The National League Cy Young Award race has been a tight battle since the beginning of the year. It will indeed come down to the end of the regular season to determine a rightful winner of this remarkable award. Last season, Miami Marlins starting pitcher Sandy Alcántara took the Cy Young honors home. This year, the outcome isn’t quite as certain. Let’s dive right into the top three pitchers who could win the NL Cy Young Award.
The Top NL Cy Young Candidates
Justin Steele
For most of the season, the Chicago Cubs were a middle-of-the-pack team. Since the beginning of August, the Cubs have had a record of 20-10. They’ve boosted themselves into playoff contention, holding the second of three NL Wild Card spots. At 76-66, second in the NL Central division, Chicago will do everything they can to finish the season strong. One guy in particular has held it down on the mound for the Cubs since April.
Justin Steele has looked like a veteran pitcher in just his third year in the majors. Through 27 appearances on the mound, Steele has an unbelievable record of 16-3. In 152 innings pitched, he has a 2.49 ERA with 159 strikeouts. He is currently tied with Spencer Strider for the most wins in the NL. Steele is 14th in strikeouts among NL pitchers, and he leads in ERA. Not only is Steele ranked first in ERA in the National League, but in all of MLB. Steele is having a great statistical year across the board, and he may have a shot to win the NL Cy Young Award, defeating some of the league’s most noteworthy pitchers.
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Spencer Strider
The Atlanta Braves hold the best record in MLB at 92-48. Not only is the entire starting lineup doing their jobs, outscoring virtually every opponent they face, but the starting rotation has been a force. On the mound, Atlanta ranks in the top five in wins, ERA, saves, and strikeouts. Meanwhile, at the plate, the Braves rank first in hits, home runs, RBIs, and batting average. It’s safe to say the Braves will be very much in the running to become 2023 World Series champions. One of Atlanta’s starters could be pitching his way to the first Cy Young season of his young career.
.@SpencerSTRIDer is the first pitcher to 250 strikeouts this season.
Will he become the first pitcher to strike out 300 since Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander in 2019?
(MLB x @SageUSAmerica) pic.twitter.com/uqqRj1lH7L
— MLB (@MLB) September 7, 2023
Spencer Strider had a great 2022 with the Braves and has continued to improve this year. In 28 starts, he has a 16-5 record. In 162 innings pitched, he has an ERA of 3.83. He has also struck out 250 batters thus far, tops in MLB. Last season, Strider went 11-5 with a 2.62 ERA and 202 strikeouts. Atlanta must be happy they have a pitcher who’s constantly improving year in and year out, especially if he can pull out an NL Cy Young Award.
Blake Snell
Weirdly, while the San Diego Padres have been highly disappointing, pitcher Blake Snell has been on par all season long. At 67-75, San Diego has been horrific for a team with the third-highest payroll in MLB. Nonetheless, when Snell is on the mound, everyone’s job seems to be a lot easier. The Padres must retain Snell at all costs when he becomes a free agent at season’s end. Even with San Diego being one of the worst teams in the NL, Snell is among the league leaders in every pitching category. He’ll be looking to add a second Cy Young Award to his name. He won his first in 2018, in the AL with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Snell has a 13-9 record through twenty-nine appearances on the mound. In 110 innings pitched, he has a 2.52 ERA with 209 strikeouts. His 13 wins rank sixth in the NL. Snell also ranks second in ERA and strikeouts, falling behind Steele and Strider, respectively. Back in 2018, Snell won the AL Cy Young Award with a ridiculous 21-5 record. While he won’t obtain the same amount of wins he did in 2018, he can still beat out his challengers on the other statistics, perhaps leading to another Cy Young.
Photo Credit: Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports
