2023 MLB Awards: Top 5 AL Cy Young Award Candidates

Gerrit Cole, Kevin Gausman, Luis Castillo, Framber Valdez and Sonny Gray all are worthy candidates for the 2023 American League Cy Young Award, but who will win the award?
2023 MLB Awards: Top 5 AL Cy Young Award Candidates
2023 MLB Awards: Top 5 AL Cy Young Award Candidates /
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The 2023 Major League Baseball regular season has come and passed, and soon, the winners of the sport's most prestigious awards will be announced.

The recipients of the American League and National League Manager of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Cy Young and MVP awards will be named upon the conclusion of the World Series.

As part of our 2023 MLB award selections, here are our top five American League Cy Young Award candidates:

5) Kevin Gausman, RHP, Toronto Blue Jays

31 G, 31 GS, 12-9, 3.16 ERA, 185.0 IP, 134 ERA+, 2.97 FIP, 1.178 WHIP, 11.5 SO9, 4.31 SO/W, 3.4 WAR

Gausman led the American League in strikeouts in 2023, enjoying a sensational season in his second year with the Toronto Blue Jays. Two years ago, the Blue Jays signed Gausman to a five-year, $110 million deal, and he has not disappointed. This season, he was a top-5 pitcher in the AL. His contract is looking like a great investment for the Jays.

4) Framber Valdez, LHP, Houston Astros

31 G, 31 GS, 12-11, 3.45 ERA, 198.0 IP, 122 ERA+, 3.50 FIP, 1.126 WHIP, 9.1 SO9, 3.51 SO/W, 3.1 WAR

It was a tale of two seasons for Valdez. Mr. Quality Start himself was dominant through his first 12 starts, logging a 2.16 ERA over 79.0 IP. Valdez struggled in the season's second half, however, posting a 4.64 ERA across his final 99 IP and 16 starts. Though he may not have finished the season the way he started it, the 29 year-old still had a Cy Young-caliber season overall.

3) Luis Castillo, RHP, Seattle Mariners

33 G, 33 GS, 14-9, 3.34 ERA, 197.0 IP, 121 ERA+, 3.81 FIP, 1.096 WHIP, 10.0 SO9, 3.91 SO/W, 3.4 WAR

Like Valdez, Castillo got off to a great start (2.88 ERA) over his first 22 starts, but hit a snag in the final months of the season (4.25 ERA in his last 11). Had he closed out the year on a better note, the Seattle Mariners might have made the playoffs. Despite his poor performance over the last two months of the season, Castillo put together a great season overall.

2) Sonny Gray, RHP, Minnesota Twins

32 G, 32 GS, 8-8, 2.79 ERA, 184.0 IP, 154 ERA+, 2.83 FIP, 1.147 WHIP, 9.0 SO9, 3.33 SO/W, 5.3 WAR

On his fourth different team and in his 12th Major League season, Gray continues to find success. In 2023, he posted an impressive 2.79 ERA, 154 ERA+, 2.83 FIP and 1.147 WHIP in 32 starts, helping the Minnesota Twins win the AL Central for the third time in five years.

1) Gerrit Cole, RHP, New York Yankees

33 G, 33 GS, 15-4, 2.63 ERA, 209.0 IP, 165 ERA+, 3.17 FIP, 0.981 WHIP, 9.6 SO9, 4.63 SO/W, 7.5 WAR

Cole has finished second in Cy Young Award voting twice in his career, but has yet to win the award... until now. Cole led American League pitchers in ERA, starts, shutouts, IP, ERA+, WHIP, H9 and win percentage. Expect him to soon take home the hardware for the first time in his career.


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Jack Vita
JACK VITA

Jack Vita is a writer and contributor to Sports Illustrated's Inside the Orioles, and host of the Jack Vita Show, a popular sports podcast available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and wherever podcasts are found. Jack is a 2017 graduate of Valparaiso University, in northwest Indiana. Since completing his degree, Jack has created his own independent sports media outlet (JackVita.com) and podcast (the Jack Vita Show). He has featured prominent guests from the worlds of sports and entertainment including Brian Urlacher, Scot Pollard, Bob Nightengale, Dan O'Dowd, and Survivor icons Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick, Cirie Fields, Danni Boatwright and "the Dragon Slayer", Coach Benjamin Wade. While studying at Valparaiso, Jack was the school newspaper's beat writer for the Valpo Crusaders men's basketball team, which won three straight Horizon League championships from 2015-2017. Traveling to cover the team, Jack had a front row seat to one of the nation's best mid-major teams, headlined by future NBA Draft pick Alec Peters and coached by NCAA Tournament hero Bryce Drew. Jack hosted a weekly sports radio show and provided play-by-play and color commentary services for ESPN 3 and the university's student radio station, WVUR-FM, 95.1 The Source, covering Valparaiso men's soccer, women's basketball, softball and volleyball. Jack also covered these sports, in addition to men's and women's tennis, baseball and women's soccer for the school newspaper, The Torch. While he was in college, Jack interned for and co-hosted Jewell On Sports, a sports radio program on AM 1050 WLIP in Kenosha, Wisconsin. There, he interviewed various pro athletes such as Ahman Green, Javon Walker and Javier Arenas, in addition to talking sports with the late, great Brad Jewell. Jack also interned for 22nd Century Media, a now defunct newspaper corporation that provided news to the North Shore of Chicago. With 22nd Century Media, Jack wrote post-game recaps, feature stories about local athletes, reviews of local restaurants and compiled the newspaper's "Pet of the Week" and "Athlete of the Week" sections, while providing copy-editing services. Before attending Valparaiso, Jack enrolled at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where he studied for two years before transferring. He is a high school graduate of New Trier Township High School in Winnetka, Illinois. You can follow Jack on Twitter @JackVitaShow, subscribe to his podcast, the Jack Vita Show, wherever podcasts are found, and reach him via email at jack@jackvita.com.