We’ve already examined which MLB players we think might cash futures bets in offensive stat categories, but what about the pitchers? Aces are nastier than ever, but which of the game’s great hurlers will rack up the most strikeouts or pace the field in wins? Which closers will notch the most saves? SportsLine expert Angelo Magliocca looks at the pitching landscape across MLB ahead of the 2026 season and makes his case for who will lead the league in key statistical categories while also giving some options to stay away from.

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Magliocca, also known as “Amags” is a hugely profitable MLB capper who uses his deep knowledge of baseball to find value on player props, sides and totals. He is coming off another strong season at SportsLine. Over the 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 MLB seasons, Amags is up 133.4 units on straight bets and parlays while winning an additional 25.3 units on ladder plays. 

Here’s a look at his picks and analysis of World Series futures for the AL and NL in 2026.

MLB wins leader: Paul Skenes (+1400)

We saw how great Paul Skenes was in the World Baseball Classic against a Dominican Republic lineup filled with all stars, showing how dominant pitching can keep a dominant offense at bay any day of the week. Having a lineup that scores a bunch of runs has been a missing piece so far for the 2025 NL Cy Young winner, getting the third lowest average run support in the majors last year at just 3.16, far below MLB average, and something that will need to change for this bet to hit. Yet he wound up with 10 wins because of his impeccable ERA at 1.97, and holding opponents to the fourth lowest hit total of any pitcher with 180+ innings last year. 

The Pirates have finally invested (slightly) in upgrading their lineup, adding Brandon Lowe, Marcell Ozuna, and Ryan O’Hearn, all of whom have been All-Stars and will help them score more runs. Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds finally get some big league level help in the order, and I love Cruz as a real breakout star this year offensively too. Scoring more runs for Skenes is imperative to their success, and the offense is getting better at the same time it seems the young right-hander is getting better on the mound. Skenes ended last year with just 10 wins, and projects for around 13-14 this year, which would get us within striking distance of the leaders. With one of MLB’s most improved offenses behind him, getting to 15+ wins is well within the potential outcomes. We could be getting the best pitcher in baseball priced as the fourth or fifth option on the odds board. 

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MLB strikeouts leader: Logan Webb (+8000)

When betting this market, you’ll need to get at least a little bit lucky when it comes to the health of the pitchers you’re backing. We have Tarik Skubal, Garrett Crochet and Skenes at the top of the projected leaderboard here, each above 230 strikeouts. But after that tier, you have a bunch of pitchers in that 200 strikeout range, Logan Webb being one of them. Last year, Webb struck out 224 batters, leading all National League pitchers (including Skenes), but we’re getting odds as if he has absolutely no shot here. I get that regression is expected, but I also recognize Webb’s progression last year, where he adjusted the use of his changeup and cut back on the fastball but used it more in two-strike counts. He’s getting maturing and just pitched for Team USA, racking up 11 strikeouts in 8.2 innings of work. 

If something were to happen where Skubal and Crochet missed portions of the season, it would open the field up. If you’re trying to fade the top three options, how about the pitcher that’s led the MLB in innings pitched in two of the last three seasons, and recently tweaked his pitch arsenal to hunt more strikeouts? At this price, I can’t pass it up.

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MLB saves leader: Daniel Palencia (+2500)

It may be tough to overtake Edwin Diaz for this award with how many wins the Dodgers are projected to rack up this year, but we’re going to try. Daniel Palencia has as much talent as any reliever in baseball, with a fastball that tops 100 mph and a hard slider that has a nearly 40% whiff rate. The Cubs are in line to win the NL Central if all goes to plan and the Brewers don’t come up with another historic effort to overtake them. The Pirates are young and exciting but they lack depth, which should catch up with them over 162 games. The Reds have already been hit with a Hunter Greene injury, so we’ll need to see how they recover, but I’m not sold on the offense or bullpen either. And the Cardinals are already half torn apart as they enter a rebuild. 

In the end, winning just 88 games could take this division and it could get tight if the Brewers play well, so having Palencia to help shorten games will be huge. He wasn’t really used as a closer until late May last year, yet he picked up 22 saves, spanning from May 21 to Sept. 2. Producing 22 saves in just over three months has me excited to see what he can do with full ownership of the ninth inning now. Palencia joins last year’s leader, Carlos Estevez, as my two picks in this market.

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Tyler Reddick continued his dominant start to the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series with his fourth win of the season at Darlington, drawing praise from rivals, including Ryan Blaney. The 23XI Racing driver has been the benchmark early in the year, and his latest performance in the Goodyear 400 only reinforced that.

Reddick sits at the top of the NASCAR standings with 325 points. He has led the most laps (189) this season, secured three poles, and hasn’t finished beyond 13th so far. Across track types, the No. 45 Toyota has consistently shown speed that others have struggled to match.

Ryan Blaney, who sits second in the standings, admitted that he has no clear answer to Reddick’s pace advantage. When asked what sets the 23XI driver apart, he said:

“I don’t know. He just goes faster… I wish I could point something out, but he’s just faster. And Tyler is an amazing racecar driver. Always has been. And they’ve got it going on over there right now. And momentum is a big thing. Once they find something, it’s a big thing. And pair that with a really good team, really good race car driver, you’re going to get this stuff.” (2:55 onwards)

Tyler Reddick’s Darlington win highlighted that advantage. Despite dealing with an alternator issue in the opening stretch, running without his cooling system, and dropping back after a battery change, he still drove through the field. His pace on long runs allowed him to erase a late deficit and pass Brad Keselowski for the win.

Even within his own team, the performance stood out. Denny Hamlin, co-owner of 23XI Racing, admitted that the No. 45 had an edge in every phase of the corner.

“He was faster on the entry, the middle and the exit. I do not know. I’ll study it and try to learn something from it because clearly they got it figured out,” he said via FOX.

Keselowski, who finished second, pointed to both car performance and execution:

“Tyler is a great driver. You shouldn’t take anything away from that. But they’re clearly up on horsepower and downforce right now, and he’s making that count. So he deserves a lot of credit.”

Ryan Blaney, meanwhile, was one of the big performers of the Goodyear 400 behind Tyler Reddick, turning his own race into a recovery drive to a third-place finish.

Ryan Blaney recovers from setbacks to secure strong Darlington finish behind Tyler Reddick

Ryan Blaney’s race was defined by execution swings rather than pace limitations. After starting seventh, he moved early and finished Stage 1 in third, challenging at the front. However, a pit road penalty between stages dropped him deep in the field.

The No. 12 Team Penske responded with steady progress through Stage 2, climbing back to 12th. Another issue on pit road later in the race again shuffled him to the back, but Blaney worked his way forward again.

“I’m proud of us keeping our head down all day and finishing where we did. I thought the 45 (Tyler Reddick) was probably the best guy by a little bit, and then I thought me and the 6 (Brad Keselowski) were pretty kind of close right behind him. I think the three of us were kind of the class of the field, and us three finished top three. So, I was just happy,” he said post race. (onwards)

The result moved Ryan Blaney up to second in the standings with 230 points. The series now heads to Martinsville Speedway, a track where Blaney has historically been strong, while Tyler Reddick is still searching for his first win.