AL Rookie of the Year Odds: Colton Cowser Takes Commanding Lead Over Luis Gil

Reed Wallach | Aug 13, 2024

Jul 29, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles outfielder Colton Cowser (17) reacts after hitting a home run during the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-USA TODAY Sports / Reggie Hildred-USA TODAY Sports

The American League Rookie of the Year race has been an interesting one to follow. 

Colton Cowser set the Major League Baseball masses on fire in the first month of the season, but a prolonged slump paved the way for the likes of Luis Gil to emerge as the favorite. The Yankees right hander has been pivotal to the team’s success, but not as consistent as a typical winner of the award. 

While Gil has been volatile over the past two months, Cowser has found his form at the top of the Orioles lineup to become the runaway favorite in the betting market to win the award, but how ahead is he? 

Here’s the betting odds for AL Rookie of the Year with a handful of contenders trying to chase down the Orioles outfielder. 

2024 American League Rookie of the Year Odds

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

• Colton Cowser: -220
• Luis Gil: +280
• Austin Wells: +700
• Ceddanne Rafaela: +2500
• Wilyer Abreu: +2500

Colton Cowser Viewed as Heavy Favorite to Win AL Rookie of the Year

Cowser has used a torrid stretch since the All-Star break to pull away from the pack in terms of odds, but this race is still set to be close down the stretch. 

The Orioles outfielder is hitting .337 with six home runs and 20 RBI’s since the All-Star break to become the American League leader in WAR, per FanGraphs. However, he is viewed far less favorably in Baseball Reference’s calculation of the award, behind the likes of Gil and Wells, the two stud Yankees, as well as Abreu. 

While Rookie of the Year is typically geared towards position players, Gil has been able to keep pace with the likes of Cowser, the premiere hitter, and Wells, who is off a hot stretch, coupled with elite defense at catcher with fantastic season long metrics. 

Gil has a 3.06 ERA while striking out nearly 11 batters per nine innings and allowing less than six hits per nine. However, if Cowser is able to maintain his form down the stretch, he is likely going to put together a statistical case that can’t be ignored. It's worth noting that Cowser took 16 first place votes to Gil's 14 in the early August MLB.com poll for AL ROY.

Colton Cowser swats his 17th homer of the year for the @Orioles!

The outfielder leads rookies in roundtrippers, and ranks in the top 5 in XBH (34), SLG (.459) and OPS (.791). pic.twitter.com/P23pFOPrnM

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 8, 2024

Wells has been able to enter the race with solid hitting to go with his elite fielding behind the plate, but his numbers pale in comparison to the red-hot Cowser that he is the clear choice at this point in the season, but will it hold up as the season winds down? 

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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