Barely a month into the season, the 2024 AL Cy Young race is practically in midseason form. Several candidates for the AL Cy Young have already started to establish themselves.
To our surprise, all of the early frontrunners are a long way away from being among the greatest starting pitchers ever. In fact, none of them were among the pitchers we labeled the best starting pitchers currently heading into the season.
Ranking the Top 5 AL Cy Young Candidates
Obviously, there is a lot of the season left to play, so a lot can change. In fact, some pitchers will inevitably fall out of the race for one reason or another while there will be others who enter the race. Nevertheless, let’s take an early look at the 2024 AL Cy Young race.
Logan Gilbert
With a high strikeout rate and an ERA of a little over 2.00, Logan Gilbert finds himself in contention for the Cy Young early in 2024. His win total doesn’t show it, but he’s been remarkably consistent for the Mariners thus far.
The 26-year-old has won 13 games in back-to-back seasons, emerging as one of the top young pitchers in the majors. But there are early indications that he’s ready to take things to the next level in 2024. If Gilbert can maintain his current level, he’ll continue to be a Cy Young candidate.
Kutter Crawford
Surely, nobody had Kutter Crawford winning the Cy Young on their bingo card before the season. Yet, he’s stepped up as the ace of a Boston rotation that has been hurt by injuries but is still outperforming all expectations. It hurts that Crawford has just two wins and that the Red Sox are only 3-4 over his first seven starts of the season.
But Crawford’s 1.56 ERA is clear evidence that he’s in the midst of a breakout season and has a chance to put him in the Cy Young conversation all year.
Tarik Skubal
An injury kept Tarik Skubal out for the first half of the 2023 season. But he showed what he’s capable of doing during the second half, pitching to a 2.80 ERA.
The lefty has continued to build on that, going 4-0 with a 1.72 ERA over his first six starts of the season. In four of his six starts, he’s yielded one run or less and has held teams to four hits or less in five of those six starts. Skubal is also striking out batters at a high rate, which is a good way to earn Cy Young consideration. Of course, his 4-0 record for the upstart Tigers also helps.
Seth Lugo
It’s crazy to think that Seth Lugo was still a relief pitcher a few years ago. The veteran is finally showing why he should have been a starter all along. Even with some promising young arms alongside him, Lugo is leading the Kansas City rotation.
He already has five wins just seven starts into the season while also rocking a 1.60 ERA. In three of his last four starts, Lugo has pitched at least seven innings while allowing one run or less. At this point, his low strikeout rate is the only thing holding him back in the Cy Young race. But there’s no arguing with how effective he’s been in 2024.
Jose Berrios
Believe it or not, Jose Berrios is the most recognizable name in the Cy Young race in the American League. Pitching for the Blue Jays has hurt him because Berrios has lost his last two starts. However, in each of his first seven starts of the season, Toronto’s ace has allowed two earned runs or less.
That includes a stretch of three straight starts in which Berrios tossed at least six scoreless innings. At this point, he’s been the most consistently dominant pitcher in the American League.
