AL Cy Young Award odds, best bets: Can Bieber repeat after dazzling 2020?

In a shortened 2020 season, we saw one of the most impressive pitching performances in MLB history from Shane Bieber, who posted a ridiculous 1.63 ERA with a 2.07 FIP and 14.2 strikeouts per nine innings to win the AL Cy Young Award.

He enters a full-length 2021 campaign as the co-favorite for the award alongside Gerrit Cole - the 2019 runner-up and a four-time finisher in the top five. Both are bona fide studs, but it's always risky laying a short price on any single pitcher given their injury risk, especially after such a funky season.

Here are the odds to win the AL Cy Young Award and our three favorite preseason values further down the board.

Kenta Maeda, Twins (+2000)

I was high on Maeda entering 2020 in his first extended run as a full-time starter since 2017. He didn't disappoint, ranking one spot behind Bieber in xFIP (2.63) and batting average allowed (.168) and leading the league in swing rate outside of the zone (40.8%).

Maeda nearly had a "Cy Young moment" when he took a no-hitter into the ninth inning, dispelling the notion that he can't pitch deep into games. He lasted at least five innings in all 11 of his starts and seems primed to shoulder a legitimate workload again in 2021 for a worse Twins rotation.

Dylan Bundy, Angels (+5000)

Another advanced analytics darling, Bundy ranked even higher than Maeda in FIP (2.95) and was second to only Jacob deGrom in CSW% (34%) - a stat that can help uncover elite strike-throwers.

That metric supports his career-high 27% strikeout rate in 2020, when he cut down on his walks by attacking the strike zone early with a varied pitch mix. Bundy's peripherals suggest his breakout season was for real, but he's being priced as a Cy Young afterthought. Think again.

Triston McKenzie, Indians (+7500)

The Indians produced two of the last four AL Cy Young winners in Bieber and 2017 winner Corey Kluber. Why can't they do it again with McKenzie, the team's top pitching prospect and easily the most exciting arm in this rotation outside of Bieber?

The 23-year-old fanned 10 batters in his MLB debut and finished the year with a 33.1% strikeout rate, which would have ranked seventh among qualified starters if McKenzie had logged more innings. That's part of the concern here - he missed two years' worth of action with injuries and lasted six innings just once in 2020.

At this price, though, it's virtually all upside with almost zero risk. McKenzie has the talent to pull it off; if he gets the opportunity, you'll be glad you took a shot.

(Odds source: theScore Bet)

C Jackson Cowart is a betting writer for theScore. He's an award-winning journalist with stops at The Charlotte Observer, The San Diego Union-Tribune, The Times Herald-Record, and BetChicago. He's also a proud graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, and his love of sweet tea is rivaled only by that of a juicy prop bet. Find him on Twitter @CJacksonCowart.