As expected, Gerrit Cole is the 2023 Cy Young winner in the American League. The Baseball Writers Association of America announced that the Yankee star won the award. Former Minnesota right-hander Sonny Gray was the runner-up, while Toronto Kevin Gausman took third place.
There wasn’t much intrigue as Cole received all 30 first place votes. Although he is a six-time All-Star and two-time ERA champion, this is his first career Cy Young. No AL pitcher surpassed Cole’s 209 innings, while he led junior circuit pitchers (minimum 150 innings) with a 2.63 ERA. He was sixth in that group with a 27% strikeout rate, trailing only Gausman and Pablo Lopez with a total of 222 punchouts.
This well-rounded dominance easily made Cole the AL’s best pitcher in the eyes of voters. It is his sixth top-five finish and the third time he has been a finalist, having previously finished second twice. Having at least one Cy Young on his resume could go a long way toward polishing an eventual Hall of Fame case.
For now, the 33-year-old will look to repeat this year’s success in hopes of leading the Yankees back to the postseason. Although Cole had one of the best seasons of his career, New York faltered midseason and finished the season just above .500. Cole will remain in the Bronx for at least another year. He is entering the fifth year of his nine-year, $324 million free agent contract. He has the option to leave after next season.
Gray received 20 second-place votes, achieving the highest Cy Young finish of his career. It was just the right time for the three-time All-Star, who hit free agency a few weeks ago. Gausman secured seven second-place votes and was the most common choice for third place. A few votes were cast for second place Luis Castillo And Zach Eflinalthough Baltimore Kyle Bradish pushed this duo to fourth place in the overall vote.
Others receive at least one vote: López, George Kirby, Framber Valdez, Chris Bassitt, Felix Bautista And Chris Martin. Full results are available on the BBWAA website.
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