Tarik Skubal, Zack Wheeler lead third 2024 Cy Young Award poll

One team with the top two Cy Young Award finishers? It hasn’t happened often — only five times by four different pairs of pitchers — but it’s definitely in play this season.

In our third Cy Young poll of 2024, a pair of teammates took the first two spots in the National League, with very little separation between them in the race for first place. It’s a different story in the American League, where one ace continues to run well ahead of the field.

As usual, MLB.com experts were asked to rank their top five Cy Young picks in each league, based on what’s happened so far and what they expect will happen the rest of the season. Players received vote points on a 5-4-3-2-1 scale — five points for a first-place vote, four points for a second-place vote and so on, with 33 voters participating. Here are the results.

All stats are through Sunday.

1. Tarik Skubal, Tigers (24 1st-place votes)
With only six runs allowed in his past five starts, Skubal has solidified his standing as the leading AL Cy Young Award candidate after grabbing the top spot in our previous Cy Young poll. The left-hander held the Brewers to one run over 6 2/3 innings on Sunday to lower his ERA to 1.92 with 96 strikeouts, a 0.89 WHIP and a .192 batting average against. He ranks among the AL’s top three in each of those categories while also leading the Majors in FIP (2.20).

2. Luis Gil, Yankees (4 first-place votes)
Gil has been brilliant in place of injured Yankees ace Gerrit Cole — the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner — registering a 2.04 ERA with 90 strikeouts over 75 innings. That includes a 1.07 ERA in eight starts since the beginning of May. The right-hander has yielded just 35 hits on the year, holding opponents to an MLB-best .137 batting average, 44 points lower than the next-closest qualifying pitcher.

3. Corbin Burnes, Orioles (3 first-place votes)
Burnes has been one of the most consistent starters in the game this season, allowing no more than three runs in any of his 13 starts and recording a 2.26 ERA with 76 strikeouts in 79 2/3 innings. The righty has really gotten into a groove lately, posting a 1.41 ERA with only one homer allowed over his past five starts. If Burnes wins AL honors, he’d become just the eighth pitcher to earn a Cy Young Award in both leagues.

4. Tanner Houck, Red Sox (1 first-place vote)
One of this season’s biggest surprises on the mound, Houck has emerged as the ace of Boston’s staff and put himself squarely in the Cy Young conversation. After pitching to an ERA over 5.00 last season, Houck now leads the AL in ERA (1.91) and innings (85) while ranking second behind Skubal in WHIP (0.92).

5. Seth Lugo, Royals (1 first-place vote)
After making a successful move from the bullpen to the rotation with the Padres last season, Lugo has found another gear with the Royals in 2024. The 34-year-old gave up five runs to the Guardians his last time out, but he still owns a 2.13 ERA on the season with a 1.02 WHIP and 71 strikeouts over 84 1/3 innings. He allowed two runs or fewer in 10 of his first 12 starts.

Others receiving votes: Cole Ragans (Royals), Luis Castillo (Mariners), Garrett Crochet (White Sox), Emmanuel Clase (Guardians), George Kirby (Mariners), Logan Gilbert (Mariners), Grayson Rodriguez (Orioles), Jack Flaherty (Tigers)

1. Zack Wheeler, Phillies (15 first-place votes)
Still seeking his first Cy Young, Wheeler once again finds himself among the leading contenders for the award. He currently owns career-best marks in ERA (2.23) and WHIP (0.97) and is tied for first in the NL in opponents’ batting average (.181).

2. Ranger Suárez, Phillies (14 first-place votes)
While Wheeler, Aaron Nola and Cristopher Sánchez are having excellent seasons in Philadelphia’s rotation, Suárez has outperformed them all — along with every other starter in the Majors. The 28-year-old southpaw leads MLB in wins (10), ERA (1.81) and WHIP (0.85) and is tied with Wheeler for tops in the NL with a .181 batting average allowed.

3. Tyler Glasnow, Dodgers (3 first-place votes)
Already only 34 innings shy of his career high of 120 set last season, Glasnow has given the Dodgers’ new-look rotation a huge boost after joining the club in an offseason trade. The right-hander has more strikeouts (116) than any other pitcher and ranks among the top three in the NL in WHIP (0.94) and opponents’ batting average (.183).

4. Chris Sale, Braves
After dealing with a slew of injuries from 2019-23, Sale is healthy this year and turning in a vintage campaign at the age of 35. The lefty leads the NL with a 2.33 FIP and an 8.36 K/BB ratio (92 K’s, 11 walks) and is tied for second with a 0.94 WHIP, marking a return to the ace form that produced seven consecutive top-six finishes in the AL Cy Young voting from 2012-18.

5. Shota Imanaga, Cubs
After a pair of shaky outings against the Brewers and White Sox, Imanaga bounced back against the Reds on Sunday, tossing 6 2/3 innings of two-run ball in a 4-2 win. The rookie lefty ranks third in the NL with a 1.96 ERA over 69 innings this season, making a smooth transition to MLB after an excellent career in his native Japan.

Others receiving votes: Max Fried (Braves), Aaron Nola (Phillies), Reynaldo López (Braves), Logan Webb (Giants), Dylan Cease (Padres), Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Dodgers), Paul Skenes (Pirates; 1 first-place vote), Robert Suarez (Padres), Cristopher Sánchez (Phillies), Mitch Keller (Pirates)