Cease's near-Cy season adds All-MLB honors

SAN DIEGO -- Add another award to Dylan Cease's 2022 résumé. The White Sox right-hander was named to the All-MLB Second Team for starting pitchers, which was announced Monday at MLB’s Winter Meetings.

• All-MLB Team presented by Arm & Hammer and OxiClean

Cease was joined by Julio Urías of the Dodgers, Max Fried of the Braves, Aaron Nola of the Phillies and Max Scherzer of the Mets as part of what would be a well-stocked rotation. Sandy Alcantara and Justin Verlander -- the National League and American League Cy Young winners, respectively -- along with Shohei Ohtani, Framber Valdez and Alek Manoah comprise the First Team for starters. Cease ranked ahead of Manoah, Ohtani and Valdez in the 2022 BBWAA AL Cy Young voting, in which he finished second to Verlander.

“I was very happy for him,” said White Sox pitching coach Ethan Katz, referring to Cease’s Cy Young finish. “Obviously I wanted to see him come in first, and it didn’t happen, but I think that was a little anticipated with the year Verlander had and how he finished.

“Coming in second and not being an All-Star, I think, says a lot about the season he had and how he finished," added Katz. "That wasn’t a distraction to him. It did bother him when he didn’t get announced being an All-Star. Getting this is a little bit more rewarding.”

Yes, the soon-to-be 27-year-old (Dec. 28) was not picked as an AL All-Star, but as Katz mentioned, that snub certainly didn’t slow down Cease's momentum. His most noteworthy moment came on Sept. 3 against the Twins in Chicago, when he carried a no-hitter two outs into the ninth inning. Luis Arraez prevented that piece of history with a single in the ninth, but it was just one snapshot from a consistent 32-start body of work.

Cease's 227 strikeouts ranked second in the AL behind Gerrit Cole (257) of the Yankees. His 2.20 ERA was second behind Verlander (1.75), with Cease throwing nine more innings and making four more starts than Verlander. Cease’s .190 opponents’ batting average also finished second behind Verlander (.186). Cease's 11.1 strikeouts per nine innings are the fifth-most in a season in club history (his 12.28 mark in 2021 is the club record), and his strikeout total represents the eighth-most in a season in White Sox history.

From May 29 to Aug. 11, Cease made 14 consecutive starts allowing one earned run or less to become the first starter (non-opener) since 1913 to accomplish such a feat. He also was named AL Pitcher of the Month for June and July, becoming the first pitcher in franchise history to win the award twice in the same season.

"Performing and producing always feels good,” said Cease on his second-place finish in the AL Cy Young voting. “I try to be as positive as I can, [I'm] just grateful to be there. A lot of times it’s just that feeling of gratitude and [it's] surreal, still. Being a Major League Baseball player is ... it really is hard to imagine, especially watching the game growing up, enjoying baseball ... to reach the peak like that, it’s really surreal.”

Voters were asked to consider regular-season performance only in this All-MLB voting process. Closer Liam Hendriks and first baseman José Abreu were the other White Sox All-MLB nominees, with Abreu having since moved on to Houston on a three-year free agent deal.

Cease was a main bright spot in a disappointing White Sox season, but this elite progression was no surprise for anyone who knew him.

“It’s been evolving for a couple of years now,” Katz said. “Just watching the day-to-day work. The conversations we have. The belief and trust in his stuff. He has grown a lot.

"So, just his ability to take in a report, the dialogue start to start was a lot more just what he wanted to do. He grew a lot and I think he is still growing. There is still some stuff ... I said this a lot, that he’s still evolving even with the year he had.”