Reid Detmers gave the Angels something to hang onto in a rough 2026 season, and the voters noticed.
The left-hander finished sixth in American League Cy Young Award voting on Wednesday, earning nine points after the best year of his major league career. MLB’s official results showed Detmers picked up one fourth-place vote and seven fifth-place votes from Baseball Writers’ Association of America members.
At the top of the ballot, New York Yankees right-hander Cam Schlittler took the award unanimously with all 30 first-place votes and 210 points. Toronto’s Dylan Cease placed second with 110 points, followed by Cleveland’s Parker Messick at 84, Tampa Bay’s Drew Rasmussen at 72 and Boston’s Sonny Gray at 21.
Detmers’ finish stands out as another sign of how far he came this season. The 27-year-old went 7-8 with a 3.36 ERA in 32 starts, piling up 211 strikeouts over 185 innings. He also posted a 1.04 WHIP and averaged 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings.
The recognition also marked a notable first for the Angels: Detmers became the first Angels left-hander to do it since Chuck Finley in 1999.
That climb mattered even more because Detmers had spent much of 2025 working out of the bullpen before moving back into the starting rotation. His second half was even stronger, and it lined up with major changes on the Angels’ pitching staff.
Los Angeles moved on from pitching coach Mike Maddux in August, then elevated Tim Leveque and Michael Wuertz to interim major league roles. The Angels later decided to keep both coaches after the staff’s ERA improved from 4.51 before the changes to 3.69 over the rest of the season.
Detmers’ rise now leaves the Angels with a significant offseason question. Even after his breakout, he has been mentioned as a possible trade candidate as the franchise heads into new ownership and a front-office overhaul.
For a club that finished 62-100, Detmers’ Cy Young finish offered one of the few bright spots from an otherwise tough year.
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