More than a third of the way through the MLB season, the Cy Young races are becoming much clearer. Some pitchers made hot starts and fell off the pace. Others have surged in May and put themselves in the Cy Young mix.
As a reminder, these rankings aren’t about who the sportsbooks are favoring or who we expect to ultimately win the awards. This is a snapshot of how our top three on a ballot would look if the season ended today.
AL
1. Cam Schlittler
There’s a chasm between Schlittler and everyone else. He leads all qualified pitchers in both FIP and fWAR while ranking fourth in innings pitched. Max Fried, the only hurler with a better xERA, has made two fewer starts than his young teammate.
The Yankees’ right-hander has turned an impressive rookie campaign into a legitimate breakout year. An increase in sinker usage has played a role, but the biggest driver has been the improved quality of both of Schlittler’s fastballs.
2. Joe Ryan
Third in fWAR and second in K-BB%, Ryan is quietly having another stellar season for the Twins. Ryan has work to do if he’s going to surpass Schlittler here, but he’s certainly been one of the three best arms in the American League so far.
Increasing his knucklecurve usage has made Ryan into a much more difficult pitcher to line up. His fastball combination is now balanced with two very good breaking balls, which bodes well for continued success.
3. Kevin Gausman
Gausman has conceded just two runs over his last three starts. The right-hander is ninth in innings pitched, sixth in FIP, and 10th in xFIP. Those numbers might not sound like he deserves a top three spot, but his command has been excellent and he’s in the top 10 in hard-hit rate.
Only three pitchers have more fWAR than Gausman in 2026. There are a number of candidates for this spot, including Reid Detmers and Davis Martin, but we’re giving Gausman the edge for now.
NL
1. Jacob Misirowski
No one in the big leagues can match Misirowski’s 2.19 xERA. His 32.6% K-BB rate is seven (!) percentage points ahead of second-placed Dylan Cease. A 2.01 xFIP is 0.3 ahead of second place, and Max Fried (in 10.2 fewer innings) is the only pitcher to have conceded fewer barrels.
Unsurprisingly, Misirowski also sits alone atop the Pitching+ leaderboard. With the race so tightly packed by traditional metrics, his strong underlying numbers help separate him from the rest of the field.
2. Cristopher Sánchez
Sánchez had a 0.00 ERA and a 15.00 K/BB ratio in May. It’s one of the most dominant pitching months in MLB history. The Phillies’ southpaw leads all pitchers in fWAR at 3.3, and leads the majors in innings, ERA, and FIP.
Four NL arms currently own a better xERA than Sánchez, and his lower Location+ is something worth monitoring going forward. If the season ended today, the NL Cy Young race would be a virtual toss-up between Misirowski and Sánchez.
3. Paul Skenes
Skenes has allowed 10 earned runs over his last three starts. He’s still third in the National League in fWAR and second in xERA. Misirowski is the only pitcher with a better K-BB%.
The fact Skenes has had three poor starts and still sits third in this race speaks to how impressive his other outings have been. He’s very much still in the mix for this Cy Young, and could be atop this list by the next edition.
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