Will Gil be the King of the Hill? Sock’s MLB Cy Young Rankings

The pitching in the MLB this season has been electric. How will my rankings shift this week? 

NL Cy Young Rankings

On the Bubble: Tyler Glasnow, Javier Assad, Jared Jones, Trevor Williams, Jordan Hicks

5. Chris Sale – ATL: Last Week’s Ranking: On the Bubble
When Sale was traded to Atlanta, many people wrote him off as injury-prone. That couldn’t be further from the truth this year so far. Sale has a 2.54 ERA, 0.89 WHIP with 61 strikeouts in 49.2 innings. In his last 3 starts, he’s struck out 28 batters and only gave up 1 earned run. He deserves more respect, and I will give it to him.

4. Zack Wheeler – PHI: Last Week’s Ranking: #5
Wheeler lowered his ERA from 2.53 to 2.52. A massive jump if you ask me. In his last start, Wheeler went 7.1 innings, giving up 2 earned runs, 3 hits, 3 walks, and struck out 6 batters. It keeps him at the top after Tyler Glasnow’s bad outing against Cincinnati.

3. Dylan Cease – SDP: Last Week’s Ranking: #2
Cease fell victim to the known powerhouse Colorado Rockies, giving up 3 earned runs and 5 hits. He did strike out 8 batters, raising his total to 68. He still leads the NL in H/9 and is 2nd in WHIP with a 0.78. He’ll move back one spot in my rankings. (Stats used for these rankings were taken before his start on 5/20/24).

2. Shota Imanaga – CHC: Last Week’s Ranking: #3
Imanaga has been fantastic for Chicago; there is no other way around it. He pitched 12 innings in the last week, allowing 11 hits, 4 walks, and 0 runs. He struck 15 batters in his previous two starts and has struck out at least 7 batters in his last 5 starts. His ERA is now 0.84 on the year, and his WHIP is 0.91. Unreal.

1. Ranger Suarez – PHI: Last Week’s Ranking: #1
For as well as Imanaga has been, Suarez has been just as good. Suarez kept his start against the Mets simple, going 5 innings, allowing 2 unearned runs, 4 hits, and 2 walks. He lowered his ERA from 1.50 to 1.37 and still leads the NL in WHIP despite going from 0.72 to 0.76. Imanaga is on his tail, but Ranger Suarez is still my NL Cy Young.

AL Cy Young Rankings

On the Bubble: Corbin Burnes, Logan Gilbert, Bryce Miller, Reese Olson, Jon Gray

5. Kutter Crawford – BOS: Last Week’s Ranking: #5
Crawford had two starts this past week, and he pitched 12.2 innings, giving up 5 earned runs while striking out 11. His ERA went from 1.75 to 2.17, and his WHIP went from 1.08 to 1.14. He hangs on for dear life to the number five.

4. Luis Gil – NYY: Last Week’s Ranking: Outside the Bubble
Luis Gil has been pitching lights out for the Yankees this season. The rookie has a 2.39 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and has struck out 62 batters through 49 innings. Over his last 4 starts, he’s only given up 2 earned runs and struck out 27, including 14 in his previous start. He’ll be in a lot of conversations for AL ROTY. 

3. Tanner Houck – BOS: Last Week’s Ranking: #3
Houck is locked into the number 3 spot on my rankings. That’s fine because he pitched 5.2 innings, giving up 5 hits, 3 walks, and 1 earned run in his last start. Like Crawford, he has a 2.17 ERA, but his WHIP is 1.02.  

2. Seth Lugo – KCR: Last Week’s Ranking: #2
Lugo pitched 5.2 innings in his last start, giving up 6 hits, 1 walk, and 2 earned runs. However, he struck out 10 batters, increasing his season total to 58. Lugo’s 1.79 ERA and 65.1 innings pitched lead the AL. He had a good outing, but he still ranks behind Skubal.

1. Tarik Skubal – DET: Last Week’s Ranking: #1
He still ranks behind Skubal because he had a great outing against Arizona. He went 6 innings and only gave up 1 hit. He struck out 6 and lowered his WHIP from 0.86 to 0.78 and his ERA from 2.02 to 1.80. Skubal has been fantastic for Detroit, and he is still my AL Cy Young.