Midseason Cy Young watch: Can anyone catch Schlittler, Miz?

With the 2026 season at the midway point, it's time to check in on the Cy Young races. Both leagues have plenty of worthy candidates, and some big names failed to crack the top five. Let's break down the best arms in baseball through the first half.

American League

5. Drew Rasmussen, Rays

A rough finish to the first half - Rasmussen allowed 11 runs over his final two starts before the break - dropped him a couple spots in these rankings, but that doesn't take away from his overall brilliance. Rasmussen's 0.95 WHIP still sits second in the AL, and he continues to rank top 10 in his league in ERA, FIP, ERA+ (131), and fWAR (2.3). Although lacking in strikeouts, Rasmussen's balanced that out by issuing just 17 walks - the fewest among qualified pitchers in the majors - in nearly 100 innings, along with an AL-low 1.5 BB/9 and 5.76 K/BB ratio. Rasmussen's great enough to shake off this recent speed bump and rise back up these rankings in the second half.

4. Joe Ryan, Twins

There's a reason Ryan is a wanted man at the trade deadline - and it's the same reason the Twins, who are very much in the playoff hunt despite their losing record, will most likely hold onto him. The 30-year-old is enjoying a career-best season, ranking sixth in the AL in ERA; fourth in strikeouts, K/9 (10.4), and K/BB ratio (5.12); third in fWAR (3.3); second in FIP; and top 10 in WHIP and BB/9 (2.0). He's one of the only reasons Minnesota's still in contention, and as long as he stays in the AL, he'll be a legitimate Cy Young challenger all summer.

3. Parker Messick, Guardians

There's little doubt Messick will be a finalist for AL Rookie of the Year, and he's also making quite the Cy Young case. The 25-year-old ranks fifth in ERA, sixth in FIP, third in opponents' average (tied with Rasmussen and Emerson Hancock at .209), and top 10 in both WHIP and innings, and he's allowed just 10 homers across 19 outings. Even more impressively, Messick's doing this without overpowering hitters. His fastball, the most used of his six pitches, ranks in the 30th percentile, yet opponents are hitting .140 and slugging .217 against it. Messick's changeup and cutter have both generated whiff percentages above 30%. This crafty lefty will be in the Cy Young conversation for a long time.

2. Dylan Cease, Blue Jays

Cease is showing the world exactly why the Blue Jays gave him $210 million last winter. The 2022 AL Cy Young runner-up is the AL leader in strikeouts, FIP, and opponents' average (.190). His 13.55 K/9 leads the majors - one decimal point ahead of Jacob Misiorowski - and he's surrendered five homers in 98 1/3 innings. Cease's powerful fastball remains his go-to pitch, but his much-improved slider and changeup are actually driving his success. Opponents are batting and slugging below .200 against both secondary offerings, making Cease a more complete pitcher than he's ever been before. The only knock on him remains the walks - that 4.0 BB/9 ties a career high - but the Blue Jays can live with that because he's saved their rotation. Even when accounting for the walks, Cease has been the AL's second-best pitcher.

1. Cam Schlittler, Yankees

One year ago this month, Schlittler made his big-league debut to little fanfare. Today, he's a true ace and the AL Cy Young front-runner. Schlittler's ERA is the lowest in the AL by a wide margin, and he also leads his league in WHIP and ERA+ (205). The 25-year-old sits second in innings, strikeouts, and fWAR (3.4), third in FIP, and and fifth in K/9 (10.4) and BB/9 (1.9). Not bad for a seventh-round pick who only showed up among the Yankees' top 30 prospects just before he arrived in the Bronx last year. This AL Cy Young race is crowded with plenty of great arms, but it'll be very hard for any of them to catch Schlittler.

Honorable mentions: Jacob deGrom, Sonny Gray, Ranger Suarez, Gavin Williams

National League

5. Chris Sale, Braves

A quick disclaimer: Zack Wheeler and Shohei Ohtani are having brilliant, award-worthy seasons, but since they still aren't qualified, it's unfair to rank them ahead of starters who are on the leaderboards right now. That brings us to Sale, who is contending for his second Cy Young in three years. Despite a slightly lower K/9 (10.7) and K percentage (29%) than we're used to seeing from this generation's preeminent strikeout artist, Sale still places fourth in the NL in K/9 among qualifiers, second in ERA and ERA+ (191), and third in FIP. As far as the counting stats go, his 117 strikeouts place eighth in the NL, and he's allowed eight homers in 98 innings. Not bad for a 37-year-old who was supposed to be finished a few years ago.

4. Mason Miller, Padres

The BBWAA's inaugural Relief Pitcher of the Year Award will be handed out this winter, and its creation raised the already high Cy Young bar for relievers to even greater heights. Miller's historic season has already left those new standards in the dust. In 38 appearances for the Padres, Miller allowed four earned runs - read that again - while recording 72 strikeouts for a jaw-dropping 16.3 K/9. His fastball velocity, whiff rate, and K percentage all rank in the 100th percentile. Oh, and he's 25-for-25 in saves. Miller would be even higher on this list if the NL wasn't overflowing with worthy starters. That speaks volumes about his greatness.

3. Chase Burns, Reds

Burns finds himself in the thick of the NL Cy Young race barely two years removed from being drafted second overall. He's become the Reds' undisputed ace, sitting third in the NL in opponents' average (.206), fourth in ERA, fifth in ERA+ (173), seventh in strikeouts, sixth in K/9 (10.3), and seventh in WHIP. He's tied for the most wins among NL starters with 11. Burns' fastball averages 98 mph, and he pairs it with a devastating slider. He has a whiff percentage in the 90th percentile and low average exit velocity, walk percentage, and barrel percentages on his Savant page. He's allowed 12 homers in 102 2/3 innings - no small feat considering he calls cozy Great American Ball Park home. It's quite a statement from the 23-year-old, who should be in the Cy Young conversation for years to come.

2. Cristopher Sánchez, Phillies

What a season it's been for Sánchez, who remains in the runner-up position despite a couple of recent clunkers that spiked his rate stats a bit. Still, the 29-year-old entered the break sitting second in FIP, strikeouts, and fWAR (4.0) and sixth in ERA, and he owns an NL-best 1.8 BB/9. He's upped his K/9 by nearly a full batter from 9.4 last year to 10.2 through the first half. Earlier this season, he authored a 50 2/3-inning scoreless streak, the fifth-longest since 1893 and a new record for left-handers. Sánchez is talented enough to push through his recent struggles and not let the top contender pull away. He's still keeping this race close, and that says a lot about how great a pitcher he is.

1. Jacob Misiorowski, Brewers

Misiorowski is authoring what's shaping up to be a season for the ages. The 24-year-old flamethrower leads the majors in ERA, ERA+ (260), FIP, WHIP, strikeouts, fWAR (4.4), and opponents' average (.148) - all by considerable margins. His NL-best 13.54 K/9 is over two full batters ahead of the closest pitcher, and his eight 10-strikeout games also lead the majors. He's allowed no more than three runs in any single start, and he's thrown the fastest pitches ever definitively clocked by a starter. His one-hit, 15-strikeout shutout in June was one of the greatest pitching performances in baseball history. Need we go on? It's been incredible to watch The Miz dominate baseball in the first half.

Honorable mentions: Braxton Ashcraft, Max Meyer, Ohtani, Paul Skenes, Wheeler, Yoshinobu Yamamoto