The MLB CY Young award is given out to the best pitcher from each league at the end of every regular season. The 2022 NL CY Young race has been a consistent one, with a few of these names making multiple appearances already.
W-L Record: 12-5
ERA: 2.56
Innings Pitched: 158.33
WHIP: 1.04
Strikeouts: 143
WAR: 5.0
Max Fried has been incredibly consistent for the entire 2022 season. He has posted a sub-3.00 ERA in each of the last 3 months. His worst month in terms of ERA is just a 3.16 for the month of May. He still had a 3-0 record for that month, despite giving up 13 runs in 37 innings. Fried’s CY Young stock has continued to rise as the Braves have continued to climb the Power Rankings. He is leading this Braves pitching staff with incredible leadership and a great veteran presence. For Fried to take home the VY Young, he is going to need to lower his ERA below 2.50 and his WHIP below a 1.00. This doesn’t guarantee him the award, but it would increase his odds tremendously.
W-L Record: 12-7
ERA: 2.36
Innings Pitched: 190.66
WHIP: 1.00
Strikeouts: 170
WAR: 6.6
Sandy Alcantara leads all pitchers in WAR, by a healthy margin. Many baseball writers and voters take this statistic into great consideration when addressing a player’s value to a team. He has been the favorite to win this award for the past few months, being a large betting favorite for over half the season. But now, his lead as shrunk because of a poor last start. The Atlanta Braves absolutely bombarded Alcantara, tagging him for 7 hits, 6 runs, and 3 home runs in his last start. His ERA has grown by nearly 0.50 runs in the last month. Yet, he still ranks in the top 5 in the MLB in ERA and leads the league in innings by a wide margin. This struggle speaks volumes to his dominance in 2022.
W-L Record: 3-1
Saves: 29
ERA: 1.52
Innings Pitched: 53.33
WHIP: 0.90
Strikeouts: 101
WAR: 2.7
This is a huge, long shot. Relief pitchers don’t get CY Young recognition or consideration, almost ever. In fact, a relief pitcher hasn’t won the award since 2003 when Eric Gagne took home the award. But there haven’t been many relievers with a season as dominant as the one that Edwin Diaz is putting together. Diaz has absolutely captivated the baseball world with his electric walkout and his incredible two-month dominant stretch. In these two months, Diaz has allowed just 3 runs on 7 hits in over 20 innings. He also recorded 13 saves and 3 holds in that span. Truly a remarkable stretch for the best reliever in baseball.
Yes, Alcantara has stumbled a bit lately, but that does NOT cancel out his utter dominance for the first 5 months of the season. He created such a large lead for the award in the first few months that this stumble means almost nothing to his overall odds to win the award. He has an incredible WAR and an ERA, WHIP, and innings pitched that rank among the MLB’s best. Alcantara will return to form in his last few starts and he will take home the NL CY Young award.
Check out our MLB page for more updates like 2022 MLB AL Cy Young Rankings: September!
You can “Like” The Game Haus on Facebook and “Follow” us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from other great TGH writers along with Zach!
“From Our Haus to Yours”
Players must be 21 years of age or older or reach the minimum age for gambling in their respective state and located in jurisdictions where online gambling is legal. Please play responsibly. Bet with your head, not over it. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, and wants help, call or visit: (a) the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey at 1-800-Gambler or www.800gambler.org; or (b) Gamblers Anonymous at 855-2-CALL-GA or www.gamblersanonymous.org.
