NL Rookie of the Year Odds: Shota Imanaga Is Sprinting Ahead

We're finishing up the first two months of the 2024 MLB season, and it sure looks like pitchers are dominating the scene. The league average ERA is sitting at a 3.96 mark so far in 2024 -- in 2023, it finished at 4.33.

A not-insignificant reason for the resurgence in defense has been the influx of new talent at the position bolstering bullpens and revitalizing rotations. As of this writing, each of the top four frontrunners to win the National League's Rookie of the Year award are pitchers -- even the most promising NL batting prospects have struggled to make an impact in this current pitching-friendly environment.

Which first-year pitchers are making their presence felt in the Major Leagues this year? Let's check out FanDuel Sportsbook's NL Rookie of the Year odds to see how things stand as we near the end of May.

All MLB odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook and may change after this article is published.

NL Rookie of the Year Odds

Shota Imanaga, Chicago Cubs (-110)

If the season ended next month instead of in September, the 2024 NL Rookie of the Year award would belong to Chicago Cubs ace Shota Imanaga. Even with some other standouts in the National League's rookie ranks, Imanaga has firmly established himself as the frontrunner.

His 0.84 ERA is the single best mark in all of baseball, let alone among rookie hurlers. He's 5-0 on the mound across 9 starts and is averaging more than a strikeout per inning. Batters facing him have recorded a paltry .489 OPS on the year.

If Imanaga can keep this up, it'll be hard -- but not impossible -- for anyone to unseat him as the NL's Rookie of the Year. It looks like he can keep it up, too, considering his 92nd-percentile expected ERA is a sterling 2.62 mark, as well.

Heck, Imanaga might win the NL Cy Young. The market like his chances of taking home the coveted award this season -- only Zack Wheeler's +350 NL Cy Young odds outrank Imanaga's +480 odds.

It looks like the Cubs signed a true ace in Imanaga this past offseason, and it's making them look like legit contenders. They have the fourth-shortest odds to make the MLB playoffs in the National League (-180) and are hot on the Milwaukee Brewers' (+120) heels for the shortest odds to win the NL Central (+135).

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Los Angeles Dodgers (+480)

Los Angeles Dodgers rookie Yoshinobu Yamamoto entered the season as one of the frontrunners to win the NL Rookie of the Year award, and he hasn't really done anything to hurt his case. He just hasn't been quite as good as Imanaga has been so far, but there's still plenty of season left for him to gain ground on the Cubs' lefty.

Yamamoto is the owner of a 5-1 record this year. He's been keeping pace with the Dodgers' other top-notch pitchers and is even striking out batters at a higher rate than Imanaga is (10.2 per 9 innings). Apart from his shaky Majors debut, Yamamoto has been elite.

May has been kind to Yamamoto. He has pitched to an elite 0.69 ERA during this month, the fifth-best mark among qualified starters. It has resulted in just a single win for the rookie, but he'll have plenty more chances at notching wins with the Dodgers this year.

The Dodgers are the favorites to finish with baseball's best regular season record (+145), and they boast a pair of MVP frontrunners.

Jared Jones, Pittsburgh Pirates (+750)

Jared Jones is having one of the most exciting, out-of-nowhere breakout rookie seasons in recent memory.

Despite entering the year as a relatively unheralded prospect, the Pittsburgh Pirates' righty has worked to a solid 3.05 ERA with a killer 0.96 WHIP through 10 starts. Sadly, those impressive outings have resulted in only a 3-4 record on a mediocre Pirates team, but it's still worth highlighting his individual efforts.

That said, Jones might have a bit of a difficult path to taking home the NL Rookie of the Year award. In addition to beating out Imanaga and Yamamoto, he has some serious competition from within his own team. As good as Jones has been this year, he'll need to step up his game to escape Paul Skenes' shadow.

Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates (+750)

Speaking of Skenes, the top pick in the 2023 MLB Draft looks poised to make a run up the Rookie of the Year odds. The top pitching prospect in baseball finally made his MLB debut after dominating the Triple-A scene to open up the year, and it sure looks like his stuff is translating to the pros.

We've seen only three starts from Skenes in the bigs, but he's been excellent. He has already struck out 21 batters in just 16 innings of work and has a strong 1.00 WHIP to match his 2.25 ERA. He's had better luck than Jones already in the win column, as well, posting a nearly perfect 2-0 start to his career.

The rookie's fastball is averaging a 99th-percentile 99.7 miles per hour. Batters are whiffing on his pitches at an absurd 38.3% rate. When they do make contact, hitters have turned in a 64.7% ground-ball rate.

It's early days yet, but Skenes has fully lived up to the hype. If he keeps it up the rest of the way, he could give Imanaga and Yamamoto a serious run for the NL ROY award. These +750 odds might only shorten from here on out.

Take your sports betting to the next level with the FanDuel Parlay Hub! Explore a curated selection of popular parlays for trending games on FanDuel Sportsbook. Learn about today’s other offers at FanDuel Sportsbook Promos.

Looking for more MLB betting opportunities? Check out all the MLB odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook and FanDuel Daily Fantasy today!

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.