Where Does Red Sox’s Garrett Crochet Stand In Cy Young Race?

The Boston Red Sox are past the halfway point of the season. While the results haven’t been what they hoped for, there are some positives to take away.

Wins and losses are the ultimate goal of a baseball team, but only one team can take home the World Series championship. It’s a long, winding season, and there are stories other than wins and losses to follow. One of which is Garrett Crochet’s quest to win the American League Cy Young.

Crochet is currently 7-4 with a 2.06 ERA over his first 17 starts. He leads the major leagues in strikeouts with 135 while walking just 31. FanDuel Sportsbook lists his odds to win the award at +350, behind only Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal at -125.

How does Crochet stack up against Skubal? It’s pretty close across the board. Skubal has one fewer start on his resume and trails by 10 strikeouts. His ERA is also 2.29, slightly higher than his competition’s.

On the other hand, he’s only handed out 13 free passes and has two more wins. Cy Young voters have mostly moved past wins and losses as a stat, but in a close race, it could tip the scales one way or the other.

Hunter Brown and Max Fried are also in the race, but the odds have them a few steps back. Brown is listed at +440, while Fried is at +1100. Four of the last five AL Cy Young recipients have led the league in strikeouts. Brown could lead in that category with enough innings, but Fried’s strikeout rate isn’t high enough to keep pace.  

Crochet’s career high for innings is 109 1/3. How his velocity holds up as he surpasses that number is something to monitor. If he pitches like he has been, he’ll have a good chance at taking home some hardware.