2025 MLB Season Strikeout Leader Odds & Projections: Who Will Be the King of Ks This Season?
Written by: Eddie Griffin
Last Updated: Tue Mar 25, 2025, 09:18 AM
Read Time: 5 minutes
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In 2024, the MLB strikeout leader charts finished in a way that had not been seen since 1958.
Will we see a return to the norm this season, or will injuries and other factors combine to impact the leaderboard again?
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What did baseball look like in 1958?
- The rivalry between the Dodgers and Giants, which is one of the biggest rivalries in American sports, moved from New York to California as the two teams relocated to Los Angeles and San Francisco respectively.
- There were 16 MLB teams, split evenly across the American League and National League.
- Nine teams who have since won the World Series at least once did not exist yet: the Mets, Royals, Blue Jays, Diamondbacks, Angels, Marlins, Astros, Nationals, and Rangers. The Twins, who have two World Series titles, were still the Washington Senators.
- Two teams had yet to integrate. The Detroit Tigers did that year, and the Boston Red Sox did the following year.
- At the age of 39, Ted Williams led the American League in batting with a .328 average in his 17th MLB season.
- Red Sox outfielder Jackie Jensen, the only person to play in a Rose Bowl, World Series, and MLB All-Star Game, was named AL MVP after hitting .286 with 35 homers and 122 RBI.
- The New York Yankees won the 18th of their 27 all-time World Series titles, defeating the Milwaukee Braves in a seven-game series.
That season, the MLB strikeout leader charts were topped by Sam Jones of the St. Louis Cardinals, who had 225 strikeouts in 250 innings across 35 starts.
Since then, every MLB strikeout leader in a full season had tallied at least 230 Ks.
That is, until last season. Atlanta’s Chris Sale and Detroit’s Tarik Skubal led their respective leagues in wins, strikeouts, and ERA and claimed Cy Young Award honors for their magic on the mound.
But both fell short of 230 strikeouts, with Sale finishing three behind Skubal, who led the majors with 228.
2024 MLB Strikeout Leaders
- 1. Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers – 228
- 2. Chris Sale, Atlanta Braves – 225
- t3. Zack Wheeler, Philadelphia Phillies – 224
- t3. Dylan Cease, San Diego Padres – 224
- 5. Cole Ragans, Kansas City Royals – 223
- 6. Logan Gilbert, Seattle Mariners – 220
- 7. Garrett Crochet, Chicago White Sox – 209
- 8. Yusei Kikuchi, Toronto Blue Jays/Houston Astros – 206
- 9. Sonny Gray, St. Louis Cardinals – 203
- 10. Michael King, San Diego Padres – 201
Don’t expect it to happen again this season, provided the biggest names can remain healthy.
That wasn’t the case last year. After leading the league with 281 strikeouts in 2023, Spencer Strider’s 2024 ended after only two starts and UCL surgery.
Strider’s return should come early this season, but he isn’t one of the favorites given the uncertain timetable.
Who is the favorite? That would be Paul Skenes, the 2024 NL Rookie of the Year. After being drafted first overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2023 MLB Draft, Skenes made his big league debut on May 11 and finished 11-3 in 23 starts, with a 1.96 ERA and 170 strikeouts in 133 innings.
One name missing from the list that has been a frequent favorite is Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole, the league’s strikeout leader in 2019 and 2022. Cole was limited to 17 starts last year due to elbow issues, and after experiencing more issues in spring training this year, Cole will miss this season due to Tommy John surgery.
2025 MLB Strikeout Leader Odds
Odds are courtesy of BetOnline as of Tuesday, March 25, 2025.
- Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates +400
- Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers +600
- Dylan Cease, San Diego Padres +750
- Garrett Crochet, Boston Red Sox +850
- Jacob deGrom, Texas Rangers +1000
- Blake Snell, Los Angeles Dodgers +1200
- Cole Ragans, Kansas City Royals +2000
- Zack Wheeler, Philadelphia Phillies +2000
- Chris Sale, Atlanta Braves +2200
- Hunter Greene, Cincinnati Reds +2500
- Logan Gilbert, Seattle Mariners +2500
- Corbin Burnes, Arizona Diamondbacks +2500
- Robbie Ray, San Francisco Giants +3300
- Spencer Strider, Atlanta Braves +3300
- Freddy Peralta, Milwaukee Brewers +4000
- Yusei Kikuchi, Los Angeles Angels +5000
- Tyler Glasnow, Los Angeles Dodgers +5000
- Jack Flaherty, Detroit Tigers +5000
- Michael King, San Diego Padres +6000
- Nine at +6600: Luis Castillo (Mariners), Aaron Nola (Phillies), Kevin Gausman (Blue Jays), Sonny Gray (Cardinals), Pablo Lopez (Twins), Carlos Rodon (Yankees), Mackenzie Gore (Nationals), Kodai Senga (Mets), Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers)
2025 Strikeout Projections for MLB Betting Favorites
Reputable betting tools and resources are key whether you bet on MLB odds, NFL odds, or NBA odds. And when it comes to MLB futures bets, player projections are a helpful way to help determine how to bet on MLB strikeout leader odds, other odds for individual player performance and statistical leaders, and MLB award odds.
Here are some of the best sites for checking out and keeping up with MLB player projections:
- Baseball Reference Marcel Projections
- ESPN Fantasy Rankings and Player Projections
- FanGraphs
- FantasyPros
Along with being helpful for MLB home run leader odds and other player futures, these sites can be helpful for MLB prop bets, as well as generally improving your MLB knowledge. Use them to your advantage to become a better bettor.
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