Cy Young poll: Skenes retakes NL lead; AL vote is unanimous

As the dog days of August begin, a pair of aces have separated themselves in the Cy Young race.

Paul Skenes and Zack Wheeler have traded places for much of the season, with both All-Stars vying for their first career Cy Young Award -- albeit at very different stages in their careers. This time, it's Skenes occupying the No. 1 spot in the National League in commanding fashion.

Meanwhile, Tarik Skubal tightened his grip on the top spot in the American League, receiving each and every first-place vote. Skubal is the only unanimous selection among the four polls taken so far this season.

MLB.com's panel of experts selected the Cy Young winners in both leagues, based on the results to date and what they expect will happen the rest of the year. In total, 32 voters participated in the poll. Pitchers received points on a 5-4-3-2-1 voting scale -- five points for a first-place vote, four points for a second-place vote, and so on.

Here are the results.

All stats below are through Monday.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

1. Tarik Skubal, Tigers (32 first-place votes)

Skubal seems to be zeroing in on his second consecutive AL Cy Young Award, pitching even better in 2025 than he did in '24. He leads all qualified starting pitchers in WHIP (0.83) and fWAR (5.7), while pacing the AL in ERA (2.18) and strikeouts (181). Skubal has struck out at least 10 batters in four of his last six starts, and now has eight games with double-digit strikeout totals this season; that's two more than the next closest pitcher.

2. Garrett Crochet, Red Sox

Where would the Red Sox be without Crochet? The 26-year-old southpaw ranks third among starters in ERA (2.23), FIP (2.54), and fWAR (4.5), trailing only Skubal and Skenes in all three categories. And, perhaps unexpectedly, he's become a workhorse: Entering his start on Tuesday night, Crochet is tied for the MLB lead with 141 1/3 innings pitched. If it wasn't for Skubal, Crochet would likely be the favorite to win his first Cy Young Award.

3. Hunter Brown, Astros

Brown has solidified himself as Houston's ace, with a 2.47 ERA that ranks as the third-best figure in the AL. Just two years ago, Brown pitched to a 5.09 ERA across 31 games (29 starts). That version of Brown is squarely in the past. Now, the 26-year-old bullies hitters with a four-seam fastball that averages 96.8 mph and holds the opposition to a .152 batting average.

4. Jacob deGrom, Rangers

Health tends to be deGrom's biggest obstacle, but that hasn't been a problem to date. In his age-37 season, deGrom has started 22 games, his highest single-season total since 2019. Relying on his typical fastball/slider combination, the right-hander has a 2.80 ERA. In Sunday's start against the Mariners, he became the fastest pitcher to 1,800 career strikeouts in MLB history, by games and innings.

5. Max Fried, Yankees

Without Gerrit Cole, the Yankees needed an ace, and Fried -- signed to an eight-year deal over the offseason -- has certainly filled that void. He's tied for the Major League lead with 12 wins, and the Yankees are 15-8 in his 23 starts. Fried's ERA (2.78) and fWAR (3.3) rank in the top five among AL starters.

Others receiving votes: Framber Valdez (Astros), Joe Ryan (Twins), Nathan Eovaldi (Rangers), Bryan Woo (Mariners)

NATIONAL LEAGUE

1. Paul Skenes, Pirates (26 first-place votes)

After receiving just six first-place votes in our previous Cy Young poll, Skenes has shot back to the front in commanding fashion -- and for good reason. No NL starting pitcher is harder to hit than Skenes, who is holding the opposition to a .187 batting average. Meanwhile, his 2.02 ERA is the best in baseball among qualified starters. As MLB.com's Tom Tango recently pointed out, Skenes has been remarkably consistent since breaking into the Majors last May. It doesn't look like he's slowing down anytime soon.

2. Zack Wheeler, Phillies (six first-place votes)

Wheeler may have ceded the top spot in the NL, but he's still very much in the running for his elusive first Cy Young Award. In his age-35 season, he's become one of the game's premier strikeout artists: He leads all pitchers in strikeouts (182) with a career-best 11.73 K/9 ratio that trails only Dylan Cease. With a few blips in the rearview mirror, Wheeler still owns a top 10 ERA (2.64) among all starters, while his WHIP (0.92) is tied with Skenes for the best among qualified NL starters.

3. Cristopher Sánchez, Phillies

Just a few weeks ago, Sánchez looked like a dark-horse candidate to make noise in the Cy Young race. Now, he's a bona fide contender, entering our poll for the first time this season. The lanky left-hander owns a 2.40 ERA -- fifth best in MLB -- behind a wicked changeup and an exceptional ground ball rate. Since June 19, Sánchez is the only pitcher in baseball to complete eight innings in three separate starts, following his sensational outing on Sunday against the Tigers.

4. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dodgers

Quietly, Yamamoto keeps pitching like an ace, steadying a Dodgers rotation ravaged by injury. Among qualified starters, he ranks in the top 10 in ERA (2.51), batting average against (.197), and strikeout ratio (10.25). He blanked the Rays across 5 2/3 innings on Sunday, marking his eighth scoreless outing of the season -- the most among NL pitchers.

5. Logan Webb, Giants

After a shaky three-start stretch, Webb righted the ship last Wednesday against the Pirates, recording 11 strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball. While his ERA (3.31) took a bit of a hit, his 2.64 FIP -- a metric that focuses on the events a pitcher has the most control over -- is still elite, trailing only Skubal, Skenes, and Crochet. Webb is also recording strikeouts at a career-best clip, with a 9.87 K/9 ratio heading into his start on Tuesday.

Others receiving votes: Matthew Boyd (Cubs), Nick Pivetta (Padres), Freddy Peralta (Brewers), Robbie Ray (Giants), Edwin Díaz (Mets), Andrew Abbott (Reds), MacKenzie Gore (Nationals)