The Cy Young races in both leagues appear pretty well set as we head toward the final six weeks of the season. Cam Schlittler of the Yankees and Jacob Misiorowski of the Brewers have each seemingly had their respective awards on lock for the past few months, and that hasn't changed in our latest MLB.com Cy Young poll.
Schlittler and Misiorowski were again the clear frontrunners among the 35 experts who participated in the poll, with The Miz being a unanimous choice with voters. But that doesn't mean there aren't others putting together dominant seasons worthy of Cy Young consideration.
As always, our experts made their picks based not only on results so far this season, but also on how things are expected to go the rest of the way. Voters were asked to rank their top five picks in each league. Pitchers received vote points on a 5-4-3-2-1 scale -- five points for a first-place vote, four points for a second-place vote and so on. Here are the results.
All stats are through Sunday unless otherwise noted.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
1. Cam Schlittler, Yankees (165 total points; 25 first-place votes)
Schlittler has consistently led the way among AL pitchers this season. His 2.16 ERA is the league's best, as are his 152 innings pitched and his 5.1 bWAR. Meanwhile, his 0.94 WHIP is just a few ticks off the lead and his .196 opponents' average is second-best in the Junior Circuit. He's allowed more than three earned runs just three times all season and has allowed one or no runs in 18 of his 26 starts. He also has an 11.19 K/9 ratio, which is why his strikeout rate ranks in baseball's 95th percentile. It's easy to see why he's the easy favorite.
2. Dylan Cease, Blue Jays (148 total points; 10 first-place votes)
For as dominant as Schlittler has been, Cease has been even better when it comes to strikeouts. The righty's 201 punchouts are most in the AL, and his 13.14 K/9 ratio is easily the best among the league's qualified starters. He's good at limiting runs, too, with a 2.42 ERA that's second in the league behind Schlittler's. Cease has been especially stingy since the beginning of July. Since July 3, he's posted a 1.49 ERA in eight starts.
3. Drew Rasmussen, Rays (79 total points)
No qualified AL starter has kept runners off base better than Rasmussen. His 0.91 WHIP is the league's best, in large part because he just doesn't issue walks. He's walked just 23 batters all season, the second fewest of any qualified starter in the AL. Rasmussen's 2.78 ERA ranks sixth in the league, helped significantly by a 1.20 ERA over his past five starts, which included three straight scoreless outings.
4. Parker Messick, Guardians (54 total points)
Messick, both an AL Cy Young contender and an AL Rookie of the Year candidate, moves up one spot from our last poll. The lefty's 2.59 ERA ranks third in the AL, while his 1.03 WHIP ranks fifth. He's not allowed more than two earned runs in a start since late June and has pitched to a 1.96 ERA since July 4. His 107 hits allowed this season are the sixth-fewest in the AL.
5. Sonny Gray, Red Sox (41 total points)
Gray's 15 wins are second in the Majors, while his 2.65 ERA ranks fourth in the AL. The 14-year veteran's first season with the Red Sox is proving to be one of the best of his career. He has 16 quality starts and has allowed a total of two runs so far in three August outings. Most importantly, the Red Sox are 17-6 in Gray's starts.
*Others receiving votes: Nick Martinez, Rays; Gavin Williams, Guardians; Sean Burke, White Sox; Logan Gilbert, Mariners; Payton Tolle, Red Sox; Bryan Baker, Rays; Louis Varland, Blue Jays; Reid Detmers, Angels*
NATIONAL LEAGUE
1. Jacob Misiorowski, Brewers (175 total points; 35 first-place votes)
The Miz not only leads the NL in a slew of important categories -- he leads all of baseball. His 1.75 ERA is easily the lowest among all qualified starters, while his 210 strikeouts lead Cease's 201 for the most in the Majors. Then there's his MLB-best 2.14 FIP, 0.75 WHIP and .151 opponents' average. He allows opponents an average of 4.7 hits per nine innings and has a 13.60 K/9 ratio, both also the best in the bigs. This is about as easy a choice as there ever will be.
2. Cristopher Sánchez, Phillies (116 total points)
If you want to make an argument against Misiorowski as a lock for NL Cy Young, you could point out that Sánchez leads all MLB pitchers with 6.6 bWAR. You could also mention that his 16 wins following Monday's outing lead the Majors. When you consider those things along with his 187 strikeouts, which rank second in the NL, and his 2.51 ERA, which ranks fourth, he certainly has a compelling case.
3. Chris Sale, Braves (113 total points)
Sale remains the oldest pitcher to rank in this poll, but his age (37) is apparently just another impressive number for him. The lefty ranks second in the Majors with a 2.16 ERA, while his 1.02 WHIP ranks third in the NL and his 160 strikeouts rank sixth. Speaking of strikeouts, Sale is on track for his ninth season with 200 or more. Meanwhile, he's allowed more than three earned runs just once all season.
4. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dodgers (49 total points)
Yamamoto is another guy who makes it really hard for batters to reach base. His 0.89 WHIP is the second lowest in the bigs and he's held opponents to a .186 average, which is third best among qualified starters. So, as you might imagine, that makes it hard to score. Fittingly, his 2.60 ERA ranks fifth in the NL. But since mid-May, a span of 14 starts, it's 2.08.
5. Chase Burns, Reds (38 total points)
Burns is enjoying an outstanding sophomore season in the Majors. The righty's 14 wins are the third most of any pitcher in the bigs, while his 2.47 ERA and .204 opponents' average both rank third in the NL. Burns has won 13 of his past 14 decisions (including 12 straight wins from April 21-Aug. 2) and the Reds are 17-6 in his starts.
*Others receiving votes: Jesús Luzardo, Phillies; Mason Miller, Padres; Zack Wheeler, Phillies; Paul Skenes, Pirates; Eduardo Rodriguez, D-backs; Sandy Alcantara, Marlins*