Yankees’ Max Fried finishes fourth in AL Cy Young voting

2 hours ago7 min read1 comments

The 2025 MLB season has drawn to a close, shifting the spotlight from the diamond to the awards circuit, and while Gold Gloves and Silver Sluggers have found their homes, the most prestigious pitching honor, the American League Cy Young Award, has been decided, placing New York Yankees left-hander Max Fried in a respectable fourth-place finish. The award, the pinnacle of recognition for any major league pitcher, was claimed for a second consecutive season by the Detroit Tigers' Tarik Skubal, a feat not accomplished in the American League since the legendary Pedro Martinez dominated in 1999 and 2000, while in the National League, Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes captured a unanimous victory.For Fried, a pitcher whose name was synonymous with Cy Young conversations from the season's very inception, the final tally reflects a campaign of immense quality slightly marred by an uneven stretch through the summer months that ultimately distanced him from the top spot. As voted by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, whose members cast ballots with five ranked slots, Fried secured his fourth-place standing on the strength of six third-place votes, landing just outside the top trio of Skubal, Garrett Crochet, and Hunter Brown, while his rotation mate, fellow southpaw Carlos Rodón, cemented a formidable one-two punch for the Yankees by finishing sixth.Fried’s final statistical line was nothing short of elite, a testament to his consistency and durability: a sterling 2. 86 ERA complemented by a 3.07 FIP and a 3. 41 xFIP, all accumulated over a hefty 195.1 innings of work that translated to a 4. 8 fWAR, placing him eighth overall in MLB.His 19 victories led all major league starters in that traditional, win-loss metric, a throwback number that harkens to the aces of yesteryear, though Skubal’s league-leading 2. 21 ERA ultimately proved the more decisive factor for voters.This marks the third time Fried has landed in the top five of Cy Young voting, having previously finished fifth in 2020 and as the runner-up to the Marlins' unanimous winner, Sandy Alcantara, in 2022 during his tenure with the Atlanta Braves, a track record that solidifies his status as a perennial contender. The context of his 2025 performance, however, cannot be overstated; arriving in the high-pressure cauldron of New York, integrating into a new clubhouse, and shouldering the burden of an entire rotation after the Yankees' true ace, the 2023 AL Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole, was lost for the entire season, Fried’s performance was arguably as valuable as any in the league.Meanwhile, Rodón’s season, which unfortunately was not reflected in the ALDS, was a masterpiece of durability and dominance, tying for the AL lead with 33 starts, notching 18 wins, and posting a 3. 09 ERA while leading the Junior Circuit with a minuscule 6.1 hits per nine innings and racking up 203 strikeouts, his second career 200-K season. For both hurlers, their placements are a testament to a season of excellence, a fourth-place finish for Fried being a commendable achievement in a loaded field and Rodón's sixth-place showing highlighting his critical role. In the grand narrative of the baseball season, where individual accolades are measured against team aspirations and personal legacy, Fried and Rodón have etched their names firmly into the conversation, proving that even without the ultimate hardware, their contributions were foundational and their performances worthy of the highest praise in the sport.

#Yankees

#Max Fried

#Cy Young Award

#MLB awards

#Tarik Skubal

#Carlos Rodón

#featured

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