Padres' Mason Miller Earns Major Cy Young Award Prediction

San Diego Padres closer Mason Miller has been nearly perfect through 7.1 innings of work in 2026.

Miller has faced 24 batters, giving up just one hit and one walk. He's struck out 19 on them.

The 27-year-old has also made all types of history this season.

For one, Miller has made four appearances this season in which he faced three or more batters and struck them all out. No pitcher has done that in the first 14 games of a season since at least 1900.

Miller is on course to have the best season as a Padres reliever and could very well have the best performance from a reliever in MLB history. Miller hasn't allowed a run since his second appearance with the Padres in August 2025 (this includes the postseason as well as the 2026 World Baseball Classic).

Miller also took back his crown for the fastest pitch thrown in 2026 with a 103.4 mph pitch, surpassing Los Angeles Dodgers flamethrower Edgardo Henriquez's pitch at 103.2 mph.

That is why the Athletic's Jim Bowden believes Miller could be a Cy Young candidate if he continues this lights out performance in 2026.

"Miller is closing games for the Padres in such dominant fashion that it’s invoking memories of Trevor Hoffman and Mariano Rivera, two of the best closers of all-time," Bowden writes.

"He’s allowed only one hit and one walk in 7 1/3 innings, has converted all of his save attempts and has a seemingly impossible negative FIP (-1.65). If he keeps this up, he’ll be in the conversation with Paul Skenes, Cristopher Sánchez, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani and Chris Sale for the NL Cy Young Award."

Padres players know they are witnessing history as Jason Adam heaped high praise on Miller.

“Everyone knows what Mason does, it’s incredibly fun to watch,” Adam, who was activated off the injured list Friday, said. “Probably like once-in-a-generation type stuff.”

Jackson Merrill explained why it's so hard for hitters to face Miller, who mainly uses a triple-digit fastball and electric slider.

“It’s pretty ridiculous," Merrill said. "You get in there, you don’t know what’s coming. You don’t know if it’s gonna be 87, 95 or 105 [mph]. You just gotta be ready for everything, and it’s pretty tough being ready for all that.”

Miller has relied on two pitches to fend off lineups, but he's also starting to implement a changeup, which is wild considering most pitchers throw a four-seam fastball at the velocity of his 95 mph changeup.

“He’s got an electric fastball and slider, and now he’s breaking out a changeup,” manager Craig Stammen said. “It talks to, great players want to get better. They want to keep getting better. He’s added that to his repertoire, and maybe that gives him a little bit more of an advantage against left-handed hitting.”