The AL Cy Young Award race offers different contenders. We’re starting to get a better idea of who the top pitchers are for the coveted award. While Shohei Ohtani was an early favorite before the season began, a few other names are standing out in the pack. As of June 6, an early look features a wide variety of options. Teams like the Tampa Bay Rays and Minnesota Twins have some of the best pitching staffs in the game. That, and a few other notable names are worth watching after two months into the season. Plenty of starters are in contention, and we examined the NL Cy Young front runners already. Here we take a look at the early front runners for the award in the AL.
Early AL Cy Young Front Runners
Nathan Eovaldi
Stats: 8-2, 2.24 ERA, 77 SO, 12 GS, 2 GC, 1 SHO, 80 1/3 IP, 0.3 HR/9, 8.6 SO/9, 0.934 WHIP
Eovaldi has been on top of his game all season long with the Texas Rangers. He was named AL Pitcher of the Month for May as he’s making his case as one of the best pitchers in the game. The right-hander went out again against the Seattle Mariners, throwing seven strikeouts while allowing one hit, no earned runs in six innings. He remains undefeated, as he has a 0.68 ERA and 0.69 WHIP over his last seven starts. The former All-Star has just been able to go out and consistently keep the ball out of the middle of the plate.
Gerrit Cole
Stats: 7-0, 2.82 ERA, 84 SO, 13 GS, 79 2/3 IP, 0.9 HR/9, 9.5 SO/9, 1.130 WHIP
Cole is looking like a top contender once again. With more than one starter in the New York Yankees rotation injured, Cole has the pitching staff on his back. His first four starts of the season were his finest since signing the nine-year $324 million deal in 2020. His first two starts were flawless, going scoreless in both appearances. He went 4-0 with a 0.95 ERA with only one walk then struck out 10 Twins batters. He’s gone 7-0 with a 2.82 ERA and 84 strikeouts over 79 2/3 innings in his last ten starts. Cole is the first Yankees pitcher to have a sub-1.00 ERA with at least 30 strikeouts through his first four outings in 2023.
Joe Ryan
Stats: 7-3, 2.76 ERA, 80 SO, 12 GS, 71 1/2 IP, 0.8 HR/9, 10.0 SO/9, 0.949 WHIP
It appears that Ryan is putting it all together in 2023. Across his first 10 starts, he has a record of 7-1 with, 2.21 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 10.3 K/9, and 0.6 HR/9. Minnesota has the pitching and the offense to support him. In return, Ryan has given a pair of quality starts against the Yankees. He even had quality starts against one of the dangerous lineups of the Cleveland Guardians, Boston Red Sox, and Los Angeles Angels.
Shane McClanahan
Stats: 9-1, 2.02 ERA, 87 SO, 13 GS, 75 2/3 IP, 1.0 HR/9, 10.3 SO/9, 1.150 WHIP
McClanahan is one of the game’s top aces in the Al. Despite his walk rate going up, the lefty is missing bats at an elite level with a 93rd-percentile whiff rate. His four-seam fastball has the highest average velocity among southpaw starters at 96.8 mph. He’s coming off his first loss of the season, allowing two runs over 5 2/3 innings against the Cubs. The right-hander was looking to become the first Rays pitcher ever to start the season 9-0. He’s first in the majors in wins and is third in the AL in strikeouts with 87.
Sonny Gray
Stats: 4-1, 2.15 ERA, 71 SO, 12 GS, 67 IP, 0.1 HR/9, 9.5 SO/9, 1.224 WHIP
The second Twins pitcher is the 11-year veteran himself. Gray has been as good as his teammate Ryan in 2023, as evidenced by his 2.15 ERA, good for third in the AL. Similar to McClanahan, Gray hasn’t gone deep into his starts. He went six innings in two starts but has gone less than six in his last three starts, but has been able to limit runs. Gray received Cy Young votes twice in his career, with his highest finish coming in 2015 when he finished third.
Shohei Ohtani
Stats: 5-2, 3.30 ERA, 96 SO, 12 GS, 71 IP, 1.3 HR/9, 12.2 SO/9, 1.014 WHIP
The two-way player has hit a stumble on the mound of late. Ohtani allowed six home runs with a 4.06 ERA in his last five starts. He had a 0.64 ERA with 36 strikeouts through his first five starts this season. However, he’s recently shown exploits in his dual role, pitching to a 6.12 ERA across a four-start span covering 25 innings. The right-hander still leads MLB in opponents’ batting average with .175, second in the AL in strikeouts with 96, and a career-best 12.2 K/9. His 33.8 SO% is only a 6.9 percent difference from the NL leader, Spencer Strider.
Other notable AL Cy Young contenders: Kevin Gausman, Luis Castillo, Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier
Photo Credit: © Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
Players mentioned: Shohei Ohtani, Spencer Strider, Nathan Eovaldi, Gerrit Cole, Joe Ryan, Shane McClanahan, Sonny Gray, Kevin Gausman, Luis Castillo, Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier
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