Barely a month into the season, the 2024 AL Cy Young race is practically in midseason shape. Several AL Cy Young candidates have already begun to establish themselves.
To our surprise, all of the front runners are very far from being among the greatest shooters of all time. In fact, none of them were among the pitchers we called the best pitchers currently heading into the season.
Ranking the top 5 young AL Cy candidates
Obviously there is still a lot of season left, so a lot can change. In fact, some shooters will inevitably fall out of the race for one reason or another while there will be others who enter the race. However, let's take an early look at the 2024 AL Cy Young race.
Logan Gilbert
With a high batting average and an ERA just over 2.00, Logan Gilbert finds himself in contention for a Cy Young in early 2024. His win total doesn't show it, but he's been remarkably consistent with the Mariners so far.
The 26-year-old has won 13 games in consecutive seasons and has emerged as one of the best young pitchers in the major leagues. But there are early signs that he's ready to take things to the next level in 2024. If Gilbert can maintain his current form, he will continue to be a Cy Young candidate.
Cotter Crawford
Certainly no one had Kutter Crawford winning the Cy Young on their preseason bingo card. However, he has stepped up as the star on a Boston team that has been plagued by injuries but still exceeds all expectations. It hurts that Crawford has only two wins and the Red Sox are just 3-4 through his first seven games this season.
But Crawford's 1.56 ERA is clear evidence that he is in the midst of a breakout season and has a chance to put him in the Cy Young conversation all year long.
Scobal withdrawal
An injury sidelined Tarik Skubal for the first half of the 2023 season. But he showed what he can do during the second half, pitching to a 2.80 ERA.
The lefty 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 hit one run or fewer and held teams to four hits or fewer in five of those six starts. Skubal also strikes out hitters at a high rate, which is a good way to gain Cy Young interest. Of course, his 4-0 record with the Tigers as starters also helps.
Seth Lugo
It's crazy to think that Seth Lugo was still playing relief pitcher a few years ago. The veteran has finally shown why he should have been a starter all along. Even with some promising young arms on his side, Lugo is leading the charge for Kansas City.
He actually has just five wins in seven starts on the season while also posting a 1.60 ERA. In three of his last four starts, Lugo has pitched at least seven innings while allowing one or fewer runs. At this point, his low batting average is the only thing holding him back in the Cy Young race. But there's no debate about how effective it will be in 2024.
Jose Berrios
Believe it or not, Jose Berrios is the most recognizable name in the American League's Cy Young race. The Blue Jays' pitching hurt him because Berrios lost his last two games. However, in each of his first seven starts of the season, the Toronto outfielder has allowed two or fewer earned runs.
That includes a stretch of three straight starts in which Berrios threw at least six scoreless innings. At this point, he was the most consistently dominant pitcher in the American League.
