To paraphrase the ubiquitous draft proverb: You can not win Cy Young in the first two months of the season, but you can lose it.
Patrick Corbin (6.71 ERA) does not take home the trophy. José Berríos (5.24) can still help the Blue Jays, but not enough to win any individual honor.
We have reached a third of the season and the fields chasing baseball hardware have been narrowed. To have a meaningful chance of winning the award that goes to a league’s best pitcher, you must at least be in touch with, if not among, the leaders.
A year ago at this point – until June 7, 2021 – Gerrit Cole was the big favorite for the American League Cy Young. The Yankees ace had sent a 2.26 ERA through 12 starts and was worth 3.2 WAR, according to the FanGraphs, well ahead of second place (Boston’s Nathan Eovaldi, who had 2.3).
