Top spots change hands in Cy Young poll

Top spots change hands in Cy Young poll

June 30th, 2022

The results are in, and MLB.com’s third Cy Young Award poll of 2022 is a Florida-centric affair.

Not only did first place change hands in both the American League and National League from our second poll (taken three weeks ago), but both new leaders come from teams in the Sunshine State. No pitcher has finished first in multiple polls this season, with a number of arms continuing to battle it out in competitive races.

Once again, voters were asked to rank their top five Cy Young candidates in each league based on what has happened so far and what they expect will happen in the months to come. Pitchers 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 44 voters participating. Here are the results.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

1) , Rays (35 first-place votes)
DraftKings Cy Young odds: 3.5-1

The 25-year-old left-hander just keeps gaining steam. After a stellar rookie campaign in 2021, he placed fifth in our first Cy Young poll of the season before moving up to second and now first. Well, that’s what happens when you lead the Majors in ERA (1.77), strikeouts (123), WHIP (0.83) and hits allowed per nine innings (5.9). McClanahan has a 1.26 ERA since the beginning of May, allowing no more than two earned runs in 10 straight starts over that span.

2) (tie) , Astros (3 first-place votes)
DraftKings Cy Young odds: 3.3-1

Verlander has now ranked in the top three in each of our polls, and for good reason. At age 39 and coming off Tommy John surgery, the two-time Cy winner is still getting the job done. An eight-inning gem on Wednesday afternoon at Citi Field made him the first MLB pitcher to reach 10 wins this season and dropped his ERA to 2.03. But it would be an odd coincidence if JV finished as a runner-up to McClanahan, given that four years ago he was a close second to a different 25-year-old Rays lefty (Blake Snell).

2) (tie) , Blue Jays (3 first-place votes)
DraftKings Cy Young odds: 6.5-1

Like McClanahan, Manoah impressed as a rookie in the AL East a year ago. And like McClanahan, he has stepped up his game even more in ‘22. The big right-hander is 9-2 with a 2.05 ERA, going 12-for-14 in quality starts. He seems to thrive under pressure, winning road games against contenders such as the Astros, Brewers, Guardians, Rays and Yankees.

4) , White Sox (0 first-place votes)
DraftKings Cy Young odds: 22-1

After receiving votes in the first two polls, Cease jumps into the top five this time around. The 26-year-old looked like a dark horse candidate coming into the season after a promising 2021, and he is making good on that potential in ‘22. While Cease struggles with walks at times, he is second only to McClanahan with a 35.5% strikeout rate. Over his past three starts, he has racked up 32 K’s in 18 innings, with only one earned run.

5) , Blue Jays (2 first-place votes)
DraftKings Cy Young odds: 19-1

His first season with Toronto continues to go as well as anyone could have hoped. Gausman’s dominant outing Monday against Boston (seven scoreless innings, 10 K’s) dropped his ERA back below 3.00, and he has allowed more than three earned runs only once in 15 outings. Gausman’s excellence in racking up strikeouts while limiting walks and homers has him leading MLB pitchers with 3.6 WAR, per FanGraphs’ FIP-based formula.

Others receiving votes: Martín Pérez, Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes (1 first-place vote), Logan Gilbert, Shohei Ohtani, Frankie Montas, Framber Valdez

NATIONAL LEAGUE

1) , Marlins (29 first-place votes)
DraftKings Cy Young odds: 2.65-1

The Marlins are one of three franchises without a Cy Young Award -- along with the Rockies and Rangers -- but Alcantara is doing his best to change that. The 26-year-old righty, second in our previous poll, now holds the top spot. Heading into his start Wednesday night at St. Louis, Alcantara was leading the NL in innings (106 1/3), ERA (1.95), ERA+ (212) and hits-per-nine-innings (6.2) -- and then he went the distance in a 4-3 victory. He's now pitched at least seven frames in 10 straight outings.

2) , Brewers (5 first-place votes)
DraftKings Cy Young odds: 4.5-1

Don’t count out the reigning NL Cy winner, as Burnes has found himself in the top three in each poll thus far. After a slight rough patch early this month, the righty has reeled off three straight victories against contenders (Mets, Cardinals, Blue Jays), allowing a combined five runs and striking out 27 in 20 2/3 innings.

3) , Padres (2 first-place votes)
DraftKings Cy Young odds: 4.75-1

Our leader last time around, Musgrove slides back a couple spots, after allowing a season-high six runs last time out against the Phillies. Prior to that performance, Musgrove had a sparkling 1.59 ERA in what is still shaping up to be a highly profitable contract year. The righty will look to get back on track Thursday against the Dodgers.

4) , Dodgers (6 first-place votes)
DraftKings Cy Young odds: 20-1

Hardly the biggest name on the Dodgers’ staff, Gonsolin has kept the team’s rotation humming -- even with Clayton Kershaw missing time and Walker Buehler now on the injured list. Once a ninth-round Draft pick, Gonsolin is now blossoming at age 28, going 9-0 with a 1.58 ERA over 14 starts. A 1.24 ERA in June has now vaulted him into our top five for the first time.

5) Max Fried, Braves (2 first-place votes)
DraftKings Cy Young odds: 10-1

The lefty flies a bit below the radar, but he continues to get the job done. After losing his first two starts of the season, he is now 7-0 with a 2.66 ERA in 13 outings since, while the Braves have gone 11-2 in those games. In 54 starts since 2020, Fried owns a 2.82 ERA.

Others receiving votes: Aaron Nola, Carlos Rodón, Josh Hader, Zack Wheeler, Tyler Anderson, Miles Mikolas, Julio Urías, Max Scherzer