Cam Schlittler Leads AL Cy Young Race but Legitimate Contenders Lurk

The Yankees ace is the early favorite to take home the hardware, but some talented pitchers are ensuring he won’t run away with it.

Yankees ace Cam Schlittler is the current frontrunner for the American League Cy Young Award. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Eleven weeks into the season, the American League Cy Young Award race has a clear leader with a compelling cast of pursuers. Yankees ace Cam Schlittler, in a breakout campaign that’s been a follow-up to last season’s masterclass in the postseason, has bolted out of the starting gates and looks to be the early frontrunner. And while the AL Cy Young race lacks the historically deep class of competitors compared to that of the National League, there are still plenty of pitchers in the junior circuit making this interesting.

But it all starts with Schlittler.

The Yankees entered the season with a deep rotation, but a rotation that nonetheless was without its ace in Gerrit Cole and 2025 All-Star Carlos Rodon for the first month-and-a-half of the 2026 season. And while New York had high hopes for Schlittler, the 25-year-old has wildly exceeded the club’s expectations, pitching to a level expected from Cole.

Schlittler leads the AL in ERA and FWAR, ranks second in strikeouts, second in walk rate and third in innings pitched. Even those numbers seemingly don’t do justice as to how dominant the second-year pro has been on the mound.

A student of the increasingly popular three-fastball school, the 6’ 6” Schlittler strikes an imposing presence on the mound, both for his height and heat—he leads baseball in average velocity on both his four-seamer and sinker. The pitches, which look almost identical in both arm slot and pace, have been nightmarish to face, as opposing batters are hitting just .178 against the two offerings combined.

Add it all up and Schlittler, despite a hiccup in his June 2 start against the Guardians, is still the odds-on favorite to take home the AL Cy Young Award.

But he is not without competition.

American League Cy Young Race

Jacob deGrom, Rangers

Rangers starting pitcher Jacob deGrom is vying to become the eighth pitcher to win the Cy Young Award in both leagues. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

deGrom ranks top-10 in wins, ERA and opponent batting average while boasting the largest difference between his strikeout and walk rates among AL pitchers. The 37-year-old still has a ton of firepower in his right arm, ranking in the 88th percentile in fastball velocity this season.

And while the heater has still been a big-time pitch for the Rangers hurler, it’s been his slider, which leads baseball in Statcast’s run value, that has been deGrom’s best swing-and-miss offering, particularly when tunneled with his four-seamer. deGrom has a good chance to become just the eighth pitcher to win the Cy Young Award in both leagues.

Gavin Williams, Guardians

Guardians righthander Gavin Williams has the most strikeouts in the American League. | David Dermer-Imagn Images

Williams has been a workhorse for the first-place Guardians in 2026, as he leads the AL in wins, innings pitched and strikeouts while ranking 12th in ERA. Walks have been the Guardians ace’s bugaboo in the past, but he’s cut his walk rate by nearly 4% in 2026, thanks in part to his decision to ditch his four-seamer for a sinker. Williams’s sinker has been more reliable as a strike-throwing pitch, and the perfect partner for one of baseball’s nastiest swing-and-miss offerings: Williams’s sweeper.

The Guardians righthander has been at his best against baseball’s best. Seven scoreless and 10 strikeouts against the Dodgers on April 1, 7 ⅔ scoreless against the Rays with nine strikeouts on April 29, and 5 ⅓ innings with three earned runs and six strikeouts against the Yankees on June 3.

Davis Martin, White Sox

White Sox starting pitcher Davis Martin is enjoying a breakout year. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Martin has been one of the most pleasant surprises on one of baseball’s most surprising teams in the second-place White Sox. The 29-year-old, who underwent Tommy John surgery in 2023 and dealt with a forearm injury last season, is also an example of a pitching success story in light of health setbacks, a rarity in the age of high velocity.

Speaking of which, Martin doesn’t throw hard but he doesn’t need to. The Abilene, Tx., native boasts six pitches in his arsenal, three of which are fastballs—a four-seamer, sinker and cutter—that are delivered from the same arm slot and sport similar enough velocities to keep with the deception. Add in a capable curveball and slider and it’s not hard to see why Martin ranks in the 68th percentile or better in chase, whiff and strikeout rates. One of just four pitchers in the AL to rank in the top-10 in both strikeout and groundball rate, Martin is very much in the running for this award.

Dylan Cease, Blue Jays

Blue Jays righthander Dylan Cease is one of the best bat missers in baseball. | Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

Cease has dropped back a few spots here after a left hamstring strain landed him on the injured list, but the righty only missed two starts, meaning he’s very much still in the running. Cease, who returned to action on Tuesday by striking out 11 Phillies in six innings, entered the night's action with the highest strikeout rate in the AL, the ninth-lowest ERA and and the second-highest swinging strike rate.

The bad news that is that the walks, as usual, have been a problem. But Cease’s biting slider remains one of the best weapons in baseball and has the veteran righthander in the mix to both make an All-Star Game and win the Cy Young Award for the first time.

Bryan Woo, Mariners

Mariners starting pitcher Bryan Woo owns one of the best four-seam fastballs in MLB. | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

This is a bit of a leap of faith, considering Woo’s merely decent 3.74 ERA. But the Mariners righthander’s stuff is every bit as good as any pitcher in the AL. He’s had some blow-up spots, but Woo has been downright unhittable at times, such as during a May 6 start against baseball’s best team in the Braves, during which Woo went right at Atlanta’s fearsome lineup with his elite four-seamer to the tune of one hit allowed over six scoreless innings with nine strikeouts.

Plus, a look under the hood suggests Woo is pitching far better than his ERA would suggest, as his FIP and expected ERA both check in lower than his ERA, while his strand rate is the second-lowest among AL starters. Woo is on the outskirts of the AL Cy Young race but he may soon be on the frontlines.

Honorable mentions

• Jose Soriano, Angels
• Tarik Skubal, Tigers
• Joe Ryan, Twins
• Shane McClanahan, Rays

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