Chris Sale is doing everything a Cy Young winner is supposed to do. The problem is, two other pitchers are doing even more.
At 37, Sale has turned in a season that would be dominant in almost any other year. In 22 starts for the Atlanta Braves, he has a 2.16 ERA, a 2.29 FIP, a 3.06 xERA, 160 strikeouts and only 28 walks across 129 innings.
For a pitcher who was essentially left for dead in Boston after a string of injuries, that’s a remarkable comeback story. The Braves traded for him anyway, and he’s answered by looking like one of the best arms in baseball.
That level of performance normally puts a pitcher squarely in the middle of the Cy Young conversation. This year, though, the latest MLB Cy Young poll delivered a harsh reminder that great isn’t automatically good enough.
Sale came in third in the poll, collecting 113 points but no first-place votes. That’s a tough landing spot for a pitcher with his numbers, but the leaderboard explains why the gap is so wide.
Jacob Misiorowski is the most obvious roadblock. He’s sitting on a 1.75 ERA over 23 starts and has piled up 210 strikeouts in 139 innings. That kind of production makes the race feel nearly impossible to crack unless something dramatic changes.
Cristopher Sanchez is right there too, and his case has a different kind of strength. He has logged more innings than Sale, and that volume matters to voters.
Through 26 starts, Sanchez owns a 2.51 ERA, 5.2 fWAR and 161.2 innings. Philadelphia’s Jesus Luzardo is also hanging near the top of the fWAR race, though his numbers don’t match the top three.
So while Sale still looks like a strong bet to finish in the top three in the NL Cy Young race, the trophy itself is another matter. Right now, getting into the top two looks like a steep climb, and the path to first would take a lot breaking his way.
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