The league, through its official site, announced the list of finalist for all major awards on Monday. The New York Yankees have one player among the candidates to win the American League Cy Young.
Unsurprisingly, Yankees’ ace Gerrit Cole was announced as one of the finalists for the AL Cy Young award. Robbie Ray of the Toronto Blue Jays and Lance Lynn of the Chicago White Sox are the two other candidates to take home the prestigious recognition.
Perhaps Cole is not the favorite to win his first Cy, but he has a very good case to be strongly considered. With a 2.84 ERA, Ray was better from a run prevention standpoint, but Cole’s 3.23 is not too shabby and there is a sizable difference in FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) and other metrics in favor of Cole.
The Yankees’ righty had an impressive campaign
The Yankees’ right-hander had an excellent 2.92 FIP and struck out 12.06 hitters per nine innings, with 243 in total. He was able to overcome an important rule change, the prohibition of the foreign substances on the ball, to put an all-around great campaign.
The winners of the Cy Young award in both leagues will be announced on November 17. Philadelphia Phillies’ Zack Wheeler, Los Angeles Dodgers’ Max Scherzer, and Milwaukee Brewers’ Corbin Burnes are the finalists in the National League.
Incredibly, Cole hasn’t won a Cy Young award in his career despite some really impressive seasons, like 2019 when he was with the Houston Astros. This is his second time as a finalist since that year, when he lost to former teammate and current free agent Justin Verlander.
His 16 wins led the American League in 2021, and so did his 5.93 strikeout to walk ratio. His 243 strikeouts were third. Unfortunately, he faltered in the Wild Card game, when he couldn’t get out of the third frame, but it was a really impressive campaign for the Yankees’ best starter.