MLB 2022: 7 dark horse Cy Young candidates at this moment

Joe Musgrove, San Diego Padres

• 7-0 Record
• 1.50 ERA
• 72 Ks in 72 IP
• 25.6% K-rate
• 2.59 xERA
• 2.65 FIP

Joe Musgrove underrated? It certainly doesn’t seem like a correct characterization, but believe it or not, Muss is still very much under-the-radar.

The stats speak for themselves. He has the best ERA in baseball as of now, among starters of course, and the Friars have gone an enviable 10-1 in Musgrove-started games.

I’m sure many never saw him coming as a sort of “throw-away” acquisition the Padres made a couple years ago. I’d include myself in that group. But looking at his spin, it’s crystal-clear to me that this guy is one of the elite pitchers in the game today.

Every pitch Musgrove throws clocks elite spin.

• 4-seamer at 2,555 rpms
• Slider at 2,722 rpms
• Curveball at 2,755 rpms
• Cutter at 2,608 rpms
• Sinker at 2,451 rpms
• Changeup at 2,010 rpms

For those that follow spin, you know how elite this is. For those that don’t, these spin rates put him in a ground level of the 86th percentile for each pitch.

I think Joe is just getting started, and pending another Padres second half collapse, I expect him to finish anywhere from third to first place in Cy Young contention this year.