{"id":20953,"date":"2026-06-02T11:37:47","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T11:37:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/2026\/06\/02\/mlb-power-rankings-mvp-cy-young-lets-look-at-early-awards-contenders-from-each-team-the-new-york-times\/"},"modified":"2026-06-02T11:37:47","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T11:37:47","slug":"mlb-power-rankings-mvp-cy-young-lets-look-at-early-awards-contenders-from-each-team-the-new-york-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/2026\/06\/02\/mlb-power-rankings-mvp-cy-young-lets-look-at-early-awards-contenders-from-each-team-the-new-york-times\/","title":{"rendered":"MLB Power Rankings: MVP? Cy Young? Let\u2019s look at early awards contenders from each team – The New York Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

MLB
The Mariners have climbed our rankings after a three-game series sweep of the Diamondbacks this weekend. Maddy Grassy \/ Getty Images<\/span>
Every week,\u200b we\u200b ask a selected group of our baseball\u200b writers\u200b \u2014 local and national \u2014 to rank the teams from first to worst<\/a>. Here are the collective results.<\/em>
Two months into a major-league season, the picture starts to clarify. We\u2019ve got a feel for the really good teams and the really bad ones, too. We\u2019ve got our eyes on the teams we can\u2019t quite believe are where they are this deep into the season. And we\u2019re setting the landscape for the individual award races that we\u2019ll talk about the rest of the way.
Advertisement
This week, we\u2019re looking at the top award candidates for each team. While the MVP races might feel the slightest bit stale, the Cy Young race in the National League might be an all-timer. The Rookie of the Year races in both leagues are unusually strong. And all those surprising teams mean the Manager of the Year races are crowded with contenders, proving our preseason predictions wrong<\/a>.
All stats are through Monday morning unless stated. <\/em>
Record: 38-22<\/b>
Last Power Ranking: 1<\/b>
Top awards candidate:<\/strong> Shohei Ohtani, NL MVP
Oddly enough, Ohtani probably has a better shot at MVP than Cy Young, thanks to a loaded cast of thriving NL pitchers. Cristopher S\u00e1nchez, Jacob Misiorowski, Chase Burns and Chris Sale have all been sensational, but none of them also boasts a .400 on-base percentage. So, ho hum.
Ohtani remains the favorite to win his fifth MVP award, and his fourth in a row, which would tie Barry Bonds\u2019 record (2001-04). During that stretch, Bonds\u2019 record-setting home run binges and unparalleled walk rates and OPS marks twisted our brains into a pretzel shape. Ohtani has done similar things in recent years, as we ponder how such a prolific hitter could also thrive on the mound. Well, here he goes again, this time showcasing the arm \u2014 he has a 0.82 ERA and hitters have a .447 OPS against him \u2014 more than the bat. \u2014 Zack Meisel<\/em>
Record: 40-20<\/b>
Last Power Ranking: 2<\/b>
Top awards candidate: <\/strong>Chris Sale, NL Cy Young Award
Oh boy, the National League Cy Young Award race already looks incredible \u2014 to the point that Sale\u2019s 8-3 record and 2.01 ERA look only pedestrian. After all, the left-hander allowed eight whole runs in May \u2014 which is seven more than Cristopher S\u00e1nchez and Jacob Misiorowski combined to yield. But there are still four months to go, and it\u2019s hard to count out Sale over the long run, as long as he stays healthy, of course. The 2024 winner has revitalized his career with Atlanta and has served as a leader for a surprisingly dominant pitching staff. \u2014 Tim Britton<\/em>
Advertisement
Record: 36-23<\/b>
Last Power Ranking: T-3<\/b>
Top awards candidate: <\/strong>Cam Schlittler, AL Cy Young Award
The competition for the American League Cy Young Award isn\u2019t quite as captivating as it is in the senior circuit, thanks to injuries to last year\u2019s top three finishers. Schlittler has surged to the forefront of a race with a lot of new faces, including Chicago\u2019s Davis Martin and Cleveland\u2019s Parker Messick. Throwing 90 percent fastballs, the 25-year-old Schlittler has allowed six earned runs over his last eight starts, covering more than 50 innings. His ERA and FIP are both below 2.00, and only Dylan Cease is striking out hitters at a higher rate in the AL. \u2014 Britton<\/em>
Record: 36-21<\/b>
Last Power Ranking: 5<\/b>
Top awards candidate:<\/strong> Jacob Misiorowski, NL Cy Young Award
No qualified starting pitcher in the American or National League has more strikeouts, a lower WHIP or a lower opponents\u2019 batting average than The Miz. Among qualified NL starters, he\u2019s second in ERA to Cristopher S\u00e1nchez. The control issues that bit him in the second half of last season have seemingly gone away, and those who are fortunate enough to make contact aren\u2019t barreling the ball.
Here\u2019s the kicker: He\u2019s doing it all while throwing 100 mph or faster, consistently.<\/lite-youtube>He opened his start on Sunday against the Astros by firing 14 straight pitches at 100 mph or higher.
Yeah, that\u2019s scary. \u2014 Johnny Flores Jr.<\/em>
Record: 36-21<\/b>
Last Power Ranking: T-3<\/b>
Top awards candidate: <\/strong>Kevin Cash, AL Manager of the Year
The majors\u2019 longest-tenured manager is at it again, leading the Rays to the American League\u2019s best record through two months. As usual for Tampa Bay, an excellent pitching staff has been supplemented by a bunch of different contributors on the offensive end. You\u2019ve got to give Cash credit \u2014 heh heh \u2014 for getting the most out of that lineup. Nothing about the personnel suggests it should be second in the AL in runs per game. Heck, nothing about every other stat the Rays\u2019 offense is compiling suggests it should be second in the AL in runs per game. Yet, here they are. \u2014 Britton<\/em>
Advertisement
Record: 32-29<\/b>
Last Power Ranking: 11<\/b>
Top awards candidate:<\/strong> Insert Mariners Starting Pitcher Here, AL Cy Young Award
No, that\u2019s not an error that snuck past an editor. It\u2019s a call for one of these Seattle starters to take charge. Emerson Hancock sports the best ERA of the bunch. Bryan Woo is smiled upon most favorably by fWAR. Logan Gilbert has the best strikeout rate in the group. George Kirby leads the pack in innings. Any of the four could get on a roll for a few months and crash an AL Cy Young Award party that is operating with an open invitation. It\u2019s Cam Schlittler, Nick Martinez, Davis Martin, Parker Messick, Jos\u00e9 Soriano \u2014 five pitchers without extensive, award-winning track records \u2014 at the top. And then a bunch of Mariners and other pitchers who could use the first two months as a springboard into a banner season. So, pick the Mariner you trust most. \u2014 Meisel<\/i>
Record: 32-28<\/b>
Last Power Ranking: 6<\/b>
Top awards candidate:<\/strong> Pete Crow-Armstrong, NL Gold Glove
By season\u2019s end, PCA is unlikely to live down the \u201cLittle League homer\u201d he allowed against the Milwaukee Brewers and David Hamilton, a player with a 76 wRC+.
\ud83d\udea8 DAVID HAMILTON LITTLE LEAGUE HOME RUN \ud83d\udea8 pic.twitter.com\/P2rUVVfTiw<\/a>
\u2014 Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) May 21, 2026<\/a>