2026 MLB Cy Young Race: Cam Schlittler and Jacob Misiorowski Lead Entering Final Week

The 2026 MLB Cy Young races have entered their final week with two very different shapes. In the American League, New York Yankees right-hander Cam Schlittler has built a clear advantage. In the National League, Jacob Misiorowski and Cristopher Sánchez present voters with a much closer choice between overwhelming dominance and total season value.

Injuries and a major trade have also reshaped both fields. Dylan Cease’s shoulder issue may have ended his season, while Tarik Skubal’s deadline move from Detroit to Los Angeles divided an excellent year between the two leagues and weakened his path to a third consecutive award.

American League Cy Young race: Cam Schlittler pulls away

Cam Schlittler is the AL Cy Young favorite entering the final week. The Yankees starter had already reached the end of August with a 12-6 record and a 2.09 ERA. He then raised his level again, going 2-0 with a 0.89 ERA over his first three September starts.

That late surge reinforces the strongest part of Schlittler’s case: consistency. He has combined run prevention with durability and has rarely given opponents a chance to break games open. By August 21, he had already completed a major-league-leading 19 starts in which he allowed no more than one earned run.

Schlittler’s season has also helped keep the Yankees in the postseason picture through injuries elsewhere on the roster. New York enters the final week at 89-66 and headed toward October, even if Tampa Bay has created separation in the AL East.

Why Schlittler leads

• He carried a 2.09 ERA through the end of August.
• He opened September with a 2-0 record and 0.89 ERA across three starts.
• He has delivered elite run prevention more consistently than any other AL starter.
• His strongest work has come while the Yankees fight for postseason position.

Dylan Cease’s shoulder injury could decide the AL race

Dylan Cease has been Schlittler’s closest challenger. In his first season with Toronto, the right-hander is 11-6 with a 2.40 ERA and an American League-leading 239 strikeouts in 169 innings.

Cease has the strikeout title and the volume to support a winning case. The problem is timing. He underwent an MRI after experiencing reduced velocity and recurring discomfort in his throwing shoulder, leaving his availability for the final week uncertain.

If Cease cannot pitch again, his résumé is essentially complete. It remains excellent, but Schlittler would have an opportunity to strengthen an existing advantage while Cease watches from the sideline.

Parker Messick and Drew Rasmussen belong on AL ballots

Parker Messick of Cleveland and Drew Rasmussen of Tampa Bay round out the leading group. Messick has combined quality innings with one of the league’s strongest value profiles, while Rasmussen has been a key part of the rotation for the AL’s best team.

Both deserve serious down-ballot support. Neither has matched Schlittler’s combination of dominance and week-to-week consistency, and neither owns Cease’s strikeout advantage.

National League Cy Young race: Jacob Misiorowski makes history

The National League race is closer, but Jacob Misiorowski now has the most compelling case.

The Brewers ace lowered his ERA to 1.86 with three scoreless innings against Baltimore on September 20. He is 15-5 with 247 strikeouts in 169⅓ innings and a 0.80 WHIP. Those are not merely award-caliber numbers; they place Misiorowski on the edge of rare pitching history.

Misiorowski leads the majors in ERA, strikeouts, WHIP and opponents’ batting average. If he finishes first in ERA, strikeouts and opponents’ average, he would become only the fourth pitcher since 1950 to lead MLB in all three categories, joining Sandy Koufax, J.R. Richard and Mike Scott.

Team context strengthens his candidacy. Milwaukee has set a franchise record with 98 wins and owns the best record in the National League. Misiorowski has been the ace of that rotation and the most overpowering starter in baseball.

Jacob Misiorowski’s 2026 numbers

Cristopher Sánchez has the strongest NL alternative

Cristopher Sánchez has a legitimate argument based on workload, wins and total value. The Phillies left-hander improved to 18-6 on September 20 by allowing two runs over 6⅓ innings against the Mets, striking out six without issuing a walk.

Some value-based models place Sánchez ahead of Misiorowski because of his volume and the complete body of work he has delivered for Philadelphia. He also responded well after a poor outing against Washington threatened to damage his late-season case.

The choice comes down to what voters prioritize. Sánchez offers more wins and a strong innings-based value argument. Misiorowski owns the better ERA, more strikeouts, a historically low WHIP and the more dominant rate statistics.

Chris Sale and Yoshinobu Yamamoto remain in the NL picture

Chris Sale has delivered another high-level season for Atlanta, while Yoshinobu Yamamoto remains one of the most effective starters in the Dodgers rotation. Both should receive substantial support.

Jesus Luzardo had also moved into the discussion before a shoulder injury ended his regular season. Chase Burns’ excellent 15-3 season is likewise over because of a groin strain. Those injuries leave fewer opportunities for either pitcher to change the order during the final week.

How Tarik Skubal’s trade affected the awards

Tarik Skubal remains one of baseball’s best pitchers, but his deadline trade from the Tigers to the Dodgers split his season between the American and National Leagues. Cy Young voting is league-specific, so voters must assess only the work Skubal completed in each league rather than treating his entire season as one candidacy.

That technical reality makes a third consecutive Cy Young Award unlikely even though his overall performance still compares favorably with many of the leading candidates.

Current 2026 MLB Cy Young rankings

American League

1. Cam Schlittler, Yankees — the clearest combination of dominance and consistency
2. Dylan Cease, Blue Jays — AL strikeout leader, now dealing with a shoulder issue
3. Parker Messick, Guardians — strong total-value case
4. Drew Rasmussen, Rays — elite performance for the league’s best team

National League

1. Jacob Misiorowski, Brewers — MLB leader in ERA, strikeouts and WHIP
2. Cristopher Sánchez, Phillies — 18 wins and the strongest workload-based alternative
3. Chris Sale, Braves — another complete ace-level season
4. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dodgers — front-line production for a championship contender

The final-week outlook

The AL award is Schlittler’s to lose. Cease has the best statistical counterargument, but his shoulder problem arrives at the worst possible moment.

The NL vote should be much closer. Sánchez has the workload and value-based case, yet Misiorowski’s 1.86 ERA, 247 strikeouts, 0.80 WHIP and role on the National League’s best team create the season’s most memorable pitching résumé.

Entering the final week, the 2026 Cy Young favorites are Cam Schlittler in the American League and Jacob Misiorowski in the National League.