Examining Yankees' Max Fried's Cy Young Chances

So you're saying there's a chance? New York Yankees ace Max Fried is squarely in the mix for the American League Cy Young Award as we approach the All-Star break.

MLB.com conducted a poll with 49 experts to rank the top pitchers in each league. In the AL, Detroit Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal, the reigning Cy Young Award winner, received 47 first-place votes. Houston Astros right-hander Hunter Brown came in second with one first-place vote.

Boston Red Sox southpaw Garrett Crochet finished third, despite not receiving a first-place vote. That's because the final one went to Fried.

"Like Crochet in Boston, Fried's first season in New York has gone about as well as the Yankees could've hoped," MLB.com's Jason Foster wrote Wednesday. "He leads the Majors with 11 wins and has tossed the second-most innings, with 119. Meanwhile, his 2.27 ERA is third-best in the AL. He's also held opponents to a .205 average and has a WHIP of 0.96. And, most importantly for New York, the Yankees are 14-5 when he pitches."

On top of that, Fried is second in the AL with 119 innings pitched, tied for fourth in WAR (3.6) and tied for fifth in WHIP (0.96). The 31-year-old is bidding to become the Yankees' first Cy Young winner since Gerrit Cole in 2023.

Fried will make one more start before the All-Star break. He's lined up to face the Chicago Cubs on Saturday. Fried will join teammates Aaron Judge and Jazz Chisholm Jr. at Truist Park in Atlanta, Ga. on Tuesday for the 2025 MLB All-Star Game.

Depending on how Saturday goes, and depending on how Skubal and Crochet do in their final starts before the break, Fried could be the starting pitcher for the AL All-Star squad. Cole was the last Yankees pitcher to start an All-Star Game, doing so two years ago.

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