The 2024 NL Cy Young race is alive and well even though the season is barely a month old. By now, most novice shooters have had at least a few starts, allowing some to separate themselves from the group. Even at this early stage, it's not hard to pick some good candidates for this year's NL Cy Young.
Ranking the top 5 young NL Cy candidates
Surprisingly, not all of the Cy Young candidates early in the season were among the group we consider to be the best pitchers right now.
But that's part of what makes this race and baseball so great; anything could happen. With a little more than a month until the start of the season, let's take a look at the 2024 NL Cy Young race.
Zack Wheeler
The season has gotten off to a somewhat unusual start for Zach Wheeler. The Phillies lost their first four starts with Wheeler losing in three of those games. However, he has led the Phillies to wins in his last three starts, allowing just one run on seven hits over 18.1 innings.
Only Cy Young pitchers perform at this level.
Obviously, it will be difficult for Wheeler to maintain the same level throughout the season. But he has clearly found his groove and is more than capable of dominating big league lineups.
Goalkeeper Suarez
Even with Wheeler and Aaron Nola in the same rotation, goaltender Suarez was able to stand out from the pack. The Phillies are unbeaten in their first six games, with Suarez winning five of those games. Over his last four appearances in April, Suarez allowed just one run on 14 hits, covering 30 innings during that span.
He already has three starts in which he lasted at least seven innings, including a complete-game shutout. In some ways, he was better than Wheeler and worthy of Cy Young attention.
Reynaldo Lopez
No one expected Reynaldo Lopez to play like this. He's made just one start over the past two seasons, mostly coming out of the bullpen. However, the Braves needed him to be a starter and Lopez did just that.
In four of his first five starts, Lopez pitched six innings while allowing one run or fewer. In four of those five starts, he also limited opposing teams to four or fewer hits. Everything he does differently this year seems to be working, as Lopez is putting together a career year.
Tyler Glasnow
With five wins in his first seven games this season, it's hard not to consider Tyler Glasnow a Cy Young contender. Despite some hiccups, Glasnow has already had four starts in which he has allowed one or fewer runs over six or more innings.
The Dodgers couldn't be happier that one of their big offseason acquisitions is doing so well. Glasnow is also among the leaders in hits, which is another reason he's one of Cy Young's favorite players.
Shota Imanaga
Before the season, the Japanese pitcher most expected to compete for the Cy Young team was Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Some believe he will instantly look like one of the greatest pitchers of all time. Instead, it was Shota Imanaga who hit the ground running in his first MLB season.
The crafty lefty is 5-0 with a 0.78 ERA after his first six starts. In half of those starts, Imanaga allowed three or fewer hits. He also walked one batter or fewer in five of those six starts. He's throwing hits and missing bats, averaging a hit per inning so far. Although Imanaga is not the hardest pitcher to throw, hitters in the major leagues have yet to figure out how to hit him. The longer that goes on, the longer he will be a threat to win the Cy Young.
