Baltimore Orioles: 2020 AL East Cy Young Candidates

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BALTIMORE, MD – AUGUST 10: Starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi #17 of the Boston Red Sox (R) hands the ball to manager Alex Cora #20 of the Boston Red Sox as he is relieved in the third inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on August 10, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

At the top of the AL East, there are serious candidates to win the Cy Young Award this season. Unfortunately, none are members of the Baltimore Orioles.

With the 2020 season being delayed, there is plenty of time to evaluate who has the best chance to win the Cy Young in the tough AL East. Sadly, all of the possibilities will face the Baltimore Orioles, rather than pitch for them.

There are some players in the division who have been close to taking home the award. Others already have the one award sitting in their trophy case and are looking to add another to the collection. Either way, coming into the 2020 season, the AL East is packed with potential candidates.

Star teammates, Blake Snell and Charlie Morton look to keep shutting down division opponents. While Hyun-Jin Ryu and Gerrit Cole came over from their former playoff teams to try and make a run with their new squads. All four of these pitchers either won the award or were in the top three in voting during the course of the past two seasons.

Let’s take a look at who I think are the best candidates to win the AL 2020 Cy Young Award.

5. Nathan Eovaldi, Boston Red Sox

Since he helped the Red Sox win the 2018 world series, we haven’t seen much of Eovaldi. After recovering from injury last season, I think Nate Eovaldi will have a bounce-back year if he can keep his velocity up. With injuries to his throwing elbow and bicep soreness, Red Sox fans are ready to see a healthy version of their former ace. With his power arm and a star-studded fielding behind him, I think he has a shot for a Cy Young push.

4. Blake Snell, Tampa Bay Rays (2018 AL Winner, Rays)

Blake Snell had a surprising, injury-plagued decline last season after a Cy Young-winning 2018 season. He gave up over two more runs between seasons. With a power fastball and cartoon-like 12-6 curve ball, I think Snell can blow past lineups every fifth day. Snell is currently dealing with elbow soreness and hopes to be ready for when the season resumes.

His original return date was set for March 26th vs. Pittsburgh. Snell has the pitching repertoire to have batters off balance the whole season. If he can stay healthy as he did in 2018, he will surely guide the Rays to a deep playoff push with the help of another starter trailing behind him.

TAMPA, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 24: Gerrit Cole #45 of the New York Yankees warms up before the spring training game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Steinbrenner Field on February 24, 2020 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /

These three aren’t much of a surprise. We’re glad they’re in the AL East so we can see them pitch on a regular basis.

3. Hyun-Jin Ryu, Toronto Blue Jays (2019 NL runner-up, Dodgers)

Ryu is coming off a historic season with the Dodgers. He placed 2nd in NL Cy Young voting. Now with the Blue Jays, Ryu looks to bring his talents above the border and shut down opposing lineups. Last season, Ryu got off to a hot start and finished much cooler. His ERA was among the league leaders at 2.32 and has a career ERA just under 3.

This is a solid pickup for the Blue Jays, but not much comes after his number-one spot in the rotation. I think he will lead the Blue Jays to five or more wins than last season. The issue is that the Jays are most likely not going to be in contention for a playoff spot this season. There have only been a few Cy Young award winners with losing squads.

After playing in the NL West for six seasons, he has experience pitching in the spotlight. Except instead of hot NL West bats, he’ll face the big bats in the AL East.

2. Tyler Glasnow, Tampa Bay Rays

Another Tampa Bay Ray, Tyler Glasnow is among the best young pitching stars in the MLB. The Rays do it over and over again. They find players at a cheap rate whether, through trade, draft or scouting and they turn into stars. Glasnow was acquired from the Pirates last summer.

He is set to match up against the head of the trade package, Chris Archer in the second game of the series at Tropicana Field. I picked Glasnow ahead of Snell because I think he has the pitching ability to win 15 or more games this season.

We saw him light up the league with a 1.78 ERA in 12 games pitched for Tampa. Look for him to give the Rays an extra push as they fight the Yankees for the top spot in the AL East.

1. Gerrit Cole, New York Yankees (2019 AL runner-up, Astros)

Cole didn’t go to the American League favorites and get a $324 million contract for nothing. He brings an electric fastball along with an eagerness to win a title for his childhood team. Last season, you could almost always write down a win when Cole was on the bump. He led the Astros rotation to a deep playoff push in 2018 and 2019.

Many would consider Cole the favorite to win the award and run through the Orioles and Jays specifically in the division. He will be in the running most years throughout his 9-year deal. If I had to make an AL Cy Young prediction throughout the whole league, Cole would be my choice.

Not quite Cy Young candidates, but look for these AL East starters in 2020:

Masahiro Tanaka
Eduardo Rodriguez (Red Sox)
Charlie Morton (2019 AL 3rd place finisher, Rays)
Ryan Yarbrough (Rays)
John Means (Orioles)

Next. Not the First Pandemic for the Baltimore Orioles. dark

As the spring moves on, hopefully, we’ll all get to see these pitchers do their thing.

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At the top of the AL East, there are serious candidates to win the Cy Young Award this season. Unfortunately, none are members of the Baltimore Orioles.

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