Paul Skenes sees meteoric rise at sportsbooks: 'Really has been unbelievable'

Back in late March, when MLB’s regular season began, Paul Skenes wasn’t yet on the Pittsburgh Pirates’ roster. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft was with Triple-A Indianapolis.

So he wasn’t a significant factor in NL Rookie of the Year odds, and even less so a consideration in NL Cy Young odds.

But since his May 11 call-up to Pittsburgh, Skenes has been so dominant that he might just win both awards.

"It really has been unbelievable how fast Skenes has become one of the top pitchers in baseball," BetMGM trader and baseball aficionado Hal Egeland said.

Egeland chimed in on Skenes’ superb first season and how it’s impacting odds on the NL Cy Young and Rookie of the Year honors.

Runaway Favorite

Months ago, when NL Rookie of the Year odds first went up, Skenes was the +1300 fifth choice. Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto was the +210 favorite. Skenes shortened to +900 preseason, but then slid well out when he wasn’t on the Opening Day roster.

"The odds made their way to +3000 at one point. With every start he missed in the big leagues, it's a decreased chance of him winning, from our view," Egeland said. "But once it was clear he was being called up, we dropped him close to his opening odds, +1100."

Since that May call-up, Skenes is 6-1 in 14 starts with a sparkling 1.99 ERA. Pittsburgh is 9-5 with Skenes on the hill, and the youngster already has 107 strikeouts against just 19 walks.

With those numbers and more in mind, BetMGM has Skenes as a massive favorite in NL Rookie of the Year odds. He’s now -3000, meaning it would take a $3,000 bet to win $100 ($3,100 total payout). So congratulations to anyone who jumped on board at +3000, when it would’ve taken only $100 to win $3,000 (again, $3,100 total