Luis Castillo

Welcome to the first edition of theScore's 2024 Cy Young rankings, where we look at the top five pitchers in each league. Though it's still early, there are already plenty of standout performers. Let's look at the best on the mound through the first month-plus of the season. Odds courtesy of theScore Bet.American League5. Mason Miller, Athletics Mike Stobe / Getty Images IP ERA FIP K WHIP SV Odds 14.1 1.26 -0.05 29 0.77 8 N/A Relievers have to go above and beyond to get legitimate Cy Young consideration, and Miller is doing that right now. Armed with the majors' hardest fastball - it averages 100.8 mph - Miller's mowing down hitters with ease and owns an astonishing 18.21 K/9 rate. He's given up only two earned runs, has yet to allow a homer, and is a perfect 8-for-8 in save opportunities. Were he qualified, Miller's 1.1 fWAR would be tied for ninth in the AL, putting him ahead of several established starters, including Corbin Burnes. Whether he can keep this up all summer long remains to be seen, but for the moment Miller absolutely belongs here.4. Yusei Kikuchi, Blue Jays Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty IP ERA FIP K WHIP Odds 39.2 2.72 2.33 43 1.16 +6000 The Blue Jays may be underachieving, but it's certainly not because of Kikuchi, who's pitching better than he ever has in his six-year big-league career. The 32-year-old's 9.76 K/9 rate is a career best, as are his ERA, WHIP, and FIP (2.33). He's given up just two homers in nearly 40 innings and issued only nine walks despite a 2.04 BB/9 rate that might be lower if he had a couple more innings under his belt. Kikuchi's also doing a tremendous job of limiting hard contact, sitting in the 13th percentile of hard-hit percentage. In many ways, he's keeping Toronto afloat right now.3. Kutter Crawford, Red Sox Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox / Getty Images Sport / Getty IP ERA FIP K WHIP Odds 40.1 1.56 2.54 40 1.07 +3000 Crawford came out of nowhere in the early stages of the season to help power a phenomenal Red Sox rotation. The 28-year-old won't overpower hitters with a versatile arsenal of pitches (his fastball's averaging 92.9 mph), but he's nonetheless tying them in knots. Crawford places second in the AL in ERA and fWAR (1.5), leads the majors in ERA+ (262), and allowed only one home run in his first seven starts. He's still walking almost three batters per nine and could stand to pad his strikeout totals a bit, but those things should fix themselves over time. Crawford will beat you on the mound in his own way, and he's very good at it.2. Tarik Skubal, Tigers Jim McIsaac / Getty Images Sport / Getty IP ERA FIP K WHIP Odds 42.2 1.90 2.08 53 0.77 +275 It's no surprise that the Tigers' fortunes finally began to turn right as Skubal started to break out as an ace. After showing flashes of this down the stretch last summer, the 27-year-old lefty's truly taken the next step to start 2024. He owns the AL's lowest WHIP and is third in strikeouts while placing fifth in ERA and fourth in BB/9 (1.27). Skubal also seems to have solved his home-run problem, as he gave up just three through his first 42.2 innings. It sure seems like Skubal is here to stay, and that's a great thing for Detroit.1. Tanner Houck, Red Sox Billie Weiss / Getty Images IP ERA FIP K WHIP Odds 45.1 1.99 2.08 46 0.97 +2500 The other half of Boston's dominant duo, Houck is nothing short of a revelation for the Red Sox. He's the majors' FIP leader (2.06) and sits top-10 in the AL in ERA, strikeouts, and WHIP. He's only issued seven walks, allowed one homer, and, just for good measure, tossed a 94-pitch, three-hit shutout last month - against the powerful Guardians, no less. It's early, sure, but Houck's heading up a very tight AL Cy Young race barely a year after posting an ERA above five. This would be one heck of a comeback story if he can pull it off.Apologies to: Jos Berr os (TOR), Ronel Blanco (HOU), Luis Castillo (SEA), Logan Gilbert (SEA), Jon Gray (TEX), George Kirby (SEA)National League5. Jared Jones, Pirates Justin Berl / Getty Images Sport / Getty IP ERA FIP K WHIP Odds 41.0 2.63 3.28 52 0.78 +3000 Already an early Rookie of the Year favorite, Jones is pushing himself squarely into the Cy Young mix, too. The Pirates' electric right-hander has stuff that often feels unhittable. He's third in the NL in K/9 (11.41) and the Senior Circuit leader in BB/9 (1.10), while his 10.40 K/BB ratio is tops in the majors. Jones also owns the NL's second-lowest WHIP and is third in strikeouts while issuing only five walks. His only real problem is home runs - of the 13 extra-base hits allowed by Jones, seven were long balls - and he'll have to fix that up to keep his spot. He's talented enough to do that, though, so don't be surprised to see Jones' name here for a long time.4. Shota Imanaga, Cubs Griffin Quinn / Major League Baseball / Getty IP ERA FIP K WHIP Odds 34.2 0.78 2.23 35 0.75 +1000 The Cubs are no doubt elated by the early returns from Imanaga, who dazzled with his unique style during his first month in the majors. "The Throwing Philosopher" is leaving hitters searching for answers, sporting a sparkling 0.78 ERA that would easily lead the majors if he wasn't about an inning short of qualifying. His strikeout numbers are down a bit from what he was doing in Japan, but with the way he's pitching it hardly matters. Imanaga is controlling the game with ease. He's issued just four walks for a 1.04 BB/9 rate while also quelling concerns about the long ball by giving up only two homers. Even if the ERA jumps by a run or two, Imanaga's already made it clear that he not only belongs in the majors, but the Cy Young conversation, too.3. Ranger Su rez, Phillies Jeff Dean / Getty Images Sport / Getty IP ERA FIP K WHIP Odds 47.0 1.72 2.82 46 0.72 +1000 Su rez isn't one of the names you might usually think of when you're talking Phillies aces, but he's quickly changing that. Through seven starts, he owns a stellar 1.72 ERA, an MLB-leading 0.72 WHIP, and a stellar 1.15 BB/9 rate. Six of those starts were quality, and one was a shutout. It's very easy to see why he's here. Su rez is another crafty lefty who will slowly grind you down instead of bringing the heat, and he's been building to this for a while with his brilliant playoff performances over the past few Octobers. If he's now going to pitch like this consistently during the regular season, we can say it: Su rez is an ace.2. Tyler Glasnow, Dodgers Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images Sport / Getty IP ERA FIP K WHIP Odds 50.0 2.70 2.46 63 0.92 +275 The only question that ever surrounds Glasnow is his health. Well, he's healthy now, and, boy, is he making a statement. Through his first month-plus as a Dodger, Glasnow is tied for the MLB lead in strikeouts, second in fWAR (1.5), second in FIP, and top five in his league in WHIP, opponent's average (.182), and K/9 (11.34). Most impressive, though, is Glasnow's league-leading 50 innings pitched, already nearly halfway to his career high set just last year. He's truly stepping up as the ace L.A. paid for this winter and could easily top these rankings next time if he continues to dominate like this.1. Zack Wheeler, Phillies Mitchell Leff / Getty Images Sport / Getty IP ERA FIP K WHIP Odds 49.1 1.64 2.31 63 0.89 +300 Here's the Phillies pitcher you were expecting. Wheeler's been as dominant as ever to start the year. He's the NL ERA leader among qualified pitchers, top 10 in WHIP, and sporting a K/9 rate over 11 while sitting tied with Glasnow atop the MLB strikeout leaderboard. Wheeler's fastball velocity has actually dipped compared to last year, but he's making up for it by increasing both his whiff and K percentages. He's also varying his offerings a bit more, and the results speak for themselves. Opponents are hitting .176 against his sinker and just .095 versus his splitter. Wheeler's fallen just short in the Cy Young race several times since joining the Phillies, and though he's already in a dead heat with Glasnow this time, he seems determined to make sure 2024 is finally his year.Apologies to: Dylan Cease (SD), Hunter Greene (CIN), Jordan Hicks (SF), Logan Webb (SF)Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.