Dodgers Have Runaway Cy Young Favorite in First Experts Poll

Yoshinobu Yamamoto's strong sophomore season in Major League Baseball has him on track to land a major award.

MLB.com polled its staff experts to come up with the Cy Young Award favorites in each league. The results were published Tuesday. Yamamoto collected 22 of 37 possible first-place votes for the National League Award, making him the runaway favorite in the first poll of the season.

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Writes Jason Foster: "After a somewhat uneven and injury-hampered rookie season in 2024, Yoshinobu has lived up to the billing of a game-changing ace so far in 2025. His 1.80 ERA leads the NL, while he's also in the top five in WHIP (0.98) and average against (.188). A big reason for his success is his nearly unhittable split-finger fastball, which has a whiff rate of about 45 percent and has frustrated hitters to the tune of an .086 average so far. How good has he been? He had a five-start stretch from April 4 through May 2 in which he allowed a total of one earned run."

No other NL pitcher collected more than three first-place votes in MLB.com's poll. Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes, San Francisco Giants right-hander Logan Webb, Cincinnati Reds right-hander Hunter Greene, and Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler rounded out the top 5.

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“I’ve been able to perform at a very high level,” Yamamoto said after shutting out the Braves for six innings in Atlanta on May 2. “I think it’s really close to my best times in Japan.”

The BBWAA voters who issue Cy Young votes do so independent of a pitcher's performance relative to his teammates. Nonetheless, Yamamoto's value to the Dodgers can only enhance his case.

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The Dodgers signed Blake Snell to a five-year, $182 million contract last December. In December 2023, they acquired Tyler Glasnow and extended his contract for five years and $135 million. Both pitchers are on the injured list, and have made seven starts combined.

Meanwhile, Shohei Ohtani hasn't thrown an inning after signing a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers in December 2023. Clayton Kershaw is also on the rehab trail after having two surgeries last winter.

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Against this backdrop, Yamamoto's steady excellence for the Dodgers has been an invaluable component in their 27-15 start. No team in either league has a better record through Monday.

A Cy Young award in his second season would more than justify Yamamoto's 12-year, $325 million contract.

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