Gavin Williams had been on one of his best stretches of the season before taking the mound for the Cleveland Guardians against the San Diego Padres on Friday night. The right-hander recently put together a historic streak of five games with at least 10 strikeouts and fewer than two walks, looking like one of the top pitchers in baseball.
He had lowered his ERA for the season to 3.55, with 185 strikeouts and just 41 walks. Williams ranked among the top three in the majors in strikeouts and innings pitched, was third in the American League with 11 wins, and he was in the top 10 overall in WHIP.
With that in mind, Bleacher Report named the Guardians pitcher among the top candidates to win the AL Cy Young Award.
“Cleveland Guardians: Gavin Williams (Cy Young),” Joel Reuter wrote. “At first glance, those might not seem like Cy Young-caliber numbers from Williams, but he has been on a roll of late. Over his last four starts, he has a 1.42 ERA and 40-to-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 25.1 innings, and if Cam Schlittler and Dylan Cease falter, he has the momentum to emerge as a dark horse.”
Even after a rough outing against the Padres, Williams remains a viable contender, thanks to the performances he posted before that. In a five-start span from July 9 through Aug. 2, he struck out 55 batters and walked just three, and he allowed two runs or fewer in four of those outings.
Now 11-7 on the season, Williams has more wins and innings pitched than Schlittler or Cease, and he trails the latter by just one strikeout. Schlittler does lead the AL with a 2.21 ERA for the New York Yankees, while Cease is second in the league at 2.40 for the Toronto Blue Jays.
According to DraftKings Sportsbook, Schlittler is the current favorite to win the AL Cy Young Award, followed by Cease in the betting odds. Williams is the seventh choice, behind Drew Rasmussen of the Tampa Bay Rays, Sonny Gray of the Boston Red Sox, teammate Parker Messick, and Logan Gilbert of the Seattle Mariners.
Williams and Messick likely have bigger things on their minds as they try to help the Guardians get back into playoff position over the final 39 games. Cleveland is five games behind the first-place Chicago White Sox in the AL Central, and it sits eighth in the wild-card race after its latest loss.
So, there will be bigger games for Williams along the way, with his next start set for Thursday against the San Francisco Giants.
NEXT: Guardians Activate Pitcher Off Injured List
