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Home / frontmlb / 2022 MLB Award Races: MVP, Cy Young (August 5)
AP Photos/Wolf Sports Illustration

2022 MLB Award Races: MVP, Cy Young (August 5)

By Ben Jackson

August 5, 2022


The MVP races don’t change, but there’s shuffling in the 2022 Cy Young rankings in both leagues to begin August.

 

American League MVP

 

1. Shohei Ohtani, Angels

This just about sums it up for Ohtani and the Angels:

 

 

Ohtani can’t do much more to help his team compete, and the lack of team success shouldn’t be a big knock on his MVP candidacy.

 

2. Aaron Judge, Yankees

Judge smashed four more home runs since last week, bringing his season total to 43. Assuming Judge and Ohtani keep it up, AL MVP should be an incredibly close vote in the end.

 

3. Yordan Alvarez, Astros

Alvarez remains a distant third and is in somewhat of a slump as of late, but the Astros star is still enjoying a superb season with two months to go.

 

National League MVP

 

1. Paul Goldschmidt, Cardinals

Goldschmidt’s homers have come in bunches at stretches this season, and he had back-to-back games with home runs again this week. The veteran is totally locked in at the plate.

 

2. Freddie Freeman, Dodgers

Freeman is locked in too, continuing to raise his average closer to the NL lead currently held by Goldschmidt. Freeman will look to have a big series versus the Padres this weekend.

 

3. Austin Riley, Braves

Riley signed the biggest contract in Braves history, so he’s had an amazing past few days. Atlanta’s third baseman has been one of the most underrated players in the majors since last season.

 

American League Cy Young

 

1. Justin Verlander, Astros

Verlander threw six shutout innings (two hits allowed) in a win over the Guardians yesterday, notching his 15th victory of the season to go along with a 1.73 ERA and a 0.85 WHIP. Things can change quickly, but the 39-year-old is now the clear leader for AL Cy Young.

 

2. Dylan Cease, White Sox

Since giving up seven runs to the Red Sox on May 24, Cease has been on fire, allowing an insane four earned runs in 12 starts. The ERA has dropped from 4.24 to 2.01 in that span, and he has the second most strikeouts in the AL all season.

 

3. Shane McClanahan, Rays

McClanahan is a prime example of how quickly the Cy Young race can change. One subpar outing (five runs allowed in 4.1 innings) launched the ERA over .30 points. However, a strong case can be made for McClanahan (0.83 WHIP, 10-4 record, 158 strikeouts) to remain in the top two instead of dropping to No. 3.

 

National League Cy Young

 

1. Sandy Alcantara, Marlins

Aclantara lost to the Mets last Friday, but he bounced back by powering through a complete game shutout against the Reds. Alcanatara has three complete games this season and is doing rare stuff in today’s game for the Marlins.

 

2. Tony Gonsolin, Dodgers

No. 2 and No. 3 are tough for the National League Cy Young, but Gonsolin (12-1, 2.41 ERA, 0.90 WHIP) is back up to No. 2 for now despite giving up at least three runs in four consecutive starts.

 

3. Edwin Diaz, Mets

The MVP talk might be a little ambitious, but Diaz gets mention here in the NL Cy Young discussion. He had a two-inning save against the Braves yesterday, and he’s been a huge reason the Mets have remained in first place in the NL East. Diaz has 24 saves, a 1.44 ERA, and 87 strikeouts in 43 innings of work.