Bets to Make on Paul Skenes: Best MLB Futures for Pirates Rookie Phenom

We are examining the future odds at our top MLB betting sites for a talented young pitcher in the league.

Since Stephen Strasburg’s debut in 2010, Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes has arguably had one of the most electrifying starts to a career.

In his first three major-league appearances, Skenes has recorded 21 strikeouts in 16 innings. He has only walked four batters and allowed 12 hits. With a FIP of 2.26, his projections for the rest of the season are considered top-tier in baseball.

In his first three starts, Strasburg pitched 19 1/3 innings, giving up 10 hits and five walks while striking out an incredible 32 batters. Despite throwing just 68 innings in his rookie season, Strasburg was not a contender for the NL Rookie of the Year award.

Can Skenes accomplish what Strasburg was unable to due to innings restrictions and turn all the hype into a winning Rookie of the Year season? Or will he struggle against two experienced rookies blocking his path to success?

We searched through the odds on our top MLB betting sites to discover the most promising bets for Paul Skenes in 2024, and there are numerous thrilling choices available.

Paul Skenes props for 2024

Rookie of the Year odds

As of May 24, here are the odds for the NL Rookie of the Year. Check out our complete analysis of the MLB Rookie of the Year odds.

Skenes may encounter comparable challenges to Strasburg in the race for the NL Rookie of the Year Award.

To start, let’s analyze his current statistics in comparison to the three rookie pitchers he is categorized with on the oddsboard:

• Shota Imanaga: 53 2/3 innings, 58 strikeouts, 0.84 ERA, 0.91 WHIP
• Paul Skenes: 16 innings, 21 strikeouts, 2.25 ERA, 1.00 WHIP
• Yoshinobu Yamamoto: 54 innings, 61 strikeouts, 3.17 ERA, 1.06 WHIP
• Jared Jones: 59 innings, 68 strikeouts, 3.05 ERA, 0.97 WHIP

Skenes is already at a disadvantage in terms of his counting stats because he started the major-league campaign later. Can he catch up and improve his stats for the rest of the season?

Now, let’s examine the remaining season forecasts for the team, as provided by Steamer.

• Shota Imanaga: 124 innings, 129 strikeouts, 3.62 ERA, 1.17 WHIP
• Paul Skenes: 94 innings, 119 strikeouts, 2.99 ERA, 1.12 WHIP
• Yoshinobu Yamamoto: 119 innings, 129 strikeouts, 3.62 ERA, 1.16 WHIP
• Jared Jones: 109 innings, 108 strikeouts, 3.97 ERA, 1.26 WHIP

Given that Skenes is already falling behind his peers and expected to pitch fewer innings for the remainder of the season, is he a viable candidate to win NL Rookie of the Year?

He has a chance of winning, but I believe it is smaller than the +750 odds imply, which gives him a nearly 12% implied probability.

Both Imanaga and Yamamoto have several years of professional experience with over 150 innings pitched, and they are key players on playoff-contending teams that rely on them in the final stretch. The Pirates, on the other hand, are not in a similar position and are expected to manage the workload of both Skenes and Jones as the season continues.

If you bought a Skenes ticket when he was trading around +2000, then I don’t mind it. However, the hype has driven his odds up to a level where I am hesitant to bet on him, especially considering the tough competition he is up against.

Cy Young odds

As of May 24, the odds for the NL Cy Young award can be found below. For a complete overview of the MLB Cy Young odds, please refer to our full analysis.

Naturally, if we are losing confidence in Skenes’ chances for Rookie of the Year, it’s clear that we are not optimistic about his odds for the Cy Young award.

He simply won’t win this year, it’s as simple as that. Even if he were to receive Imanaga’s projected 124 innings, he would only have 140 for the year. That’s just not sufficient.

If you’re considering placing a bet on his +20000 odds through FanDuel or bet365, you might as well just take that money to your local corner store and buy a lottery ticket instead.

Regular-season strikeout total odds

I am placing my bet on a successful future for Skenes in 2024, and I have already made my wager while writing this.

Only DraftKings and bet365, two of our top sports betting apps, provide this market, with identical totals. While the odds may not be as attractive as those in other markets, this bet offers the highest likelihood of winning.

I am definitely betting on the Over in this case. It would be a mistake to underestimate Skenes’ ability to strike out batters based on what we have seen from him so far.

With Skenes starting the year with a high strikeout total and Steamer’s rest-of-season projection, the tall right-hander is on track to reach 140 strikeouts by the end of the season. However, in this competitive market, a few extra starts or additional innings could be the key to surpassing that milestone.

Even if Skenes reaches 120 innings, he will not win any of the awards mentioned. However, if he pitches 120 innings and his K/9 decreases from 11.81 to 11.5 or even 11, he will surpass his strikeout total.

We are aware that the mustachioed menace has the ability to accumulate strikeouts in large numbers, making the -105 odds on the Over of 144.5 at DraftKings too irresistible to pass up.

Regular-season wins total odds

Out of all our top sportsbooks, only DraftKings has this market available. It shows Skenes’ wins total at 6.5, with the Over at -135 and the Under at +115.

Given the unpredictable nature of victories, I must admit that I am not a huge supporter of this market. Skenes already has one win under his belt, and Steamer predicts he will earn seven more. However, the Pirates are not a strong team, and their bullpen has one of the highest ERAs in baseball.

Furthermore, the high juice on the Over makes this proposition even less attractive, as ideally, one would prefer to see odds around -110 on both sides for a bet like this.

This option may seem like a lure for less experienced bettors hoping to take advantage of the excitement surrounding Skenes. DraftKings may be banking on bettors thinking, “A good pitcher equals a lot of wins, right?”

Perhaps Skenes will achieve seven or more wins. However, I don’t find much worth in this market since only one of our sites with the top sportsbook promotions is offering it.

Here are our best MLB betting sites:

• Caesars Promo Code: SBRBONUS1000 | Read our Caesars Review
• BetMGM Bonus Code: SBRBONUS | Read our BetMGM Review
• bet365 Bonus Code: SBRBONUS | Read our bet365 Review
• BetRivers Promo Code: SBRBONUS | Read our BetRivers Review
• FanDuel Promo Code | Read our FanDuel Review
• DraftKings Promo Code | Read our DraftKings Review

*Bonuses are not valid in Ontario. If you are 21 or older and have a gambling problem, please call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Related pages

• Best Sports Betting Sites | Best Underscoreg Promos (U.S. on