And just like that, another Cy Young candidate bites the dust.
Shohei Ohtani’s season on the mound is over after the AL MVP favorite was diagnosed with a torn UCL in the elbow of his throwing arm. So, though he’s among my Cy Young favorites if the season ended today, he’ll likely fall off this list soon.
Ohtani joins Shane McClanahan as award hopefuls whose seasons have ended early, though Ohtani will at least get to continue swinging the bat. But while his future removal from this list narrows the field a little, it doesn’t make the picture any clearer about who will eventually win the award. The NL is race is equally murky. Here’s who I have leading the way today.
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Related: MLB MVP Ladder 8.0
American League Cy Young
Shohei Ohtani makes the AL Cy Young Ladder for the 2nd and likely last time (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
1. Gerrit Cole, New York Yankees (-125)
10-4 | 3.03 ERA | 170 SO | 4.6 WAR
Last ladder: 1st
While the eight runs allowed over his last 10 innings have put a dent in Cole’s odds to win this award, his lead was big enough that he remains the favorite for now. But he can’t afford another bad outing in his next start.
2. Luis Castillo, Seattle Mariners (+230)
10-7 | 3.15 ERA | 175 SO | 2.7 WAR
Last ladder: 5th
Castillo climbs from the bottom of our last ladder to No. 2 thanks to two starts in the time since where he combined for 17 strikeouts while allowing just two runs over 13 innings. He might have jumped even higher if not for the start in between those games where he allowed four runs to the Royals.
3. Kevin Gausman, Toronto Blue Jays (+400)
9-8 | 3.23 ERA | 195 SO | 2.3 WAR
Last ladder: 2nd
The advanced numbers don’t love Gausman much, but it’s hard to ignore his enormous strikeout tally. He drops a spot from the last ladder because of a rough start against the Phillies.
4. Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels (n/a)
10-5 | 3.14 ERA | 167 SO | 4.0 WAR
Last ladder: 4th
There’s not much else to be said about Ohtani. He holds steady at fourth for now, but I don’t expect to see him on the next ladder. Which is a shame, because he had real chance to climb.
5. Nathan Eovaldi, Texas Rangers (+6500)
11-3 | 2.69 ERA | 111 SO | 4.0 WAR
Last ladder: 3rd
The only reason Eovaldi isn’t higher is because he hasn’t pitched in a month, so his 123 innings count is so much lower than the other candidates. But his return to play is said to be coming soon, so expect him to make a move.
Odds via DraftKings
National League Cy Young
Spencer Strider returns to the NL Cy Young Ladder for the 2nd time this season (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
1. Zac Gallen, Arizona Diamondbacks (-105)
14-5 | 3.11 ERA | 179 SO | 4.2 WAR
Last ladder: 3rd
Gallen was the odds leader on the last ladder, and now he’s the actual leader on this one, overtaking Blake Snell through no fault of Snell at all. Gallen has just been that good, earning wins in each of his last three starts while allowing just two combined runs in that time.
2. Blake Snell, San Diego Padres (+320)
10-9 | 2.73 ERA | 184 SO | 3.7 WAR
Last ladder: 1st
Like I said above, Snell hasn’t been bad — just not as sharp as Gallen. His ERA is 3.91 in August, and though he’s striking out batters at a higher rate, that won’t be good enough to hold off someone with a 2.01 ERA for the month.
3. Justin Steele, Chicago Cubs (+1500)
14-3 | 2.80 ERA | 127 SO | 3.2 WAR
Last ladder: 2nd
Steele continues to hang around with his consistent play from the mound. The Cubs have won six straight games that he’s started, and he didn’t allow more than three runs in any of them.
4. Logan Webb, San Francisco Giants (+1000)
9-9 | 3.36 ERA | 162 SO | 4.1 WAR
Last ladder: 4th
Webb had a real chance to climb out of the four hole this time around, but then he had to pitch against the Atlanta Braves over the weekend and that’s never easy. He gave a valiant effort, allowing four runs in six innings, but it wasn’t enough to boost his stock here.
5. Spencer Strider, Atlanta Braves (+350)
14-4 | 3.57 ERA | 227 SO | 3.0 WAR
Last ladder: Not ranked
Speaking of the Braves, Strider’s start that series against the Giants was phenomenal. He allowed just one hit in seven innings while striking out 10 to add to his league-best total — and that was his second straight seven-inning shutout. Keep a close eye on Strider down the stretch here. He’s heating up.
Odds via DraftKings
