With two weeks to go in the 2026 regular season, it sure looks like the AL and NL Cy Young Awards are all but wrapped up.
This has little to do with the field — which is strong in both leagues — and more to do with the frontrunners. The Yankees’ Cam Schlittler and the Brewers’ Jacob Misiorowski have simply slammed the door shut. Both high-octane hurlers were a unanimous choice in their respective leagues among our panel of 32 MLB.com voters in our final Cy Young poll of the year.
The experts cast their votes for who they think will take home the hardware based not only on the results so far, but also how they expect the final two weeks to shake out. Voters were asked to rank their top five picks in each league, with pitchers receiving 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.
Unless otherwise noted, all stats are through play on Sunday.
Schlittler blanked the Mets across six innings in the Subway Series finale on Sunday, lowering his season ERA to 1.95. Not only is that the best mark in the AL, it’s also tied with Misiorowski for the lowest among qualified pitchers in the Majors. Schlittler has now allowed one run or fewer in each of his last seven starts, closing his first full Major League season with a flourish. He continues to overwhelm hitters with a three-fastball combo, the same formula that he used to burst onto the scene in the AL Wild Card Series last postseason. With October looming, an encore is right around the corner.
Cease has been nothing short of brilliant in the first year of a seven-year deal that he signed with the Blue Jays last November. He notched nine strikeouts in his most recent outing on Sunday against the Orioles, his 13th game this season with nine or more strikeouts — more than any other AL pitcher. Cease’s 236 strikeouts are a new single-season high and tied with Misiorowski for the most in the Majors. This year, Cease has used a more balanced pitch mix to supplement his lethal four-seam fastball/slider combo, giving him different ways to navigate opposing lineups. It’s part of the reason why Cease’s .177 batting average against is lowest among qualified AL pitchers.
He may not be on the same level as Schlittler or Cease, but Messick has been undeniably fantastic in his rookie season. The funky left-hander allowed just one run in 5 1/3 innings in his last start against the Twins on Friday and, even in the heat of the pennant race, that is simply what Messick does. Schlittler and Cease are the only two AL pitchers to have more outings of five or more innings while allowing one run or fewer this season. Messick’s 2.51 ERA is fifth best in the Majors. The four-seam fastball is the key to his success. Though Messick doesn’t throw hard — sitting just 94.3 mph — his four-seamer has been one of the most valuable individual pitches in the Majors, according to Statcast’s run value metric.
On Friday, the Rays became the first team to clinch a postseason berth this year thanks to a dramatic walk-off home run from Junior Caminero. Not to be forgotten, Rasmussen started the game for Tampa Bay and breezed through seven innings of one-run ball. It shouldn’t be a surprise that the Rays won because that is what they do when Rasmussen is on the hill: They have won each of his last 10 starts, a stretch that dates back to the All-Star break. The 31-year-old right-hander ranks in the top five in the AL in ERA (2.81), WHIP (0.92) and batting average against (.203), relying on three fastball shapes and impeccable command.
Boston is coasting toward a postseason berth behind one of baseball’s best pitching staffs. That sentence would have made sense on Opening Day, but not if you knew that left-hander Garrett Crochet would be sidelined since late April. In Crochet’s absence, Gray has stepped up as the ace. He is 17-5 with a 2.76 ERA in 27 starts, and while pitcher wins aren’t everything, it’s noteworthy that no AL pitcher has more wins than Gray. He is vying for his third career top-five finish in AL Cy Young Award voting: He was the runner up with the Twins in 2023 and finished No. 3 with the Athletics in 2015.
Others receiving votes: Reid Detmers, Angels; Gavin Williams, Guardians; Nick Martinez, Rays; Michael Wacha, Royals
The Miz put a rare blip behind him with a sensational start last Tuesday, stifling the Cubs over 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball with nine strikeouts. The overpowering righty leads NL pitchers in nearly every statistical category, including ERA (1.95), batting average against (.155) and K’s (236). Even with 161 1/3 innings under his belt, Misiorowski continues to bring the heat, too. He has now thrown 1,010 pitches at 100 mph or harder this season, more than double the next closest pitcher (Mason Miller, 468).
The ageless wonder has tried his best to close the gap in the NL Cy Young Award race down the stretch. Sale’s 2.18 ERA is the second best in the NL and the lowest by the 37-year-old in a single season since 2018. He’s been remarkably consistent, allowing three runs or fewer in each of his last 23 starts. No other starting pitcher has a stretch of more than 16 consecutive games allowing three runs or fewer this season. Sale is defying Father Time thanks in part to improved velocity, throwing harder than he ever has as a starting pitcher.
Sánchez dropped a spot from our previous poll after allowing nine runs across his last two starts. Still, the lanky left-hander is putting together a season that merits plenty of Cy Young consideration. Sánchez has pitched the second-most innings in baseball (187 1/3) with the fifth best ERA (2.79) and third best FIP (2.72) among qualified NL pitchers. By Baseball Reference’s version of WAR, Sánchez has been the most valuable pitcher in baseball in 2026, tallying 7.6 WAR.
Luzardo cracks our final Cy Young poll on the backs of a brilliant shutout against the NL East-leading Braves on Labor Day. It’s well past time that the left-hander receives his flowers. Luzardo is 8-1 with a 1.66 ERA in his last 12 starts, posting the lowest ERA in the Majors since July 1 and winning the NL Pitcher of the Month Award in August. Buoyed by a lethal sweeper that he developed last season, Luzardo has the second-highest strikeout rate (30.4%) in the National League. Phillies fans are holding their breath after Luzardo missed his last start due to a shoulder ailment, though he said he was “not concerned” following his MRI.
We have come to expect so much of Yamamoto that even his best performances feel routine — like his seven-inning, 10-strikeout gem against the Reds last Wednesday. He is still the ace of a star-studded rotation befitting Hollywood, with a 2.62 ERA through 26 starts. Few pitchers are better at limiting traffic than Yamamoto, whose 0.88 WHIP and .184 batting average against are each second in the NL behind Misiorowski.
Others receiving votes: Chase Burns, Reds; Eduardo Rodriguez, D-backs; Mason Miller, Padres; Zack Wheeler, Phillies