NEW YORK — Last year, right-hander Justin Verlander came back after missing all of the 2021 season due to Tommy John surgery and went on to win the American League Cy Young Award for the third time in his career at age 39.
It was one of the best seasons of his career, he led the Majors with a 1.75 ERA in 28 starts and he was the unanimous choice by the writers.
But now, Verlander is in the National League with the New York Mets and it’s someone else’s turn to win the American League Cy Young.
So who do the Locked On Podcast Network’s MLB hosts around the country think can be in the hunt to win it in 2023?
There was a list of players who were ranked by each host and then tallied and this was the order they came up with. (Feel free to debate amongst yourselves.)
The five players who just missed the cut were: Cristian Javier (11th), Logan Gilbert (12th), Tyler Glasnow (13th), Kevin Gausman (14th), and Robbie Ray (15th).
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10) Luis Castillo, RHP, Seattle Mariners
Castillo was the big fish during last year’s trade deadline and Seattle got him. After that, he helped lead them to their first playoff appearance in more than 20 years by going 4-2 with a 3.17 ERA in 11 starts. He had his best year overall in 2022 going 8-6 with a 2.99 ERA in 25 starts between Cincinnati and Seattle so look for him to be more acclimated to the Pacific Northwest and be even more of a contributor to the team’s success.
9) Shane Bieber, RHP, Cleveland Guardians
Bieber, an All-Star in 2021, had a strong 2022 campaign going 13-8 with a 2.88 ERA in 31 starts. He threw 200 innings, struck 198 batters, and only walked 36. He already has one Cy Young Award under his belt and he received votes in last year’s contest so he was a surefire pick for our Top 10.
8) Jacob deGrom, RHP, Texas Rangers
deGrom is an obvious choice even after switching leagues and battling health issues the past two seasons because when he’s on, it's hard to argue deGrom isn't the best pitcher in baseball. That’s why Texas gave him a five-year/$185M contract at age 34. 2023 will be a test for deGrom who has pitched in the National League his entire career up to this point.
And now he’s in the American League West where the Rangers are fighting to win a division with the Houston Astros. The test will be a tough one and a lot of eyes will be on deGrom, but if anyone can pass, it’s him. He'd likely be ranked much higher as a candidate for this award if it weren't for his injuries over the past two years.
7) Carlos Rodon, LHP, New York Yankees
Rodón’s past two seasons have been the best of his career and they’re the main reason why the Yankees rewarded him with a six-year/$162M contract this offseason. He spent the first seven years of his career in the AL and after a one-year stint in the NL with the Giants, Rodon is back in the American League and looking to have a third strong season in a row. He finished 2022 14-8 with a 2.88 ERA in a career-high 178 innings with 237 strikeouts.
6) Dylan Cease, RHP, Chicago White Sox
Cease was one of the only key White Sox players not to be bitten by the injury bug in 2022. And he pitched so well, he finished second in the AL Cy Young vote behind Justin Verlander. Cease tied a career-high in starts with 32 and he was 14-8 with a 2.20 ERA. He also struck out 227 batters in 184 innings of work. He’s definitely a good choice for Cy Young in 2023.
5) Shane McClanahan, LHP, Tampa Bay Rays
McClanahan, who debuted for the Rays in 2021, had a strong 2022 finishing 12-8 with a 2.54 ERA in 28 starts. He struck out 194 batters in 166 and one-third innings and finished 6th in the 2022 Cy Young vote. He’s only turning 26 this season so he has a long career ahead of him and there’s a reason he comes in at number five on this list.
4) Alek Manoah, RHP, Toronto Blue Jays
Manoah was one of the best pitchers in baseball in 2022 pitching to a 2.24 ERA in 31 starts while pitching primarily against a tough American League East division. His control issues are still something to watch as he led the American League in hit batsmen both in 2021 (16) and 2022 (15). He finished third in the Cy Young vote in 2022, he’s only 25 and he has a bright future with the Blue Jays so don’t be surprised to see him near the top of the Cy Young list again in 2023.
3) Framber Valdez, LHP, Houston Astros
Valdez had the best season of his career in 2022 finishing 17-6 with a 2.82 ERA. He seems to have gotten better every year since 2020 and was in the Top 5 of Cy Young voting in 2022. He led the American League in innings pitched in 2022 with 201 and one-third and he faced an AL-high 827 batters. He’s a workhouse who was nearly lights out in the playoffs and everyone found out who he was when he helped Houston win the title.
2) Gerrit Cole, RHP, New York Yankees
Cole has always been a bridesmaid but never the bride. Since 2018, he’s been in the Top 5 or Top 10 of Cy Young votes—finishing second in 2021—but he can never seem to capture the award. But hey, having that many good seasons isn’t a bad thing at all. He had a “down” year in 2022, finishing with a 3.50 ERA and giving up an AL-high 33 home runs but he also led the Majors with 257 strikeouts. The point of all this is never to count out Gerrit Cole.
1) Shohei Ohtani, RHP, Los Angeles Angels
Ohtani won the American League MVP in 2021 because of his hitting but in 2022, his pitching was the best it’s been since he arrived in the Majors. He was 15-9 with a 2.33 ERA and he struck out 219 batters in 166 innings pitched. And while none of those numbers led the league in any category, the man accomplished this while also batting so well, he finished second in the AL MVP vote.
It’s not just that Ohtani is a two-way player, he’s a very good to excellent two-way player and it wouldn’t be shocking at all to see him pick up his first Cy Young Award in 2023.
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