Toronto Blue Jays southpaw Robbie Ray and Milwaukee Brewers ace Corbin Burnes have been announced as AL Cy Young Award winner and NL Cy Young Award winner, respectively.
Ray, 30, earned 29 out of 30 first place votes with Gerrit Cole of the New York Yankees garnering the remaining vote. A year ago, the jury was very much out Ray's future. In 2017, Ray finished 7th in NL Cy Young voting going 15-5 with a 2.89 ERA and 218 strikeouts while with the Arizona Diamondbacks earning an NL All-Star selection. His numbers had steadily declined in the years which followed. When the D'Backs traded Ray to the Blue Jays in August 2020 he had a 7.84 ERA. But Ray worked with Blue Jays pitching coach Pete Walker and his fortunes reversed. In 2021, Ray led the AL in ERA (2.84), innings pitched (193.1), strikeouts (238), ERA + (154) and WHIP (1.045). Ray is now a free agent after earning $8 million with the Jays this year. If Noah Syndergaard can earn $21 million next season despite having thrown only 2 innings since 2019 then what will Robbie Ray be offered?
Burnes had a much narrower path to the NL Cy Young besting Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler by only 10 points. He becomes the first Brewers' pitcher to win the honor since Pete Vukovich in 1982. This would have been the year the Brewers won the American League pennant. The 27-year old native of Bakersfield, California went 11-5 with a league leading 2.43 ERA striking out 234 batters in only 167 innings pitched. Perhaps most remarkably he only walked 34 batters in his 28 starts. Unlike Ray, the Brewers have Burnes under contract through 2024.
Tomorrow evening, the AL MVP and NL MVP winners shall be announced.
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