It’s the final week of the 2023 MLB regular season, and there’s still plenty left to be decided. From coast to coast, teams will be battling out for playoff positioning, but a spot in October isn’t the only thing still on the line — we also have some individual awards to hand out.
In some cases, those awards races were put to bed weeks ago; Shohei Ohtani isn’t even in the Angels’ clubhouse these days but will waltz to a second AL MVP. For others, though, this week is an excellent chance to deliver one heck of a closing argument. Yankees ace Gerrit Cole made an excellent one a few days ago against the Blue Jays, firing eight innings of one-run ball with nine strikeouts. Cole has been just about the only thing that’s gone right for New York this year, the most consistent pitcher in a topsy-turvy season around the league. But with just a few days left to go, how safe is Cole’s first-ever Cy Young Award? And who are the best candidates to snatch it from him at the last moment? Let’s break it down.
AL Cy Young race: Gerrit Cole’s award to lose
Cole’s statistical case after that Toronto performance would seem to be pretty overwhelming: The righty leads the AL in pitcher WAR, ERA, WHIP and innings pitched, while ranking eighth in K/9 and third in total strikeouts. Two of his main competitors — the Jays’ Kevin Gausman and the Astros’ Framber Valdez — have stumbled a bit of late, widening his gap over the field. This isn’t a totally open and shut case, though; despite Cole’s excellence this year, and despite how badly voters may want to finally reward him with his first career Cy Young, there is still a path for one player in particular.
Seattle’s Luis Castillo has been excellent in September, keeping the Mariners in crucial games — and keeping himself within striking distance of Cole in most major categories. Even more importantly, though, is what the right has in front of him: namely, two huge starts, one on Monday against the Astros and then another at home against the Rangers this weekend. Both of those games will go a long way toward deciding Seattle’s postseason fate, as well as the AL West and AL Wild Card pictures, and most of the baseball world will be watching — providing the perfect stage for Castillo to show why he deserves to be considered the best pitcher in the league.
Castillo currently ranks fourth in ERA (3.06) and third in WHIP (1.046), too far behind to overtake Cole but certainly close enough that he could sway some voters if he continues to close the season on a tear. He also has a higher K/9 than Cole, and he could very well catch the Yankees ace in total strikeouts (where he trails, 217 to 207) given that he’ll likely have two starts remaining to Cole’s one. He’s also likely to crack the 200-inning mark and finish just a few frames behind Cole on the season. A similar workload, similar ratios and more strikeouts on a team that actually made the postseason and played huge games down the stretch? Don’t count Castillo out just yet.
