Dylan Cease has been the best pitcher in the American League
Dylan Cease has been a major bright spot in a rather dismal up and down season for the Chicago White Sox. Dylan Cease has pitched his way right into being the favorite for the American league Cy young, especially after his most recent performance against the Minnesota Twins in which he was one out away from a no hitter. Cease has proved that his breakout in the 2021 season was only just the start of things to come.
The Numbers
Dylan Cease, as of September 17th, has pitched to the tune of a 14-7 record to go along with a 2.16 ERA. Cease is also second in the American league with 214 strikeouts and though his walks are high, Cease has not let baserunners get the better of him.
This is due in fact to Cease’s slider which can be considered the best pitch in baseball statistically.
Cease’s slider has a run value of -36 which is the best in baseball by 12 points. Run value is defined as the run impact of an event based on the runners on base, outs, and ball and strike count. Cease throws his slider 42.8% of the time and for good reason. Batters are hitting a miserable .126 against it and whiffing almost 50% of the time. In other words, Cease’s slider is practically un-hittable and directly tied to the success he is having this year.
Why Dylan Cease deserves the AL CY Young award
For a majority of the 2022 season, though Cease is having a phenomenal season, Houston Astros pitcher and future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander was the favorite to win the CY Young award. Thus should not be the case anymore.
The injury bug has struck Verlander this season and limited him to 25 starts. Cease is 1st among AL pitchers for games started and is 1st among AL pitchers in WAR. Basically saying that when Cease pitches he is more valuable to his team than any other pitcher in the American League and because he is first in games started and will most likely finish the season in that position, Cease was able to consistently perform at a high level throughout the season and avoid injury. Although Verlander has returned, Cease has certainly closed the gap if not passed Verlander as the AL Cy Young favorite during his absence.
If Cease wins the CY Young award this season he will become the 3rd White Sox to win the award. Jack Mcdowell is the last White Sox to be graced with the honor as the AL’s best pitcher during the 1993 season. Being that Cease was the definition of snubbed from the AL all star team this year and that Verlander has two Cy young awards under his belt, Cease should be the favorite when all is said and done this year.
Update on the odds
Below are the updated odds via Fanduel on the favorite to win the AL CY Young award. With Dylan Cease and his signature performance of 2022 against the Twins behind him, he has jumped future Hall Of Famer Justin Verlander and now has the best odds to win the AL CY Young.
| Pitcher (Team) | Odds |
|---|---|
| Dylan Cease (White Sox) | -150 |
| Justin Verlander (Astros) | +110 |
| Shane McClanahan (Rays) | +3,00 |
Eloy Jimenez has been on another level in the 2nd half
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