Baltimore Orioles Ace the Favorite to Win Cy Young

The Baltimore Orioles ace has been deemed the favorite to win the Cy Young after the first poll was announced.

Apr 14, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Corbin Burnes (39) throws a pitch / Reggie Hildred-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Orioles have started to play better, winning five of their last seven games. The offense has started to come around and the pitching staff has done what they've needed to do.

Corbin Burnes is the ace of this staff and for the most part, he's been as good as advertised. He had his struggles in his second start against the Kansas City Royals, allowing nine hits, but the right-hander only gave up two earned runs in 5 2/3 innings pitched.

In 23 2/3 innings, the former Cy Young Award winner has posted a 2.28 ERA and 0.93 WHIP with 25 strikeouts and just four walks.

MLB.com did their first CY Young poll of the season and the Orioles ace took home the most first-place votes by a landslide. Second place Tarik Skubal had four votes, while Burnes had 27.

Jason Foster of MLB.com writes that he looks like the pitcher Baltimore traded for and the team is 4-0 in his starts.

It's been as promising of a start as possible for the 29-year-old. With the Orioles producing the way everyone expected them to offensively in recent games, it's scary to imagine what they can put together in the coming months.

The Bakersfield native will have everything behind him if the season goes as planned. Baltimore's expected to be a team with 90-plus wins and a postseason birth. Burnes is expected to have a below 3.0 ERA as he has in multiple seasons throughout his career.

Winning and putting up the numbers he has should have him right in the mix of it when it's all said and done.