Bet Strikeout Leader Futures Odds at Caesars Sportsbook

Before the regular season commenced, I placed speculative bets on Spencer Strider (+190), Dylan Cease (+3000), and Mackenzie Gore (+25000) to lead the league in strikeouts. Unfortunately, Strider’s season has come to an end. Cease has amassed 40 strikeouts in 35.2 innings, averaging 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings, while my long-shot pick, Gore, has recorded 38 strikeouts in 31.0 innings, averaging 11.0 strikeouts per nine innings. Due to their solid starts, both Cease and Gore now offer lower rates of return a month into the baseball betting season. Currently, Tyler Glasnow leads the clubhouse with 53 strikeouts in 43 innings, averaging 11.1 strikeouts per nine innings. Consequently, he is the +600 favorite to lead the league in strikeouts according to Caesars Sportsbook, but we all know the injury bug will pay him a visit at some point. With plenty of season remaining and injuries likely to impact outcomes, it’s worth examining the current strikeout leaders’ futures odds market to identify any potential value bets worth considering.

Bet Most Strikeout Odds at Caesars Sportsbook

      *Remaining Players all 8-1 or greater

Kevin Gausman +3500

After a season where he recorded a career-high 237 strikeouts, Kevin Gausman seems to have experienced a significant decline in strikeouts in his third go-round since for the Blue Jays. The question arises whether the 33-year-old has reached a career plateau or if he simply needs more time to find his rhythm. Erring on the side of caution, I suggest considering a modest investment in Gausman, just in case there’s an underlying physical issue affecting his pitching arm. 

However, if he’s physically sound and merely experiencing a slow start, it might only be a matter of time until he regains his form as a strikeout artist. Over the past five seasons, Gausman has consistently averaged impressive strikeout rates of 11.7, 11.9, 10.6, 10.6, and 11.5, yet he currently sits at a mere 7.4 strikeouts per nine innings across six 2024 starts. Toronto’s lackluster performance as a team over the first month of the season suggests they’re due for positive regression soon. An increase in Gausman’s production could be a key catalyst for this turnaround.

Jack Flaherty +4000

At the beginning of the baseball betting season, oddsmakers largely overlooked Jack Flaherty when setting his odds to lead the league in strikeouts, as evidenced by the remarkable 200-1 rate of return. While Caesars likely didn’t suffer significant losses with this initial offering, Flaherty has since become a potential liability for them, having accumulated 50 strikeouts in 36.0 innings over six starts, placing him just behind Glasnow at the top of the strikeouts leaderboard. 

There’s often a pitcher or two that emerge unexpectedly to lead the league in various categories, despite being dismissed by MLB bettors. Flaherty could very well fit that description in 2024, especially with his veteran leadership contributing to the Detroit Tigers’ performance, which has surpassed expectations in the first month of play. If Flaherty can maintain his effectiveness with his 4-seam fastball, slider, and curve, it could signify a significant turnaround. Furthermore, ranking as a top-5 pitcher in swinging strike percentage and called strikes + whiffs bodes well for his future strikeout totals leading me to believe the current 40-1 return still has some meat on the bone to take advantage of.

Nick Lodolo +12500

Although Nick Lodolo’s sample size is smaller compared to the two pitchers mentioned above due to a late start, he’s left a strong impression on me by leading Cincinnati to victories in all four of his starts and amassing an intriguing strikeout total in the process. Across 24.0 innings pitched, the left-hander has recorded 31 strikeouts, translating to an impressive 11.6 strikeouts per nine innings. He has previously demonstrated his prowess as a premier strikeout pitcher, achieving outputs of 11.4 and 12.3 strikeouts per nine innings. However, health concerns have limited Lodolo to just 26 starts prior to the 2024 season.

The NL Central division has shown tendencies towards being one of the more aggressive-swinging leagues in baseball, with the Cubs, Brewers, Cardinals, and Pirates all exhibiting below-average strikeout rates. This bodes well for Lodolo, as a significant portion of his assignments will come against divisional opponents moving forward. Ranked 10th in strikeout percentage (33%) and already recording double-digit strikeout totals in half of his starts, I anticipate Lodolo’s fastball, curveball, and changeup combination to continue being effective and contribute to the Reds’ pursuit of NL Central supremacy.

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