David Adler@_dadler– MLB.com
Will one of the nastiest aces of his generation finally get his elusive first Cy Young Award? That’s the storyline to watch in the latest MLB.com Cy Young Award poll.
Chris Sale’s return to dominance with the Braves has made him an All-Star for the eighth time in his career. It also makes him a Cy Young frontrunner in the National League, as Sale takes over the No. 1 spot from Zack Wheeler in our fourth poll of the 2024 season. Meanwhile, Tarik Skubal continues to dominate on the American League side.
MLB.com’s experts ranked their top five Cy Young picks in each league, based on what’s happened so far this season and what they expect will happen the rest of the year. Players received vote points on a 5-4-3-2-1 scale — five points for a first-place vote, four points for a second-place vote and so on, with 39 voters participating in the final poll of the first half of the 2024 season.
Here are the results. (All stats are entering the week.)
AMERICAN LEAGUE
1. Tarik Skubal, Tigers (24 1st-place votes)
Skubal has led the last three editions of the AL Cy Young Award poll. The left-hander is 10-3 with a 2.37 ERA and 132 strikeouts in 110 innings this season, ranking third in the AL in all three Triple Crown categories. Skubal is also coming off his most dominant performance of the year, a seven-inning, one-run, 13-strikeout gem to beat the Reds on Sunday — the same day he was named an All-Star for the first time in his career.
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2. Corbin Burnes, Orioles (10 1st-place votes)
Burnes has been in the top three of every Cy Young poll as he continues to roll along for the AL-best O’s. Burnes was just named an All-Star for the fourth consecutive season, but for the first time in the AL. The Baltimore ace is 9-3 with a 2.32 ERA and 105 strikeouts in 18 starts this season, and has held his opponent to three runs or fewer in 17 of those 18 starts.
Corbin Burnes’ six strikeouts
3. Seth Lugo, Royals (3 1st-place votes)
Who would have predicted that Lugo would be an All-Star and a Cy Young contender in 2024? The Royals’ veteran right-hander is both of those things for the first time. Lugo is 11-3 with a 2.21 ERA and 110 strikeouts this season, by far the best of his career. He leads the Majors in wins, ERA, innings pitched (122) and quality starts (15).
Seth Lugo strikes out 10 against the Guardians
4. Garrett Crochet, White Sox (2 1st-place votes)
Crochet’s breakout year in the White Sox rotation continues, and he’s now in the top five of our Cy Young Award poll for the first time. The 25-year-old left-hander leads the Majors with 146 strikeouts, and those 146 K’s have come in 105 1/3 innings, giving Crochet an MLB-best 12.5 K/9. He has six games with double-digit strikeouts, tied with Tyler Glasnow for the most of any pitcher — and twice as many as any other pitcher in the AL.
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5. Logan Gilbert, Mariners
The Mariners have one of the most solid rotations in baseball, and Gilbert has been their workhorse. The big right-hander has a 2.91 ERA and 108 strikeouts in 117 2/3 innings this season, leading Seattle’s core starters (Gilbert, Luis Castillo, George Kirby and Bryce Miller) in both ERA and innings pitched.
Others receiving votes: Tanner Houck (Red Sox), Cole Ragans (Royals), Ronel Blanco (Astros), Emmanuel Clase (Guardians), Joe Ryan (Twins), George Kirby (Mariners), Grayson Rodriguez (Orioles), Jack Flaherty (Tigers), Tyler Anderson (Angels)
NATIONAL LEAGUE
1. Chris Sale, Braves (18 1st-place votes)
The Cy Young Award is the trophy Sale has never won, despite being a finalist twice and finishing in the top six of voting for seven consecutive seasons from 2012-18. His move to the National League might be what sparks him to the first Cy Young of his 14-year career. Sale is 11-3 with a 2.71 ERA and 127 strikeouts in 99 2/3 innings for Atlanta, ranking first in the NL in wins, second in ERA and third in K’s.
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2. Zack Wheeler, Phillies (11 1st-place votes)
Wheeler is also a dominant veteran looking for his first career Cy Young Award. He led our poll in each of the last two editions, and no one would be surprised if the ace of the MLB-best Phillies gets his Cy Young trophy this season. Wheeler, an All-Star for the second time since coming to Philadelphia, is 9-4 with a 2.74 ERA and 119 strikeouts in 111 2/3 innings.
Zack Wheeler strikes out seven
3. Ranger Suárez, Phillies (7 1st-place votes)
Wheeler and Suárez will both represent the Phillies in the 2024 All-Star Game, and for good reason. They’ve been one of the best tandems in baseball all season. Suárez is 10-3 with a 2.58 ERA and 106 strikeouts in 108 innings. He’s still second in the NL ERA race despite hitting a rough patch over his last couple of starts.
Ranger Suárez’s six strikeouts
4. Tyler Glasnow, Dodgers (1 1st-place vote)
Glasnow is the National League leader in strikeouts, with 143. He’s racked up those K’s in 109 innings, giving him a league-leading 11.8 K/9, too, and his six double-digit K games equal Crochet for the most in MLB. The big right-hander was named to the All-Star team for the first time in his career, and he’s on pace to shatter his career highs for innings pitched and K’s in his first season with the Dodgers.
5. Logan Webb, Giants
The veteran sinkerballer is one of the most reliable workhorses in baseball. Webb leads the NL with 119 1/3 innings pitched this season, and has a 3.09 ERA and 103 strikeouts. Webb has gone at least seven innings in 11 of his 19 starts, the most such starts of any pitcher in the Majors (two more than Sale).
Logan Webb’s solid outing
Others receiving votes: Paul Skenes (Pirates — 1 1st-place vote), Reynaldo López (Braves — 1 1st-place vote), Max Fried (Braves), Jake Irvin (Nationals), Shota Imanaga (Cubs), Sonny Gray (Cardinals), Cristopher Sánchez (Phillies), Aaron Nola (Phillies), Ryan Helsley (Cardinals), Gavin Stone (Dodgers), Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Dodgers)
Did you like this story?
In this story:
- Tarik Skubal
- Corbin Burnes
- Seth Lugo
- Garrett Crochet
- Logan Gilbert
- Chris Sale
- Zack Wheeler
- Ranger Suarez
- Tyler Glasnow
- Logan Webb
David Adler is a reporter for MLB.com based in New York.