2024 Rookie of the Year Odds: Taking it Slow With Paul Skenes

The Pirates will not be overextending rookie pitcher Paul Skenes and his MLB debut was fine if a little uninspiring. But, that could open value on his Rookie of the Year betting market.

May 14, 2024 • 14:56 ET • 7 min read
Paul Skenes Pittsburgh Pirates MLB
Photo By - USA TODAY Sports

Paul Skenes' MLB debut wasn't one for the ages but he did show flashes of why the Pittsburgh Pirates were excited to select him first overall in the 2023 draft. 

MLB odds have gotten longer after that start, with 20/1 the biggest number for Skenes to win ROY.

Let's break down the AL and NL Rookie of the Year races and see how far the pitching phenom has risen in sportsbooks' estimation this week.

Odds to win AL Rookie of the Year

Player DraftKings FanDuel bet365 Caesars
Athletics Mason Miller OTB +195 +220 +200
Orioles Colton Cowser +120 +320 +275 +120
Rangers Evan Carter +330 +550 +600 +600
Red Sox Wilyer Abreu +650 +650 +650 +600
Rangers Wyatt Langford +1,500 +3,300 +3,000 +2,500
Tigers Wenceel Perez +1,500 +5,000 +4,000 +3,300
Rays Junior Caminero +2,000 +1,800 +1,600 +2,000
Yankees Luis Gil OTB +2,000 OTB +1,700
Guardians Kyle Manzardo  +2,000 +3,300 +3,300 +4,000
Astros Joey Loperfido +2,000 +5,000 OTB +4,000
Tigers Parker Meadows +3,000 +9,000 +8,000 +5,000
Red Sox Ceddanne Rafaela +3,500 +9,000 +8,000 +6,000
Guardians Brayan Rocchio +3,500 +9,000 +6,000 +8,500

Odds as of 5-14-2024.

AL Rookie of the Year odds analysis

5/9/2024: Oakland A's closer Mason Miller is still not an option at DraftKings but bet365 is now listing him for AL Rookie of the Year. A wrench could be thrown into that by midseason, though, as teams are apparently inquiring about his availability. Normally, I'd expect a top rookie to be off-limits on a rebuilding team, but this is the A's and no one is safe. If Oakland deems Miller to be fungible — and if he's destined to stay in the bullpen, he probably is — he could actually be more valuable to the team as a trade chip than part of what is sure to be a lengthy and painful process of maybe someday returning to contention in Vegas or whatever Plan B (Sacramento?) might be if that falls apart.

Luis Gil, another pitcher who is not readily available across all sportsbooks, is turning heads for the New York Yankees. Since allowing five runs on seven hits over five innings to the Milwaukee Brewers on April 26, he's looked locked in. Gil is 3-0 with a 0.49 ERA over his last three starts, allowing just one earned run over 18 1/3 innings while recording three straight quality starts. The command is still shaky but he's trading at 20/1 and that will continue to shrink if he can hold his own.

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Odds to win NL Rookie of the Year

Player DraftKings FanDuel Caesars
Cubs Shota Imanaga +150 +170 +145
Dodgers Yoshinobu Yamamoto +350 +380 +370
Pirates Jared Jones +550 +700 +525
Dodgers Andy Pages +900 +1,000 +800
Cubs Michael Busch +1,000 +1,000 +900
Padres Jackson Merrill +1,000 +1,200 +1,000
Pirates Paul Skenes +1,300 +2,000 +1,000
Brewers Jackson Chourio +2,800 +6,000 +2,500
Nationals Jacob Young +2,800 +6,000 +6,000
Giants Kyle Harrison +3,000 +6,000 +7,000
Giants Jung Hoo Lee +3,000 +6,000 +5,000
Nationals Mitchell Parker +3,000 +6,000 +7,500
Cardinals Masyn Winn +3,500 +6,000 +7,500
Brewers Joey Ortiz +3,500 +6,000 +7,000
Cubs Pete Crow-Armstrong +4,000 +6,000 +7,000

Odds as of 5-14-2024.

NL Rookie of the Year odds analysis

5/14/2024: If you wanted to grab Paul Skenes but didn't like where the number went right before he was promoted, now might be the time to grab some speculative shares. I understand the hesitance since his MLB debut was hardly amazing when you look at the surface numbers. He allowed three earned runs on six hits and two walks, including a home run, over just four innings of work. With how short a leash he's had at Triple-A, this might ring the alarm bells that the Pittsburgh Pirates will not be taking any risks at the majors, limiting his exposure to big-league bats.

However, Skenes also ripped seven strikeouts in the abbreviated outing and two of those three runs plated because Pittsburgh's relievers couldn't find the zone. Skenes got through four innings with a solo home run from Nico Hoerner the only real blemish. He opened the fifth by allowing a double to Mike Tauchman and a single to Seiya Suzuki before being pulled. Kyle Nicolas then got two straight strikeouts to nearly escape before hitting Ian Happ with a pitch and then issuing three consecutive walks, charging two more earned runs to Skenes' box score.

Skenes also threw 84 pitches, so the Pirates might be stretching him out gradually, and they were willing to see if he could get through the fifth.

DraftKings has since moved him from 10/1 to 13/1 while FanDuel went from 17/1 to 20/1. You could take the risk and see if the number balloons after start two but if he shows any improvement — and I expect he will — 20/1 will be gone.

Past Rookie of the Year winners

Previous AL RoY winners

Although all players have an equal chance of winning the AL Rookie of the Year Award, the honor has been claimed disproportionately by outfielders since its inception in 1949. Outfielders have 24 victories compared to 17 for pitchers and 17 for shortstops. Catchers are bringing up the rear with just two ROY victories over the past 72 years.

Year Player
2023 Orioles Gunnar Henderson (3B/SS)
2022 Mariners Julio Rodriguez (OF)
2021 Rays Randy Arozarena (OF)
2020 Mariners Kyle Lewis (OF)
2019 Astros Yordan Alvarez (OF)
2018 AngelsShohei Ohtani (P/OF)
2017 Yankees Aaron Judge (OF)
2016 Tigers Michael Fulmer (SP)
2015 Astros Carlos Correa (SS)
2014 White SoxJose Abreau (1B)
2013 Rays Wil Myers (OF)

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Previous NL RoY winners

No franchise has won more Rookie of the Year awards than the Dodgers. "The Blue Crew" have claimed 18 RoY trophies dating back to the club's early days in Brooklyn.

However, unlike the AL — where the West has been the recent home of the top rookies — the NL East has housed five of the last 11 RoYs, with a mix of outfielders, infielders, starting pitchers, and even a reliever.

Year Player (Team)
2023 Diamondbacks Corbin Carroll (OF)
2022 Braves Michael Harris (OF)
2021 Reds Jonathan India (2B)
2020 Brewers Devin Williams (RP)
2019 Mets Pete Alonso (1B)
2018 Braves Ronald Acuna Jr. (OF)
2017 Dodgers Cody Bellinger (1B/OF)
2016 Dodgers Cory Seager (SS)
2015 Cubs Kris Bryant (3B)
2014 Mets Jacob deGrom (SP)
2013 Marlins Jose Fernandez (SP)

MLB RoY odds explained

Most sportsbooks will display odds in the American format as listed above. When Julio Rodriguez all but claimed the AL Rookie of the Year in 2022, his odds had a minus (-) sign ahead of the number down the stretch. 

  • Julio Rodriguez -4,000

That means that a bettor in September had to wager $4,000 to win $100 by betting on J-Rod to win AL RoY. Before the season starts, almost every player will have a plus (+) sign ahead of their odds.

  • Corbin Carroll +380

That means a bettor would profit $380 for a $100 wager on Carroll before the season started if he's ultimately successful (which he was!). 

If American odds aren't your thing, simply use a tool like our odds converter to switch the odds to decimal or fractional format. Most online sportsbooks also give you the option to change the odds format that you see.

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MLB Rookie of the Year Awards FAQ

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