Ex-Yankees pitcher climbs into MLB list of top five Cy Young contenders
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Follow UsFormer Yankees pitcher voted to MLB’s top five American League Cy Young favorites.
Nearly ten years since departing the Bronx, ex-New York Yankees right-hander Nathan Eovaldi has unexpectedly positioned himself among the American League’s elite pitchers. At 35, the veteran hurler is crafting what appears to be his career-defining season with the Texas Rangers, potentially making franchise history in the process.
Though receiving no first-place votes in MLB.com’s latest Cy Young poll, Eovaldi has secured a solid position among the top five AL candidates—a remarkable development for the ex-Yankees pitcher long categorized as a mid-rotation talent.
The Journey from pinstripes to prominence
Eovaldi’s career trajectory has featured momentary excellence amid stretches of inconsistency. His Yankees tenure in 2015 produced respectable numbers—a 14-3 record, 4.20 ERA, and 2.3 bWAR—but lacked the sustained dominance he’s currently displaying.
The 2025 campaign has witnessed Eovaldi’s transformation into a genuine ace. His 1.78 ERA ranks fifth league-wide, while his astonishing 0.75 WHIP leads all qualified MLB starters, dramatically improving upon his previous personal best of 1.11 established last season.
Further highlighting his exceptional start, Eovaldi stands as the American League’s only pitcher with a complete-game shutout. The former Yankees arm’s control has reached unprecedented levels, with just five walks issued (tied with Joe Ryan and Tarik Skubal for MLB’s lowest). Opposing batters have managed a meager .186 average against him—easily the most suffocating mark of his professional career.
Potential history for the Rangers
Despite celebrating a World Series championship in 2023, the Texas Rangers organization has never produced a Cy Young Award recipient. Even during their successful early-2010s period, the prestigious pitching honor remained elusive.
Eovaldi may finally break that drought. His Sunday performance—seven scoreless innings with seven strikeouts while allowing just two hits against Detroit—further strengthened his candidacy. The ex-Yankees pitcher’s current 60-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 55.2 innings has helped accumulate 1.8 bWAR, ranking sixth among AL starters.
Having never registered a full-season ERA below 3.39 or exceeded 4.0 bWAR, Eovaldi appears poised to comprehensively rewrite his statistical profile.
Rising in the oddsmakers’ view
Betting markets reflect Eovaldi’s emergence, with FanDuel Sportsbook listing him at +1200 for the AL Cy Young Award. Only four pitchers rank ahead of him, including frontrunner Tarik Skubal (+180) of Detroit.
His competition includes established stars like Corbin Burnes, Luis Castillo, and Shane Bieber, but Eovaldi’s commanding lead in several advanced metrics keeps him firmly in contention.
Modern Cy Young voting trends favor individual excellence over team performance, suggesting that the Rangers’ current 20-21 record won’t necessarily undermine Eovaldi’s candidacy.
Late-career renaissance
As recently as 2020, Eovaldi carried a losing lifetime record and an ERA exceeding 4.20. His subsequent transformation has produced a 45-27 record with a 3.59 ERA, contributing 12.7 bWAR between Boston and Texas. His fourth-place Cy Young finish in 2021 and contributions to Texas’ 2023 championship hinted at his evolution.
In today’s velocity-obsessed pitching landscape, the ex-Yankees pitcher thrives through precision, movement, and a strategic approach—displaying the adaptability that characterizes truly special careers.
Should his remarkable performance continue, the Yankees organization might view his departure with renewed perspective—the pitcher they once traded away potentially becoming the Rangers’ first-ever Cy Young winner.
Other contenders chosen through MLB poll
Six weeks into the 2025 campaign, MLB.com’s inaugural Cy Young poll surveyed 37 experts on who they expect to win in each league, factoring in performance so far and projections for the season’s remainder. A total of 35 pitchers earned votes—17 in the American League and 18 in the National League. Voters ranked their top five choices, assigning five points for a first-place vote down to one point for a fifth-place selection.
Detroit’s Tarik Skubal leads with 19 first-place nods. Though not matching his 2024 pitching Triple Crown and unanimous Cy Young year, he’s remained impressive. Yankees ace Max Fried ranks second with 13 top votes, boasting a 6–0 mark, a 1.05 ERA (best among qualified starters), a 0.91 WHIP and a .187 opponents’ average, and the Yankees are 8–0 when he pitches. Boston newcomer Garrett Crochet sits third with three first-place votes, posting a 1.93 ERA and 65 strikeouts in nine starts. Houston’s Hunter Brown follows, earning two top votes after six wins, a 1.48 ERA, a 1.86 FIP and a 2.1 bWAR.
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