Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
Watching homegrown prospects rise through the minor league ranks and become stars is one of professional baseball's most rewarding and exciting aspects. With youth talent at a premium these days, more and more young stars join the league yearly, but only two can win Rookie of the Year Honors.
As we enter the end of September, Paul Skenes has overtaken Jackson Merrill to sit atop the NL oddsboard, but if we've learned anything from this season, this race is not over. Meanwhile, in the AL, Luis Gil has a slight edge over his AL East rival, Colton Cowser.
Here, we'll look at the ever-changing Rookie of the Year odds for both leagues on all the premier betting apps.
Player | Opening Odds | DraftKings | FanDuel | BetRivers | Caesars |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Luis Gil | N/A | -250 | -185 | OTB | -240 |
Colton Cowser | +3500 | +190 | +145 | OTB | +160 |
Austin Wells | N/A | +1300 | +1200 | OTB | +750 |
Wilyer Abreu | N/A | +10,000 | +10,000 | OTB | +10,000 |
Mason Miller | N/A | OTB | +12,000 | OTB | OTB |
*odds as of September 27, 2024
Luis Gil (New York Yankees): At one point in the year, it looked like Luis Gil could run away with this award, and after slipping down the odds board, he is back on top. While he would hit a rough patch and suffer an injury, Gil has turned in three solid outings and one subpar outing since returning from the IL. Overall, the Yankees righty has a 3.27 ERA, 3.87 FIP, and 166 strikeouts in 146 innings of work.
Colton Cowser (Baltimore Orioles): At times throughout the season, the Orioles outfielder has shown flashes of his immense potential, but putting it together for extended stretches has been the problem. While consistency on a monthly basis has not been there, Cowser has been a flat-out different player in the second half of the season, hitting .274 with a .823 OPS and 136 wRC+.
Austin Wells (New York Yankees): Wells' first full season in the big leagues got off to a slow start, but over the past few months, he's started to blossom into an above-average MLB catcher. Since returning from the All-Star break, Wells has a wRC+ of 123, and in August, he boasted an OPS of .936. However, after becoming the favorite for a few weeks, a slow September has hurt Wells' chances, as he has a .403 OPS since the month began.
Player | Opening Odds | DraftKings | FanDuel | BetRivers | Caesars |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Paul Skenes | +3000 | -270 | -250 | OTB | -260 |
Jackson Merrill | +8000 | +200 | +185 | OTB | +160 |
Jackson Chourio | +850 | OTB | +15,000 | OTB | OTB |
Shota Imanaga | +1100 | OTB | +20,000 | OTB | OTB |
*odds as of September 27, 2024
Paul Skenes (Pittsburgh Pirates): Not only did Paul Skenes take the league by storm, but he became the first player in MLB history to make an All-Star game just one year after he was drafted. In 131 innings this season, Skenes is pitching to a 1.99 ERA with 167 strikeouts and a 2.57 xFIP.
The LSU product is fresh off a five-inning outing in which he allowed no earned runs on two hits and nine strikeouts. In possibly his final outing, Skenes returned to the top of the odds board as the merry-go-round of a race continued.
Jackson Merrill (San Diego Padres): When Merrill first caught fire at the plate, he overtook Skenes at the top of the oddsboard; the question was how long he could sustain his success. Well, it feels like every time you turn on the TV, Merrill is hitting a clutch home run to save the day for San Diego. Merrill's overall numbers for a rookie truly do stand out, and after a brief two-week slump, he has gotten back on track, hitting .286 with a .842 OPS and four home runs over the last month.
Jackson Chourio (Milwaukee Brewers): Chourio was one of the most hyped rookies heading into this season, and after a long adjustment period, he now looks entirely comfortable in the Major Leagues. Not only has Chourio cut down his strikeout percentage by around 6% since the second half of the season, but over the past month, he is hitting .284 with a .933 OPS and five home runs. Chourio has also become the youngest player in MLB history to join the 20 home run and 20 stolen base club.
AL Winners
Season | Player | Team |
---|---|---|
2023 | Gunnar Henderson | Baltimore Orioles |
2022 | Julio Rodriguez | Seattle Mariners |
2021 | Randy Arozarena | Tampa Bay Rays |
2020 | Kyle Lewis | Seattle Mariners |
2019 | Yordan Alvarez | Houston Astros |
NL Winners
Season | Player | Team |
---|---|---|
2023 | Corbin Carroll | Arizona Diamondbacks |
2022 | Michael Harris | Atlanta Braves |
2021 | Jonathan India | Cincinnati Reds |
2020 | Devin Williams | Milwaukee Brewers |
2019 | Pete Alonso | New York Mets |
Only two pitchers have won the award in the AL since 2013, and one of them was Shohei Ohtani, who won as a two-way player.
The last starting pitcher to win the award in the National League was Jacob deGrom in 2014.
Since 2022, the winner has led all rookies in home runs for their respective leagues.
The last three winners in the American League have played on a team that made the playoffs that season.