With the MLB season approaching its final third, the conversations for the highly anticipated end-of-season awards will begin amongst everyone involved in baseball. There are many awards with a clear-cut frontrunner. However, there are a few races that are more wide open. One of those races is for the Cy Young Award in the American League. This season, there are many worthy competitors for the prestigious award.
2018 AL Cy Young Contenders
For any pitcher to even be acknowledged in the conversation for a Cy Young shows that they are of an elite caliber. It’s also an award which has plenty of competition, especially in the American League. Chris Sale is a favorite of many. For others, it’s Justin Verlander due to his tremendous first part of the season. Another name mentioned among baseball fans is Luis Severino of the New York Yankees. There are plenty of other contenders such as Verlander’s teammate in Houston, Gerrit Cole, and Tampa Bay’s breakthrough youngster Blake Snell. However, when looking at those with a realistic shot at the award, it’s between the three aces of their respective teams, all who make up the top three teams in the AL.
The case for Chris Sale
Chris Sale has been one of the most consistent pitchers in MLB over the last few years. He has started three straight All-Star games for the AL. Although he has not yet won a Cy Young Award, he has been in the conversation on many occasions. With a 2.13 ERA in 2018, only bettered by his rookie season where he only appeared in 21 games, Sale is having one of his best seasons in the big leagues. He has also raced to 11 wins through his first 21 starts of the season in Boston. He also should really have won more of the games, being let down by the Red Sox offense on many occasions.
The case for Justin Verlander
Last season’s acquisition of Verlander by the Houston Astros proved to be a big step in claiming their first ever World Series. He has once again shown why he is considered one of the best pitchers in all of baseball with his performance this season. Although Verlander has cooled off lately, he started the season impressively hot. He started off by going 9-2 but his record since has reached 10-5. Despite allowing 16 earned runs over his last six starts, Verlander still has a very low ERA at 2.19. He is also used to being in the conversation for the end of season awards with a Cy Young and AL MVP already to his name.
The case for Luis Severino
The Yankees ace broke into the elite conversation last year and this season has come into his own with a 14-3 record so far. Severino’s persistence has been key in the Yankees attempts to keep going toe-to-toe with the Boston Red Sox at the top of the AL East. New York will look to rely heavily on his performances come October. Severino’s 1.050 WHIP reflects his dominant season, which has seen him become one of the most feared pitchers in the entire league. He is the only other pitcher who really comes close to the dominant performances of Sale and Verlander that fans have seen this season.
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