NL Rookie of the Year Race: Did Spencer Strider's Historic Game Clinch the NL Rookie of the Year Award?

NL Rookie of the Year Race: Did Spencer Strider's Historic Game Clinch the NL Rookie of the Year Award?

The National League Rookie of the Year award is seemingly down to just two players with less than four weeks until the regular season. Atlanta Braves teammates Michael Harris and Spencer Strider have separated from their peers such as Christopher Morel and Brendan Donovan and are now the only viable candidates left to win the award.

On Thursday night, Strider took a massive step towards winning the award, but is it possible that Harris can do enough with his everyday role to gain some ground? Let's dive into their odds and determine who the winner will be. Ryan Kirksey breaks down the latest NL Rookie of the Year odds.

NL Rookie of the Year Odds Breakdown

Click Here for the latest NL Rookie of the Year odds

Michael Harris NL Rookie Of Year Odds: +270 (Bet $350 to win $100)

If this were any other year, Harris would likely be running away with the Rookie of the Year award in the National League. It's not every day you see a rookie come in straight from Double-A ball and slash .298/.344/.523 in his first 85 games. In addition to the strong batting line, he has 14 homers and 16 steals this season, and only nine other major leaguers boast at least those numbers.

At a time when the Braves were decimated by injuries to Ozzie Albies, Marcell Ozuna, and long stretches where it was clear Ronald Acuna was not right, Harris has been a revelation for their offense. Harris has already won the NL Rookie of the Month one time this season and is very likely to do it again in August. He hit .337/.400/.589 in the month with four homers and five stolen bases. He homered last night on the same night as Strider's masterpiece (more below), but he may have actually LOST ground in the race.

Spencer Strider NL Rookie of Year Odds -350 (Bet $350 to win $100)

On Thursday night, Strider might have put the nail in the coffin of the NL ROY race after he absolutely destroyed the Colorado Rockies, pitching eight innings with 16 strikeouts including no walks and no runs allowed. He entered the history books as well, trailing on Kerry Woods' 20 strikeouts for most by a rookie while also allowing no walks.

It was simply a masterful performance and one that will put him not just on the ROY fast track, but squarely in the front of the minds of voters and the general public. Strider has been putting up numbers all year already, however. In 114.2 innings, he is 9-4 with a 2.67 ERA and 13.66 strikeouts per nine innings. Those strikeouts are on par with pitchers like Jacob DeGrom and Max Scherzer.

Unless Harris can run off a Ruthian-like performance for the next 30 games, it's hard to imagine a scenario where Strider doesn't take the award and these current -350 odds start to really lengthen.

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