The MLB AL CY Young award is given out to the best pitcher from each league at the end of every regular season. There are many surprising names at the top of the statistic and CY Young leaderboards this season. We will dive a little deeper into a few of these players as of June 3.
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W-L Record: 4-1
ERA: 1.50
Innings Pitched: 60.0
WHIP: 0.87
Strikeouts: 68
WAR: 2.2
Nestor Cortes is one of the oddest pitchers in the entire MLB. He has become famous for his peculiar way of messing with hitters’ timing and changing arm slots to deceive hitters. But how exactly has he been so unhittable this season?
That question isn’t easily answered because it is a mix of a variety of things. His messing with timing and varying arm angles play a role. But, most notably, his cutter should be given the most credit. It is a fairly new pitch, being added before the 2021 season. It was improved this year and has gotten hitters out at an astonishing rate. He throws the pitch nearly 40% of the time and has held hitters to a .153 batting average allowed against the pitch. That is down from nearly .280 on the cutter the season before. If Cortes can continue this kind of play, he is going to be dangerous in the Yankees rotation.
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W-L Record: 5-1
ERA: 1.98
Innings Pitched: 63.66
WHIP: 0.91
Strikeouts: 57
WAR: 1.9
Alek Manoah has one of the deadliest fastball-breaking ball combos in the entire league. Both pitches have given up a batting average allowed of under .210 for the season. He is getting an absurd 34.6% whiff percentage on his slider this season. He has also been other-worldly against right-handed batters. Right-handed hitters are currently hitting just above .100 off of him and he has a 0.42 WHIP against them. If he can continue this dominance, specifically against righties, Manoah is a name to keep in mind as the season progresses.
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W-L Record: 4-2
ERA: 1.42
Innings Pitched: 63.33
WHIP: 0.93
Strikeouts: 49
WAR: 2.8
Martin Perez might be the most surprising pitcher in the entire MLB this season. There are not too many analytics that back him up to show why he has been so impressive, but one thing is for sure: the lefty can deal. His sinker and changeup command are quite impressive as he lives in the lower half of the zone with both pitches. He will mix in a four-seam fastball, almost never in the zone, and typically keeps the pitch located to his glove side, likely to play off of his sinker and changeup, which both have arm side movement. Perez is a very intriguing name to keep an eye on as the season progresses.
This decision was tough. None of these three players have much of a CY Young caliber resume before this season, so it is hard to predict who can continue the dominant play. But Nestor Cortes has been incredibly dominant and consistent as he has anchored the Yankees starting rotation. Playing for one of the best teams and offenses in baseball, he will often be able to pitch with less pressure on himself, leading to better performances and more wins on his record. This is a close race for the CY Young in the American League, and it will be very interesting to see where these three players are at a month from now.
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