LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JULY 19: Tampa Bay Rays’ Shane McClanahan #18 plays in the first inning during the 92nd MLB All-Star Game Presented by Mastercard at Dodger Stadium on July 19, 2022 in Los Angeles, California becomes. Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/Getty Images via AFP)
Plenty of young pitchers are pushing into the American League’s Cy Young race this season. That includes current favorite Shane McClanahan, a sophomore for the Tampa Bay Rays.
McClanahan’s top competition at this point in the season is an experienced starter coming back after missing most of the past two seasons through injury. There are enough high quality contenders at this point that no pitcher leaves the others that far behind and that should make for a compelling race all the way.
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AL Cy Young Odds
On the All-Star break, here’s a look at the top contenders for the American League’s Cy Young Award:
Shane McClanahan
In his second major league season, the Rays southpaw, 25, has a 10-3 record and leads the American League with a 1.71 ERA and .80 WHIP with 12.0 K/9 in 18 starts on. He has accumulated 3.2 FanGraphs WAR and is runner-up in the American League.
Those numbers are more than enough to justify winning the award, but McClanahan also has plenty of competition.
Justin Verlander
The Astros ace, a 39-year-old returning to action following Tommy John’s surgery, has won two American League Cy Young Awards in 2011 and 2019. This season, Verlander is 12-3, with a 1.89 ERA and .88 WHIP, with an 8.9 K/9 in 17 starts. He ranks third in the American League with a 2.9 fWAR.
Shhei Ohtani
The 28-year-old two-way threat, American League MVP favorite, is having his best pitching season in the major leagues. In 15 starts for the Angels, he’s 9-4 with a 2.38 ERA, .99 WHIP, and 12.7 K/9. He has 2.9 fWAR just for his pitching contributions this season, putting Ohtani within Cy Young’s reach.
Gerrit Kohl
While he has yet to win a Cy Young Award, Cole has finished in the top five in each of the past four seasons. In 19 starts for the Yankees, Cole is 9-2 with a 3.02 ERA and .98 WHIP with an 11.7 K/9. He has 2.2 fWAR, which isn’t quite where the other leaders sit.
If Cole continues to serve at this level for the team with the best record in baseball, he might have a chance.
All 12 of Gerrit Cole's strikeouts from today! pic.twitter.com/ZlaNsGXtmI
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) July 17, 2022
Dylan stops
In his fourth MLB season, the White Sox starter has steadily improved season after season, but this season he’s improved even more dramatically. In 19 starts, Cease is 9-4 with a 2.15 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, an American League leading 12.9 K/9, and has accumulated 2.9 fWAR. His walk rate is higher than other elite pitchers, but Cease was still very effective.
Kevin Gausman
The 31-year-old is Toronto’s big offseason free-agent signing and leads the American League pitchers with a 3.7 fWAR. In 17 starts, Gausman has a 6-7 record with a 2.87 ERA and 1.29 WHIP. His FIP is an MLB best of 1.85 and has a 10.1 K/9. He has only allowed three home runs in 94 innings.
Will Gausman be able to win even with big underlying numbers if his surface numbers aren’t on par with other top contenders?
Alec Manoah
The second-year Blue Jays starter has taken a small step forward and posted a 10-4 record with a 2.28 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 8.1 K/9. That strikeout rate is lower than Manoah’s rookie season, and he has a 2.3 fWAR, likely putting him slightly outside the ring of top contenders for the award.
Logan Gilbert
Another MLB sophomore, Gilbert, has quickly emerged as the Mariners ace, going 10-3 with a 2.76 ERA and 1.15 WHIP at 8.4K/9.
Despite having a 1.9 fWAR, this season could be a little early for Gilbert to emerge as a Cy Young champion.
Shane Bieber
While Cleveland’s personal ace only has a 4-5 record, he also has a 3.24 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 9.0 K/9. He’s up to a 2.8 fWAR through 17 starts, so the 2020 AL Cy Young winner may still have a fighting chance if he finishes the season strong.
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Scott Cullen
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Scott Cullen is a sports betting analyst for SportsbookReview.com and one of the best known sports betting writers on the web. He wrote about fantasy sports for TSN for many years and has also written for The Athletic, NHL.com, The Hockey News, Monkey Knife Fight and McKeen’s Hockey. Born in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, Cullen studied economics at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario and played for the Laurier Golden Hawks ice hockey team.