Before the 2025 MLB season gets going, I'm taking a crack at the futures market on DraftKings with a long-shot, two-leg parlay featuring Royals superstar Bobby Witt Jr. and Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Find out below why I like Witt to take home AL MVP honors and Yamamoto to win the NL Cy Young Award.
MLB Futures: +14200 Parlay for AL MVP & NL Cy Young
Bobby Witt Jr.
AL MVP (+450)
One of MLB's young stars, Bobby Witt Jr.'s trajectory has skyrocketed over the last two seasons.
In 2024, he solidified his place among baseball's elite as he had 32 HRs, 109 RBI and 31 stolen bases en route to a runner-up AL MVP finish. In terms of FanGraphs WAR (fWAR), he was second only to Aaron Judge, who won MVP for the second time in three seasons.
Can Witt make one more leap and win MVP? Here are some reasons why I think he can.
To start, there's his elite offensive product. Last season, Witt was one of only three players to post a 30-30 season, alongside José Ramírez and Shohei Ohtani.
With an increased barrel percentage that has steadily increased each year, I expect him to not only have the same production as 2024, but go even higher. Witt has also done a great job of lowering his strikeout rate:
- 2022: 21.4 K%
- 2023: 17.4 K%
- 2024: 15% K%
And he's not just an offensive force.
Witt's Outs Above Average (OAA) and Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) ranked amongst the best in baseball in 2024. Playing one of the most important positions, Witt has taken full control of the defensive end of things.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto
NL Cy Young (+2500)
While he didn't win Rookie of the Year in his inaugural MLB season, Yoshinobu Yamamoto was more than solid in 2024, posting a 3.00 ERA and 105 strikeouts over 90 innings in the regular season and a serviceable 3.86 ERA over 18 2/3 innings in the postseason to help the Dodgers win the World Series.
If he can stay healthy in the regular season, I believe he has a Cy Young push in him.
Yamamoto boasts a combination of elite control and strikeout stuff. Last season among NL pitchers who threw at least 90 innings, he was top 15 in walks per nine innings (2.20). He also has an arsenal of pitches that’ll keep hitters guessing. His fastball touches high 90s (average 95.5 mph), which he pairs with a curveball and splitter to strike opponents out at a frequent rate.
While he dealt with injuries last season, Yamamoto threw 160-180 innings with no problem over his last three seasons in Japan. He can handle a heavier workload and has clean mechanics; I project him close to 200 innings this season.
Last, but not least, pitching in the spotlight is why Yamamoto could win Cy Young. The Dodgers once again have World Series aspirations, and if Yamamoto racks up wins and strikeouts with a low ERA, voters may be inclined to vote his way.
