MLB Awards Watch: Top 5 AL Cy Young candidates thru May
By Josh Sippie
Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports
The second month of the season has been completed and we’re starting to get a good indication of what pitchers are for real and what pitchers were just riding the momentum of a new year. Likewise, some pitchers have erupted back onto the scene and joined the conversation.
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One particularly noteworthy change is that May has seen quite a bit more hitting and a bit less dominant pitching. For starters in the month of April, there were a handful of guys with an ERA under 1.00. Dallas Keuchel, Scott Kazmir, and Chris Archer were three of those guys.
In May however, those pitchers that were so elite in April have taken a couple steps back. Dallas Keuchel for instance has a 2.62 ERA for the month of May and Chris Archer has a 3.28 ERA. Not awful numbers by any means, but not April numbers either.
Some pitchers who were nonexistent in April made strong showings in May, but they aren’t ready to be mentioned in the Cy Young conversation just yet. Consider Kyle Gibson of the Minnesota Twins for instance. In April, he was 1-2 with a 4.84 ERA. That’s pretty forgettable. But then in May he went 3-1 in six starts with a 1.36 ERA.
And so without further ado, here’s an updated list of the top American League Cy Young candidates through the month of May. You may think that one month isn’t enough to upset April’s rankings, but one month can change everything. Some names will still weigh in on the list and some will be newcomers.
Next: Number 5