Skenes is the third pitcher in franchise history to win the Cy Young and join Vernon Law (1960) and Doug Drabek (1990). He posted an MLB-best 1.97 earned run average over his first full season in the major leagues. He had posted a 1.96 rating in 23 starts as a rookie. He is the only starting pitcher in the Majors with an ERA under 2.00 over the past two seasons. Skenes ranked fourth in the NL with 187 2/3 innings pitched and tied games Jesus Luzardo in second place with 216 strikeouts.
Only Logan Webb recorded more strikeouts. Skenes ranked fifth in strikeout percentage (minimum 100 innings) and third behind Webb and Sánchez with 20 quality starts. He led the Senior Circuit with a 2.36 FIP and placed fifth with a 3.10 SIERA. FanGraphs and Baseball Reference each essentially had him in a dead heat with Sánchez for the Wins Above Replacement lead.
The 2023 first overall pick is widely considered one of the top two pitchers in the sport. There’s an honest debate going on between him and the two-time AL Cy Young winner Pull Skubalbut they are almost certainly 1-2 in some order. Fans of other teams may dream of prying Skenes from Pittsburgh, but that won’t happen anytime soon. General manager Ben Cherington stated in no uncertain terms yesterday that their ace in 2026 would remain a Pirate. He will be under club control for four more seasons, and while a trade may be on the cards down the road, the immediate focus for player and team is on getting the Bucs to the postseason. Skenes is the key player on a team trying to break its decade-long playoff drought.
Sánchez had a breakout season where he established himself as a real asset for the Phillies. He fired 202 innings of 2.50 ERA ball over 32 starts. He finished fourth in the NL with 212 strikeouts. Sánchez was a top-of-the-rotation starter from 2023 to 2024 and had a top 10 Cy Young finish in the second of those seasons. This was the first time he posted an ERA under 3.00 or exceeded 200 innings and strikeouts, so he was certainly leveling up in his age-28 season. He’s signed through 2028 and is under control through ’30 via a pair of club options on one of the most team-friendly contracts in the game.
Yamamoto’s exploits in the World Series did not factor into the voting, which takes place at the end of the regular season. He earned his first All-Star nod and first Cy Young votes by posting a 2.49 ERA over 30 starts. Yamamoto recorded 201 strikeouts in 173 2/3 innings, while leading the NL with fewer than six hits allowed per nine innings. Yamamoto showed tremendous potential in his first MLB season, but he was limited to 18 starts in 2024 due to a rotator cuff injury. In year two, he showed what he is capable of in a full season, and the Dodgers have won back-to-back World Series in the first two seasons of his record-breaking $325 million free agent contract.
Just over half of voters placed Yamamoto in third place. Webb received 10 third-place votes and finished fourth overall. Freddy Peralta took the four remaining nods in third place and landed in fifth place. Skenes and Sánchez were the only pitchers to appear on every ballot. Nick PivettaJesus Luzardo, Andrew Abbott And Zack Wieler also received votes.
Image courtesy of Katie Stratman, Imagn Images. Complete vote count available courtesy of BBWAA.
#Paul #Skenes #wins #Young #Award