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Red Sox Starter Is Cy Young Contender

Tanner Houck is currently making his 2024 season look easy. Twelve starts in, the right-hander is pitching like one of the best in baseball. But you couldn’t always say that about Houck. He’s had a bumpy road towards his pure domination this season. Mishaps and inconsistent playing time had plagued the 27-year-old’s career until the current campaign. But that isn’t the case right now. It’s time to have a serious discussion: Tanner Houck is an AL Cy Young contender. 

Tanner Houck’s Road To 2024

The Red Sox selected Tanner Houck with the 24th pick in the 2017 MLB Draft. Out of the University of Missouri, expectations were high for the St. Louis native. Houck stayed in the minors through 2019, posting decent numbers. During the shortened 2020 season, Boston selected his contract to make his MLB debut. In three starts, Houck shined, allowing just one earned run over 17 innings and claiming three wins. 

Houck’s next two seasons featured inconsistent roles. In 2021, the righty started in 13 of his 18 appearances. Houck ended with a 3.52 ERA over 69 innings but won just one game. In 2022, he mostly came out of the bullpen, starting just four of his 32 times on the mound. Houck pitched to a 3.15 ERA in 60 innings, proving strength from the pen. After two decent campaigns, he entered 2023 looking for a solidified role.

Houck found a consistent position on the field as a starter last season. But what wasn’t consistent were his performances. Houck threw to a disappointing 5.01 ERA in a career-high 106 innings. His WHIP, home run rate, walk percentage, and ERA+ were all rock bottom in his MLB career. In June, Houck was hit by a comebacker during a start against the Yankees. He suffered a facial fracture and missed over two months. Houck lasted over six innings just once in his 21 starts. Entering 2024 seemed like a make-it-or-break-it year.

Tanner Houck Is A 2024 AL Cy Young Contender

If you watched Tanner Houck pitch in 2024, it isn’t easy to envision a 5.00+ ERA attached to his name. As of June 3, he ranks fourth in MLB for ERA (1.85) and second in the American League, trailing only Kansas City’s Seth Lugo (1.72). Houck is also fourth in innings pitched (78) and is behind just Lugo and Seattle’s Luis Castillo (both at 78.1) for AL pitchers. After pitching a career-high in innings last season, Houck is ready to smash that number. Cy Young pitchers are durable and practical. Tanner Houck is both of those things.

Regarding Wins Above Replacement (WAR), Houck matches up fantastically against his competitors. Only two non-batters sit in the top 10 in Major League WAR. Houck, at 2.9, is tied with teammate Jarren Duran at 10th. Seth Lugo, at 3.2, leads all pitchers in the category. Specifically for Houck, he had just a 5.7 WAR in his career entering this season. If his current pace continues, he will eclipse that mark entirely. 

 

The most impressive part of Houck’s season is his strike zone control. In 2023, he walked 41 batters in 106 innings, or one every 2.5 innings. This year, Houck has surrendered just 15 walks, allowing a walk every 5.2 innings. That stark difference and gain of control has been massive for Houck. In his first six starts, he walked batters in only two of them. And during his most impressive outing in his career, Houck allowed no walks in a complete-game shutout. His jump from 2023 to 2024 has been unpredictable and outstanding, and his stats speak for themselves. Tanner Houck is one of the best pitchers in baseball for a reason. 

 

Tanner Houck’s Dominating Performances

Houck started the 2024 campaign off with a bang. In his first start against Oakland on April 1, he pitched six scoreless innings and punched out 10 batters while only allowing three hits. In his next start against the Angels, it was a similar story: six innings, no runs, four hits, and seven strikeouts. Over his first two appearances, Houck hadn’t allowed a run in twelve innings. And while his next outing was his worst of the season so far, he still exited it with a 2.04 ERA. That would quickly decrease on April 17 against the Guardians.

Houck dominated Cleveland, pitching a complete-game shutout for the first time in his MLB career. He allowed just three hits and struck out nine opponents. In just 94 pitches, Houck mowed down the Guardians with ease. As of June 3, he is one of nine pitchers to throw a complete game in 2024. Only six of those did so in shutout fashion. 

 

Since his complete-game shutout, Houck has had eight starts. He’s allowed two runs or less in all but two of those contests. Houck lasted more than six innings four times over the span and never fell short of five. In his last four starts, the right-hander has allowed just three runs and 17 hits over nearly 26 innings. Whenever Houck’s name is called, he’s always reliable. Expect that to continue throughout the rest of 2024 because Tanner Houck is a Cy Young contender.

 

Main Photo Credits: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Zach Goldman

Zach Goldman

Zach Goldman is a graduate of Syracuse University, where he spent four years covering the college's sports. He has an obsession for all things baseball.

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