why he’s been consistent with strikeouts.
He threw 185 innings last year and has added at least 174 innings in all of his previous three seasons. However, Fangraphs’ projections don’t love Gausman. They’ve got Gausman earning just 184 strikeouts this season via the ZIPS model.
That would be 10th in the MLB, behind other pitchers like Corbin Burnes, Pablo Lopez, and Aaron Nola.
Blake Snell (+1400)
Blake Snell (+1400)As of March 14, Blake Snell is still a free agent. The left-handed Cy Young winner had a 2.25 ERA last year for the Padres and struck out 234 batters. That was tied for third-best in the MLB last year.
Now that Cole is injured and Dylan Cease went to the Padres, the best fit for Snell is to go to the Yankees. But even if he signs with the Yankees, he’ll likely miss a start or two before he gets acclimated.
Snell threw a career-high in strikeouts last year and finished with a lower ERA than his previous four years. However, some teams don’t trust that Snell will be consistent like last season.
We won’t either. There are better options than Snell.
Pablo Lopez (+1800)
Pablo Lopez (+1800)Pablo Lopez was the other pitcher who threw 234 strikeouts last season. Lopez will face a weak AL Central throughout most of the season. That should only pad his stats.
Lopez’s strikeout numbers increased year by year. He had just 174 strikeouts in 2022 with the Marlins and then increased them by 50 despite only adding 14 more innings of work in 2023.
Based on Lopez’s opponents in the AL Central, he has a real chance at winning the award if Strider gets hurt and misses some time.
Lopez has thrown at least 32 starts in two consecutive games and has only improved since then.
The Verdict
As long as Spencer Strider is healthy, this is his to lose. Strider has strikeout numbers that you rarely see from starters. His K/9 stats can be compared to Edwin Diaz, the Mets’ closer. Strider projects to have a higher K/9 than Houston’s closer, Josh Hadar, for example.
Consider Spencer Strider at +180. He’s a heavy favorite coming out of MLB Spring Training for a reason.
While his MLB schedule won’t be easy, having to face other National League teams like the Phillies, Strider can fan 10+ batters almost every game.
For MLB betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
