Yoshinobu Yamamoto's Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Odds Plummet After Awful Debut
To say Yoshinobu Yamamoto hasn't had a good spring would be an understatement.
The 25-year-old Japanese superstar signed a 12-year, 325-million-dollar contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers in early January and was immediately seen as one of the top five pitchers in the National League, if not all of Major League Baseball.
The right-hander went 70-29 with a 1.82 ERA in seven years in the Nippon Professional Baseball League and was seen as a savior for a Dodgers pitching staff ravaged by injuries to Clayton Kershaw, Tony Gonsolin, Emmett Sheehan, Dustin May and Walker Buehler.
Yamamoto was installed as the prohibitive favorite as National League Rookie of the Year at +180 odds at FanDuel Sportsbook as early as the first week of February and when the Seoul Series began those odds had improved slightly to +170, far and away ahead of his closest competitor, Jackson Chourio, who sat at +700.
Yamamoto's odds were not swayed by a spring that saw him struggle in three appearances, giving up 15 hits and recording an 8.38 ERA in 9.2 innings pitched.
Yamamoto was also tied for sixth in NL Cy Young Award odds with the Dodgers opening game starter, Tyler Glasnow at +1400 as the first pitch of the 2024 season was thrown.
An adjustment period was expected, but the Dodgers also expected Yamamoto to be ready when the regular season bell rang.
That may still happen, but Yamamoto was blasted by the San Diego Padres in his debut, lasting only one inning, giving four hits, a walk and five runs, leaving with an ERA of 45.00.
Yamamoto threw only 23 strikes on 43 pitches and threw first-pitch strikes to just two of the nine batters he faced.
Asked Yoshinobu Yamamoto about his uncharacteristic command issues:
— Doug McKain (@DMAC_LA) March 21, 2024
"I wasn't able to execute pitches from the stretch. I know how to fix it, and I'm going to talk to my pitching coaches, Mark [Prior] and Connor [McGuiness], and then get myself ready for the next one." pic.twitter.com/vaPvqFiXAI
Yoshinobu Yamamoto NL Rookie of The Year NL Cy Young Odds After Debut
A few hours after his debut, his odds at FanDuel Sportsbook had jumped to +2000 for NL Cy Young Award (tied for 10th) and while he was still the favorite for NL Rookie of The Year, the odds had grown to +250 and Chourio closed the gap and now sits at +650.
One start does not a season make, but put together with his struggles in the spring, it's only a matter of time until doubts begin to creep in if the results are similar next time out.
On the other hand, for Yamamoto believers this could be seen as a minor blip and an opportunity to bet on Yamamoto for either the NL Cy Young Award or NL Rookie of The Year Award at inflated numbers and increased value.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.