Six weeks into the 2025 MLB season, as the traditional Memorial Day measuring point gets closer, the Cy Young races in both leagues are beginning to come into focus.
With most starters having made eight or nine starts as of Monday, and most relievers having made 15 or more appearances, the growing sample size means early season success can't be chalked up simply to a hot or lucky start. In other words, it's time to start taking results seriously.
MLB.com's first Cy Young poll of the season reveals the depth of pitching talent across the AL and NL in 2025. We asked 37 experts to pick who they believe will be crowned the Cy Young winners in each league at the end of the season, taking into account results to date and also expectations the rest of the way.
A total of 35 pitchers received at least one vote in the polling -- 17 in the AL and 18 in the NL.
As always, voters were asked to rank their top five picks in each league. Pitchers received vote points on a 5-4-3-2-1 scale -- five points for a first-place vote, four points for a second-place vote and so on. Here are the results.
All stats are through Sunday.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
1. Tarik Skubal, Tigers (19 first-place votes)
Skubal hasn't been quite as dominant as he was in 2024, when he won the pitching Triple Crown and a unanimous AL Cy Young Award, but he's been close enough to warrant strong support on this list. Entering play Monday, he's in the top 10 among qualified AL starters in ERA (2.08) and innings (47 2/3), in the top five in strikeouts (60) and WHIP (0.88), and tops in K/9 ratio (11.33). He's also held opponents to two or fewer runs in six straight starts.
2. Max Fried, Yankees (13 first-place votes)
Fried has been everything the Yankees hoped he'd be when he signed an eight-year $218 million contract in the offseason. His 6-0 record is best the Majors, and his 1.05 ERA is best among qualified starters. The lefty's 0.91 WHIP and .187 average against are both top-five in the AL among qualified starters, and he's allowed just six earned runs all season. But most importantly: The first-place Yankees are 8-0 in his starts. It literally can't get any better than that.
3. Garrett Crochet, Red Sox (three first-place votes)
Like Fried with the Yankees, Crochet's first season with the Red Sox has been just what Boston wanted. The lefty has made nine starts and pitched to a 1.93 ERA, and his 65 strikeouts through Sunday were second-most in the AL (his 10.45 K/9 ratio ranks sixth in the AL). Batters are hitting just .192 against him and he's allowed two earned runs or fewer in eight of his nine starts. He also leads the league in sweaters made during his starts.
4. Hunter Brown, Astros (two first-place votes)
Brown has been quite the revelation for the Astros. The right-hander began to remake himself last season, his third in Houston, and the results have been inarguable. His six wins are tied for the MLB lead, he's tied for the lead in quality starts, with seven, and he also leads all of baseball with a 1.86 FIP. Meanwhile, his 1.48 ERA and .180 average against both rank third in the AL. Add it all up and he leads all AL pitchers with a 2.1 bWAR.
5. Nathan Eovaldi, Rangers (no first-place votes)
Eovalidi is in his 14th big league season, but by some measures the 35-year-old is pitching better than ever. His 1.78 ERA is fifth-best in the AL (and would easily be his lowest ever) and he leads MLB with a 0.75 WHIP (his previous low was his 1.11 WHIP last season). He's also the only AL pitcher to toss a shutout this season, and he's tied with the Twins' Joe Ryan and Skubal with an MLB-low five walks. His .186 average against is by far the best mark of his career.
Others receiving votes: Cole Ragans, Jacob deGrom, Kris Bubic, Bryan Woo, Casey Mize, Chris Bassitt, Seth Lugo, Tyler Mahle, Andrés Muñoz, Carlos Rodón, Emmanuel Clase, Joe Ryan
NATIONAL LEAGUE
1. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dodgers (22 first-place votes)
After a somewhat uneven and injury-hampered rookie season in 2024, Yoshinobu has lived up to the billing of a game-changing ace so far in 2025. His 1.80 ERA leads the NL, while he's also in the top five in WHIP (0.98) and average against (.188). A big reason for his success is his nearly unhittable split-finger fastball, which has a whiff rate of about 45 percent and has frustrated hitters to the tune of an .086 average so far. How good has he been? He had a five-start stretch from April 4 through May 2 in which he allowed a total of one earned run.
2. Paul Skenes, Pirates (three first-place votes)
After his dominant 2024 NL Rookie of the Year campaign, Skenes came into this season as a Cy Young frontrunner. Though he's pitched a little below expectations so far in 2025, the ingredients are still there for a special season. His fastball still averages nearly 98 mph, and he's still giving hitters fits. His 0.95 WHIP is third-best in the NL, while his .192 average against is fourth-best. It's likely just a matter of time before it all clicks again.
3. Logan Webb, Giants (three first-place votes)
The veteran Webb is doing some of his best pitching in 2025. His 65 strikeouts rank third in the NL, while his 2.60 ERA is seventh-best among qualified starters. Both numbers are noteworthy when you consider this: Webb has never had 65 or more strikeouts or a 2.60 or better ERA through his first nine starts of a season until now. He's allowed two earned runs or fewer in four of his past five starts and leads the NL with a 1.99 FIP.
4-T. Hunter Greene, Reds (two first-place votes)
Greene has continued his 2024 All-Star success into 2025 and offered further evidence of his potential. Though health and inconsistency have hurt him at times early in his career, he seemed to have put it all together this season before his current IL stint with a groin strain. His 0.81 WHIP and .175 average against are both tops in the NL, while his 61 strikeouts rank fifth. His 35 percent strikeout rate is among the best in MLB, and he's cut his walk rate nearly in half (it's just 4.5 percent this season).
4-T. Zack Wheeler, Phillies (four first-place votes)
Wheeler has faced more batters (233) than anyone else this season in an MLB-leading 58 innings, and he's continued to be one of the most consistently good pitchers in the game. His 0.91 WHIP is second only to Greene's among NL starters and his 74 strikeouts are second in baseball behind MacKenzie Gore's 75. Since mid-April, you've been able to pencil Wheeler in for at least six innings and no more than two earned runs (seriously, look at his game logs). He did even better on Sunday, when he held the Guardians scoreless over seven innings.
Others receiving votes: Jesús Luzardo (one first-place vote), Michael King (one first-place vote), Nick Pivetta, Kodai Senga, MacKenzie Gore, Freddy Peralta, Chris Sale, Griffin Canning (one first-place vote), Brandon Pfaadt, Clay Holmes, Zac Gallen, Dylan Cease, Robert Suarez