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Top MLB Cy Young candidates heading into 2018
Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Top MLB Cy Young candidates heading into 2018

Every new season brings a new opportunity for MLB's best pitchers to break through. Most people know what to expect from the aces on the bump, but there are always surprising pitchers who emerge either earlier than expected or seemingly out of nowhere. So which pitchers can we expect to compete for the highest honor on the mound?

Here's a look at 12 Cy Young Award candidates from both leagues for 2018.

 
1 of 24

Chris Archer, SP, Rays

Chris Archer, SP, Rays
Noah K. Murray / USA Today Sports Images

Archer finished fifth in the AL Cy Young voting in 2015, but he's finished with an ERA above 4.00 in each of the last two seasons. However, he's shown extreme durability and ERA metrics much better than the final product, including a 3.40 FIP last season.

 
2 of 24

Jose Berrios, SP, Twins

Jose Berrios, SP, Twins
Jeffrey Becker / USA Today Sports Images

A deep sleeper for the AL Cy Young, Berrios became Minnesota's ace last season. He finished 14-8 with a 3.89 ERA over 26 appearances, including 25 starts. His minor league track record indicates that he has even more upside.

 
3 of 24

Madison Bumgarner, SP, Giants

Madison Bumgarner, SP, Giants
Sergio Estrada / USA Today Sports Images

A dirt bike accident limited Bumgarner to only 17 starts last season in a terrible year for the Giants. If the team is to rebound this year, Bumgarner will be a big reason why. He finished in the top six in NL Cy Young voting in each of the three previous seasons leading up to 2017.

 
4 of 24

Carlos Carrasco, SP, Indians

Carlos Carrasco, SP, Indians
Jennifer Buchanan / USA Today Sports Images

Carrasco is coming off his best season, reaching 200 innings for the first time and finishing fourth in the AL Cy Young voting. He's posted a sub-4.00 ERA in four consecutive seasons and could be ready to take his game to the next level after proving he could stay healthy last year.

 
5 of 24

Yu Darvish, SP, Cubs

Yu Darvish, SP, Cubs
Jayne Kamin-Oncea / USA Today Sports Images

Darvish didn't have the best playoff showing for the Dodgers, but the rumors that he was tipping his pitches provide hope for a rebound if he can clean that up. He signed a $126 million contract with the Cubs recently and has an elite 11 K/9 since coming over from Japan in 2012.

 
6 of 24

Jacob deGrom, SP, Mets

Jacob deGrom, SP, Mets
Adam Hagy / USA Today Sports Images

Jacob deGrom has a career 2.98 ERA in 107 starts over four seasons for the Mets. Last season he finished eighth in NL Cy Young voting after winning a career-high 15 games and posting a 3.53 ERA in 31 starts. He also reached 200 innings for the first time.

 
7 of 24

Kenley Jansen, RP, Dodgers

Kenley Jansen, RP, Dodgers
Gary A. Vasquez / USA Today Sports Images

Jansen has effectively become the new Mariano Rivera, getting better with age while almost exclusively throwing his cutter. He went 5-0 with an NL-leading 41 saves and a 1.32 ERA last season. Added was his 15.57 K/BB ratio, helping him finish fifth in NL Cy Young voting.

 
8 of 24

Clayton Kershaw, SP, Dodgers

Clayton Kershaw, SP, Dodgers
Richard Mackson / USA Today Sports Images

Kershaw has won three Cy Young Awards and one MVP during his distinguished career, though his last Cy Young win was 2014. More recently he's had trouble staying healthy, averaging 24 starts over the last two seasons, but he did lead the NL in wins and ERA en route to a second-place finish in NL Cy Young voting last season.

 
9 of 24

Dallas Keuchel, SP, Astros

Dallas Keuchel, SP, Astros
Thomas Shea / USA Today Sports Images

Keuchel emerged as the AL Cy Young winner in 2015 and looked well on his way to another award last season with a 1.67 ERA through early June. Unfortunately, Keuchel's season was disrupted due to injury, but he's certainly capable of another special season.

 
10 of 24

Zack Greinke, SP, Diamondbacks

Zack Greinke, SP, Diamondbacks
Matt Kartozian / USA Today Sports Images

Greinke rebounded from a terrible first season in Arizona to post a 3.20 ERA and finish fourth in the NL Cy Young voting last season. Arizona has installed a humidor at Chase Field for 2018, which is expected to help pitchers significantly. That could be what Greinke needs to win his second career Cy Young Award.

 
11 of 24

Craig Kimbrel, RP, Red Sox

Craig Kimbrel, RP, Red Sox
Bob DeChiara / USA Today Sports Images

Kimbrel made his sixth career All-Star appearance last season and finished the year 5-0 with 35 saves and a 1.43 ERA. He had arguably his best season yet with a 9.00 K/BB ratio, 16.4 K/9 and 126 strikeouts total. If there's any reliever in the AL who could claim the Cy Young Award, it's Kimbrel.

 
12 of 24

Corey Kluber, SP, Indians

Corey Kluber, SP, Indians
Ken Blaze / USA Today Sports Images

Kluber won his second Cy Young Award in four years in 2017, just edging Red Sox ace Chris Sale. He finished 18-4 in only 29 starts with a 2.25 ERA and league-best 0.87 WHIP. He's now won 18 games three out of the last four years and is deservedly high on the list of AL Cy Young candidates.

 
13 of 24

Carlos Martinez, SP, Cardinals

Carlos Martinez, SP, Cardinals
Aaron Doster / USA Today Sports Images

Martinez made his second All-Star appearance in three years last season. He reached 200 innings for the first time, finishing with a 3.64 ERA and 217 strikeouts. The Cardinals are hopeful new pitching coach Mike Maddux can take him to the next level.

 
14 of 24

Aaron Nola, SP, Phillies

Aaron Nola, SP, Phillies
Bill Streicher / USA Today Sports Images

Nola returned from an elbow injury to be Philadelphia's ace last season, finishing with a 3.54 ERA in 27 starts. He's shown exemplary command in his 60 career major league starts, and the ceiling is very high for the young hurler.

 
15 of 24

Shohei Ohtani, SP, Angels

Shohei Ohtani, SP, Angels
Joe Camporeale / USA Today Sports Images

It remains to be seen if the Cy Young Award is realistic for Ohtani at age 23 in his first season in the United States, but the hype would indicate that he has almost no ceiling. He threw only 25.1 innings in Japan last season due to injury but had a sub-3.00 ERA in the previous three seasons. Ohtani is also expected to hit on his off days.

 
16 of 24

James Paxton, SP, Mariners

James Paxton, SP, Mariners
Shanna Lockwood / USA Today Sports Images

Paxton's velocity increased in 2016, and he pitched like a Cy Young candidate when he was healthy in 24 starts last season. He finished with 12 wins and a 2.98 ERA with a whopping 156 strikeouts in 136 innings. If Paxton can stay healthy, a Cy Young Award could be in his not-too-distant future.

 
17 of 24

David Price, SP, Red Sox

David Price, SP, Red Sox
Thomas Shea / USA Today Sports Images

Price suffered an elbow injury in spring training last year and unraveled on and off the field. He did manage to throw 74.2 innings with a 3.38 ERA and has a clean slate in his third season in Boston. The lefty won the AL Cy Young with Tampa Bay in 2012 and hopes to get back to that level with the Red Sox.

 
18 of 24

Jose Quintana, SP, Cubs

Jose Quintana, SP, Cubs
Dennis Wierzbicki / USA Today Sports Images

Quintana had arguably the worst season of his career in 2017 with a 4.15 ERA, but he got on track after getting traded to the Cubs. The right-hander produced seven wins and a 3.74 ERA in 14 starts on the North Side of Chicago, and his 3.25 FIP showed even more upside.

 
19 of 24

Chris Sale, SP, Red Sox

Chris Sale, SP, Red Sox
Troy Taormina / USA Today Sports Images

Sale fell just short in the AL Cy Young race and has now finished in the top six in AL Cy Young voting in six consecutive seasons. He's led the AL in K/9 in three of the last four years and led the league with 214.1 innings and 308 strikeouts last season.

 
20 of 24

Max Scherzer, SP, Nationals

Max Scherzer, SP, Nationals
Geoff Burke / USA Today Sports Images

Scherzer won his second straight Cy Young and third in his career with another incredible season in 2017. The Washington ace led the NL in strikeouts for the second straight year with 268, and he also had a league-best 0.90 WHIP. He's made five straight All-Star appearances and is just hitting his stride at age 33.

 
21 of 24

Luis Severino, SP, Yankees

Luis Severino, SP, Yankees
Adam Hunger / USA Today Sports Images

Severino put his poor 2016 season behind him with a complete breakout last season, finishing third in the AL Cy Young vote. He went 14-6 with a 2.98 ERA despite pitching at a hitter-friendly home ballpark. Entering his age 24 season, Severino has surpassed Masahiro Tanaka as the Yankees' ace.

 
22 of 24

Stephen Strasburg, SP, Nationals

Stephen Strasburg, SP, Nationals
Jerry Lai / USA Today Sports Images

Durability has been an issue for much of Strasburg's career, but he finished third in the NL Cy Young voting last season after making 28 starts. He has a career 3.07 ERA in 184 starts, and his 2.52 ERA last season was his best in a full season.

 
23 of 24

Noah Syndergaard, SP, Mets

Noah Syndergaard, SP, Mets
Geoff Burke / USA Today Sports Images

Recurring shoulder trouble limited Syndergaard to only seven starts last season, but he enters spring training healthy. The hard-throwing right-hander had a 2.60 ERA in 183.2 innings during the 2016 season and shows the command and dominance to challenge for the NL Cy Young if he can stay healthy.

 
24 of 24

Justin Verlander, SP, Astros

Justin Verlander, SP, Astros
Gary A. Vasquez / USA Today Sports Images

The 2011 AL Cy Young winner, Verlander finished second to Rick Porcello in the 2016 voting. After struggling somewhat during the first half of last season, Verlander was at his best late in the year after getting traded to Houston. The veteran went 5-0 with a 1.06 ERA in five starts for Houston and finished with 15 wins and a 3.36 ERA before a great playoff showing. He's certainly pitched like a Cy Young winner since joining the Astros.

Seth Trachtman is a fantasy sports expert and diehard Kansas City Chiefs fan. He doesn't often Tweet, but when he does, you can find him on Twitter @sethroto.

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