Based on his performance in the second half of the 2025 season, Gavin Williams entered this campaign with the Cleveland Guardians as a potential AL Cy Young Award candidate. The right-hander has lived up to that high standard in the first half of the 2026 campaign.
Heading toward his start against the New York Yankees on Monday, Williams is riding a four-game winning streak, which has raised his record to 9-3 with a 3.20 ERA on the season. He has pitched himself into contention for his first AL All-Star selection.
MLB.com analyst Jared Greenspan has revealed how Williams turned a corner this season, relying on pitch selection and cutting back on his walks allowed.
“How did Williams turn a corner? Well, the stuff is better, and he’s using his arsenal differently. He’s also cut down on walks. In a three-year span from 2023-25 — starting with his rookie season — Williams had the third-highest walk rate among qualified starters, trailing only Blake Snell and Edward Cabrera. This year, though, his walk rate is in the 63rd percentile of MLB. Williams and Cam Schlittler are the only two starting pitchers to decrease their walk rate by at least 4.0 percent from 2025 to 2026,” Greenspan wrote.
Last year, Williams finished his third MLB season with a 12-5 record and a 3.06 ERA. However, he led the majors with 83 walks in 167.2 innings, and his K/BB ratio was just 2.1.
This year, the walks remained an issue earlier in the season. Williams issued six in his first start and gave up 14 over his first three games. Since then, he has walked just 11 hitters over 10 starts, cutting that walk rate to 25 in 81.2 innings, and with 94 strikeouts, his K/BB ratio is a more robust 3.8.
It has led to Williams currently leading major league starters in wins. He is sixth in innings pitched, tied for seventh in K/9, and 17th in WHIP, just behind teammate Parker Messick.
After two rough outings in early May, when he allowed five runs in back-to-back games, Williams regained his form. That includes a win against the Yankees in his previous start, when he allowed three runs with one walk and six strikeouts over 5.1 innings. It was Cleveland’s 10th win in his 13 starts this season.
Williams will look to finish the first half strong and then try to replicate his outstanding second half of 2025, when he was 6-1 with an ERA under 2.20 in August and September.
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