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2024 MLB Regular Season Strikeouts Leader Odds

Major League Baseball has plenty of quality pitchers, and in recent years, there have been more strikeouts than ever.

The league-wide strikeout total broke 40,000 for the first time in 2017 and hasn't dipped below since, except for the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.

But with analytics motivating teams to pull pitchers at the slightest sign of trouble, it can be hard for pitchers to build up big strikeout numbers over the course of the season.

That said, there are still a number of pitchers with the talent and durability to build up big strikeout numbers.

Let's take a look at the favorites to lead the MLB in regular season strikeouts in 2024.

2024 MLB Most Regular Season Strikeouts

Spencer Strider (ATL)

+125

Gerrit Cole (NYY)

+900

Kevin Gausman (TOR)

+1100

Hunter Greene (CIN)

+1500

Corbin Burnes (BAL)

+1800

Spencer Strider +125

Spencer Strider, a 25-year-old right-handed pitcher for the Atlanta Braves, led Major League Baseball in strikeouts in his second full MLB season. He struck out 281 batters. The pitcher in second place was Kevin Gausman of the Toronto Blue Jays, who struck out 237 batters.

That's a difference of 44 strikeouts. Strider started 32 games last season and pitched 186.2 innings, and that sort of durability is key when it comes to chasing awards - and maximizing a pitcher's value. Plus, he struck out 202 batters in 2022, his first full professional season - backing up the fact that 2023 wasn't a flash in the pan.

Gerrit Cole +900

New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole will begin 2024 on the injured list due to elbow soreness, which doesn't help his case when chasing the honor of leading MLB in strikeouts. If he misses more than a couple of starts, he'll have to post a historic strikeout rate to catch up to the talented pitchers who stay healthy this season.

But if anyone's capable of making history as a pitcher, it's Cole. He only won his first Cy Young Award in 2023, but he averaged over 10 strikeouts per nine innings pitched in each of the five seasons before his award-winning 2023. Cole is also the last pitcher to surpass 300 strikeouts in a season, doing so with 326 in 2019.

Kevin Gausman +1100

Now 32, Kevin Gausman has been pitching in MLB since he was 22, but he only broke out as a star in 2021. The Blue Jays ace's two All-Star appearances have come in 2021 and 2023.

Gausman has posted more than 200 strikeouts in each of the past three seasons, and he has started at least 30 games in each of those three campaigns. He won't be his team's Opening Day starter as he recovers from a shoulder injury, and time will tell if it will affect his season enough to impact his strikeout leader hopes.

Hunter Greene +1500

Hunter Greene, the second-overall draft pick in 2017 and a pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds, has struck out 316 batters in 46 career MLB appearances. He still has yet to break 25 starts in a season, much less the 30-plus starts that are usually required to be in the running to lead the league in any pitching stat.

Still, this third-year pro is a flamethrower: Greene set the record for most 100+ MPH pitches in a single game with 39 in 2022, and that record still stands. He averages 12 strikeouts per nine innings for his career, and if he can put up a similar number over 30+ starts, he has a chance to lead the league in strikeouts.

Corbin Burnes +1800

The newly-acquired pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles has posted at least 200 strikeouts in each of the last three seasons. Corbin Burnes is in his prime at 29 years old, and he broke out with a Cy Young Award-winning season in 2021.

Burnes posted 234 strikeouts in 167 innings pitched in that 2021 season with the Milwaukee Brewers, meaning he led the Majors with 12.6 strikeouts per nine innings. He has pitched over 190 innings in each of the last two seasons, and having a catcher as good as Adley Rutschman behind the plate certainly helps his chances.

Last 10 MLB Regular Season Strikeout Leaders by Season

Year

Player

Team

Strikeouts

2023

Spencer Strider

Atlanta Braves

281

2022

Gerrit Cole

New York Yankees

248

2021

Robbie Ray

Toronto Blue Jays

248

2020

Shane Bieber

Cleveland

122

2019

Gerrit Cole

Houston Astros

326

2018

Max Scherzer

Washington Nationals

300

2017

Chris Sale

Boston Red Sox

308

2016

Max Scherzer

Washington Nationals

284

2015

Clayton Kershaw

Los Angeles Dodgers

301

2014

David Price

Tampa Bay Rays/Detroit Tigers

271

Odds mentioned in this article were correct at the time of writing and are subject to change.

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