MLB Cy Young Tracker: Can Shohei Ohtani Do the Impossible?
Congratulations to all 30 teams in Major League Baseball, you’ve survived the first month of the campaign.
While the Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, and New York Mets might protest that statement, every team is still alive following the first month of play as we look towards May and the start of summer.
As we move towards the second month, it’s time to look at the best pitchers in the sport. While the sample size is still four to five games for most, we are starting to see races form in both leagues.
Here are the favorites for the Cy Young in the National League and American League.
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National League
1. Tyler Glasnow (Los Angeles Dodgers)
It’s always been known that Glasnow, when healthy, can be the best pitcher in baseball. In terms of pure stuff, from his sizzling fastball to his knockout curve, the titan on the mound is unhittable when he’s in peak condition.
In a world where Glasnow can stay healthy, the award might be his if he continues performing at his current level.
2. Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Dodgers)
The Dodgers have arguably, along with Yoshinobu Yamamoto, three of the top five candidates so far for the Cy Young.
Ohtani, like Glasnow, has an arsenal of the nastiest pitches known to man, and it’ll be up to his health and how many innings he pitches to see if he can win the award.
He wants it, though, and every title or accolade Ohtani has put his mind to has become his, so it’d be hard to bet against him.
3. Nolan McLean (New York Mets)
The Mets are completely awful and lifeless, except for McLean, who’s awesome.
The Team USA pitcher in the World Baseball Classic has been fantastic through the first month and is maybe the only reason to tune in to Mets games anymore.
American League
1. José Soriano (Los Angeles Angels)
The Angels had high hopes for Soriano, but no one, not even Soriano’s family, could imagine how good his 2026 would begin.
He’s been untouchable. Soriano has an ERA of 0.24 while also averaging double-digit strikeouts per nine innings. Although it’s difficult to see this fairytale continuing, we’re reaching a point where even if he regresses, Soriano could be a major contender in the AL.
2. Cam Schlittler (New York Yankees)
It is not a fluke, confirmed. Fans were shocked by how polished the rookie looked at the end of 2025, and he’s only gotten better in 2026, leading all pitchers in fWAR with 1.7 through the first month. The sky is the limit for the future ace of the Yankees franchise.
3. Tarik Skubal (Detroit Tigers)
Tarik Skubal is Tarik Skubal. The back-to-back AL Cy Young winner is back to pitching at the form that has won him the honor for 2024 and 2025.
There’s no concern about Skubal keeping up this form, but it’ll be a question of whether voters will be fatigued giving the ace his flowers.
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This story was originally published April 27, 2026 at 5:10 PM.