Paul Skenes leads star-studded NL Cy Young race

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - MAY 09: Paul Skenes #30 of the Pittsburgh Pirates looks on prior to the game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on Saturday, May 9, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Bryan Kennedy/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images Some of the biggest stars in baseball make up the early favorites for the National League’s Cy Young Award. In FanDuel Sportsbook’s National League Cy Young 2026 market, the list is headed by Pittsburgh Pirates superstar Paul Skenes (+210) — who is hoping to win back-to-back seasons after claiming his first in 2025. Skenes is off to another solid start with a 5-2 record, 2.36 ERA, 46 strikeouts and a league-leading 0.71 WHIP. But there are concerns about Skenes’ limited innings to start the season, with many outings ending before five innings. After Skenes comes an avalanche of elite arms still in the mix after a strong opening stretch. Philadelphia Phillies lefty Cristopher Sanchez (+390) is behind Skenes on the heels of two dominant starts. Sanchez allowed zero runs and only nine hits over 15 innings in his last two outings — moving to 4-2 on the season in the process. His 67 strikeouts are second in baseball and Sanchez’s 2.11 ERA — eighth in baseball — is notable as well. After signing a six-year contract extension before the season, Sanchez is delivering so far for the Phillies. Winning the NL Cy Young in 2024, Atlanta Braves veteran left-hander Chris Sale (+500) is off to another hot start with a 6-2 record. Sale leads baseball with seven quality starts while staying close to the top in ERA (11th at 2.20), strikeouts (10th at 57) and WHIP (4th at 0.88). Sale’s durability is a concern in his age-37 season; he’s only pitched more than 158 innings in a season once since 2018. But the season Sale did, he took home Cy Young honors. So if he stays healthy, Sale should be a strong contender once again. Shohei Ohtani (+700) is used to racking up hardware as a reigning three-time MVP. Thanks to a solid start on the mound, the Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star is also entrenched in the early Cy Young race. In six starts, Ohtani has a 0.97 ERA and 42 strikeouts over 37 innings — looking dominant at times. Similar to Sale’s candidacy, Ohtani’s usage on the mound will play a major factor. Ohtani has never been a full-time two-way player since signing with the Dodgers as the organization brings him along slowly as a pitcher following a right elbow UCL tear in 2023. Ohtani’s teammate in Los Angeles, Yoshinobu Yamamoto (+850), is also still worth watching in the Cy Young race. Yamamoto finished third in Cy Young voting behind Skenes and Sanchez in 2025 and is off to another strong start. After the core group of candidates, the secondary list of Cy Young candidates includes some of baseball’s best young power arms. Milwaukee Brewers flamethrower Jacob Misiorowski (+1500), New York Mets rookie Nolan McLean (+1600) and Cincinnati Reds starter Chase Burns (+1900) are all worth monitoring over the summer.

Paul Skenes leads star-studded NL Cy Young race

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