MLB fans debate early American League Cy Young rankings: "Shohei is only here because he can hit too"
The New York Yankees' Gerrit Cole is the early front-runner for the American League Cy Young. The numbers are based on a poll conducted by a group of experts at MLB.com.
Although he has come close, Cole has never won the coveted award. Shane Bieber, Robbie Ray, and Justin Verlander won the AL Cy Young in 2020, 2021, and 2022, respectively.
Gerrit Cole leads MLB.com's latest AL Cy Young poll. Who's your current pick? https://t.co/2QpgCtzISf
Tampa Bay's Shane McClanahan deservedly came in second in the voting. He is the only southpaw on the list. Two members of the Minnesota Twins rotation made the cut with Sonny Gray and Joe Ryan in third and fifth place, respectively. Shohei Ohtani, ranked fourth, rounds out a truly exceptional five-man list.
MLB fans took to Twitter to debate which of these candidates would be a worthy winner of the prestigious award.
@MLB I think Shane's numbers are better than Cole's numbers, but great ranking
@MLB The fact that Twins have 2 of 5 surprise me
@MLB Shohei is only here because he can hit too
@MLB I'd say Sonny Gray and behind him; Joe Ryan!
Go Twins!
@MLB Two #MNTwins in the top 5?!
@MLB it is inevitable https://t.co/QUka4IFkRs
@MLB How is Nathan eovaldi not on this
@MLB I don’t see Framber Valdez?
@MLB Y’all really left out ERod lmao
Shane McClanahan has been a key figure for the Tampa Bay Rays during their historic run. The 26-year-old is 7-0 to start the season, ranking first in the wins column in the majors. He has a 2.34 ERA and has recorded 61 strikeouts over 50 innings.
Sonny Gray's 1.39 ERA sees him at the top of the ERA rankings (amongst qualified pitchers). He has allowed just seven runs over 45.1 innings.
Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani has the distinction of leading all pitchers in the opponent batting average column.
Joe Ryan's 0.84 WHIP puts him at the top of this five-man list in the category. He is 6-1 on the year and has a 2.16 ERA
Gerrit Cole is still in search of his first-ever Cy Young Award
During a phase of the season where the New York Yankees have needed their ace to step up, Cole has been outstanding. The 32-year-old has finished second in the voting on two occasions (2019, 2021) and will hope that this is the year he can put it all together.
Cole is currently 5-0 with a 2.22 ERA over 56.2 innings. He is averaging well over a strikeout per inning, has a solid 1.04 WHIP, and has held opposing hitters to a .201 average.
It is still early in the season, but a case could be made for all five of these pitchers to deservedly win the AL Cy Young.