Corey Kluber given third-best odds to win AL Cy Young

When Cleveland Indians ace Corey Kluber takes the mound on Opening Day, he will not only be leading the second-best rotation in baseball, but also starting his quest to earn his second American League Cy Young award. While the season may still be just under two weeks away, Bovada has released their AL Cy Young odds. Kluber is tied for third on the list with former Indian Chris Archer, with 6-to-1 odds.

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Following his Cy Young-winning season in 2014, Kluber pitched well last season but didn’t get much help from his offense. The 29-year-old posted a 3.49 ERA with 245 strikeouts, 45 walks, and four complete games in 222 innings (32 starts). He pitched well for most of the year but had just a 9-16 record to show for it, . His 16 losses led the American League, but that was largely due to the Indians’ offense — or lack thereof. The offense provided an average of 3.32 runs per nine innings when Kluber was on the hill, including two or fewer runs in a whopping 21 of 32 starts.

While not garnering much run support in the majority of his starts, Kluber did all he could to try and help his team get a win every time he took the mound. He led the American League in complete games with four, had an 18-strikeout game in May against a good St. Louis Cardinals lineup, and had a better WHIP (1.054 to 1.095) and strikeout to walk ratio (5.44 to 5.27) than in his Cy Young-winning season. Despite the 16 losses, Kluber still finished in ninth place among the 2015 AL Cy votes-getters, which truly showed that his record was more unlucky than anything, purely due to his offense – or lack thereof – during his starts.

With the signings the Indians have made this offseason, their offense will likely improve, helping Kluber and company in each start with increased run support.

Like Bovada, Sports Insights also gave Kluber the third-best odds of winning the Cy Young in the American League.