Cy Young rankings: Tight races in both leagues to start season

Welcome to the first edition of theScore's 2025 Cy Young rankings, where we look at the top five pitchers in each league. Though it's still early, there are already plenty of standout performers to choose from. Let's look at the best on the mound through the first month-plus of the season. Odds courtesy of theScore Bet.

American League

5. Garrett Crochet, Red Sox

Crochet hasn't missed a beat since changing his Sox over the winter. The lefty ranks second in the AL with 65 Ks and sits tied for fourth in fWAR (1.6). He's also top-10 in ERA and FIP and 13th in K/9 (10.4). Plus, he's morphing into a workhorse, a huge development given how last season finished in Chicago. Crochet is second in the AL in innings pitched, has gone at least seven innings four times (already one more than 2024), and has reached the eighth twice. He's also allowed more than three earned runs in just one start. What's holding him back are the walks. Crochet has a fairly high 3.4 BB/9 rate, while his 21 free passes are the seventh most in the AL. He needs to get that under control to make a real run at the top spot.

4. Tarik Skubal, Tigers

The reigning AL Cy Young winner is off to another amazing start, sitting first in the AL in K/9 (11.3) and second in BB/9 (0.9) while also ranking third in fWAR (1.8) and second in FIP (2.13). Skubal remains one of the most complete arms, landing in the top 10 in strikeouts and ERA. He's turned things around after allowing seven earned runs across his first two outings of the season. Over his last six starts, he's surrendered four earned runs while tallying 50 strikeouts to just one walk. Skubal is the first pitcher since ERA became an official stat in 1913 to have at least 50 Ks, no more than one walk, and an ERA below 1.00 in any six-start span, per OptaStats. He's clearly not giving up the crown without a fight.

3. Nathan Eovaldi, Rangers

Eovaldi is turning back the clock with a dominant start to 2025. Even with a slight drop in velocity, the 35-year-old is posting a career-best 9.7 K/9. Impressively, he's issued five walks to lead the majors in BB/9 (0.8) and K/BB ratio (12.00). Eovaldi also tops all qualified pitchers in WHIP, sits second in the AL in fWAR (1.9), and is the only AL pitcher to have thrown a shutout this season. Opponents are hitting below .200 against three of Eovaldi's five pitches, one of which is a splitter he's begun using far more than ever. The results speak for themselves.

2. Hunter Brown, Astros

Brown's breakout campaign is shaping up to be unforgettable. The Astros right-hander ranks No. 1 in the majors in FIP and fWAR, is tied for the lead in wins (six), and ranks among the AL's best in WHIP (fifth), ERA (third), strikeouts (sixth), and K/9 (third). Brown's allowed just one home run all year and has recorded quality starts in seven of his eight outings. Opponents are hitting under .200 against three of his six pitches, including an eye-popping .093 average and slugging percentage versus his four-seam fastball. Brown's also cut his BB/9 rate by almost a full batter from 2024. He's maturing as a pitcher and might already be atop these rankings if not for a crowded AL field.

1. Max Fried, Yankees

The Yankees needed Fried to step up in a big way after Gerrit Cole (and others) went down with injuries, and boy, has he done that. New York's $218-million lefty is tied for the MLB lead in wins (six) and tops both leagues in ERA and ERA+ (354). He also places first in the AL in innings, third in ground-ball rate (51.6%), sixth in WHIP, and top-10 in strikeouts and FIP. Fried has given up just three homers in 56 2/3 innings, hasn't issued more than two walks in any of his nine starts, and carried a streak of almost 30 consecutive frames without allowing an earned run into early May. Though Fried narrowly beat out Brown for the top spot, he'll quickly pull away from the pack if he keeps this up.

National League

5. Jesús Luzardo, Phillies

What a trade this is turning out to be for the Phillies. Luzardo has become a monster in Philadelphia, sitting second in the NL in fWAR (1.7) and third in FIP, ERA, and ERA+ (200), while allowing only two homers. A lot of this is thanks to his addition of a sweeper that's quickly usurping the four-seam as his go-to offering. Opponents are getting baffled by the pitch, hitting .179 with 20 Ks and a .220 xSLG versus his sweeper. Luzardo is also achieving far more success with his changeup than in past years. He could lower his walk rate a bit, but that's just nitpicking. Luzardo looks like one of the NL's best pitchers right now.

4. Hunter Greene, Reds

Greene was building off his breakout 2024 campaign in a big way before a groin injury sent him to the injured list last week. The 25-year-old's 61 strikeouts and eight walks give him an NL-best 7.63 K/BB ratio and the league's third-best K/9 rate (12.0). Greene also leads the Senior Circuit in WHIP and opponent batting average (.175) and sits third in BB/9 (1.6). He seems to have finally developed some control. After leading the majors in HBPs last year, he's plunked just two through 45 2/3 innings and has dropped nearly two batters off his BB/9 from 2024. Greene's electric fastball is now complemented by a lethal slider that's generated 28 Ks and holding opponents to a .089 average. As long as his IL stint is brief, you can expect to see Greene's name on this list all summer.

3. Logan Webb, Giants

Baseball's premier workhorse just keeps on chugging. Webb narrowly grabbed the NL's top spot after a dominant first eight weeks, allowing only two homers in 55 1/3 innings while leading the NL in FIP and fWAR (1.9). He's missing bats like never before, as evidenced by a personal-best 10.6 K/9 rate. Webb also ranks third in strikeouts, sixth in ERA, and eighth in K/9 among NL hurlers. He's continuing to dominate while not blowing batters away, riding his lethal combination of sinker, sweeper, and changeup to success by keeping hitters off-balance. This is as good as Webb's ever been, and he's earned this placement.

2. Zack Wheeler, Phillies

Could this finally be Wheeler's year? The perennial Cy Young bridesmaid is again firmly in the conversation, backed by a career-best 11.5 K/9 rate and 11 walks over an NL-leading 58 innings. Wheeler sits fourth in his league in K/9, fifth in BB/9 (1.7), second in Ks and WHIP, and tops the NL with seven quality starts. His ERA and FIP are declining rapidly, as he allowed two or fewer runs in each of his last five outings. Wheeler's career first-half/second-half splits also show that he typically gets better as the season progresses. In that sense, he's just getting started.

1. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dodgers

We're seeing the Yamamoto who earned three straight MVPs in Japan. Fully acclimated to the majors, the Dodgers right-hander sports the NL's second-lowest ERA and sits top-10 in a slew of other categories, including strikeouts, FIP, WHIP, K/9 (10.6), and opponent's average (.188). Yamamoto put up a sparkling 0.90 ERA over his first seven starts, highlighted by six innings of one-hit ball against Atlanta on May 2. Yamamoto's margin atop these rankings shrank after a speed bump against Arizona last week when he allowed five runs for the first time this year while starting on five days' rest. He holds the top spot for now, but that could quickly change.