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The Atlanta Braves are currently involved in a tightly contested race atop the National League East standings. While their playoff hopes will get some resolution over the coming weeks, Braves ace Max Fried is hoping to put the finishing touches on a Cy Young campaign during that span as well. Fried has been battling with Sandy Alcantara and Julio Urias over the past few months, and it looks like he has a decent shot at winning the award.
Fried has taken another step forward this season with a strong 2022 campaign, and has been one of the main reasons for Atlanta's success this season. Many thought Alcantara had this award locked up heading into September, but he's looked human after carrying a sub two ERA into the month of August. That has opened the door for Fried and the late-emerging Urias to potentially snatch the award away.
Whereas Alcantara's pace has slowed a bit, Fried has gotten better as the season has gone on, and if he continues to pitch the way he has recently, he has a very good shot at winning the award. Here are two big reasons Fried will end up walking away with the NL Cy Young award over close competitors in Alcantara and Urias this season.
2. Max Fried is pitching for a playoff team
This is geared more towards Alcantara than Urias considering Alcantara is widely perceived to be the frontrunner for the award. Whereas the Miami Marlins are not competing for a playoff spot, the Braves and Dodgers are. That makes their accomplishments this season a bit more noteworthy with voters, but it may be a moot point this year.
Fried has stepped up and guided a Braves rotation through a season where Charlie Morton has taken a step back and Ian Anderson has gotten himself sent back to the minors. He's had help from Kyle Wright and Spencer Strider, but without Fried leading the way, Atlanta would be in some serious trouble.
With the Dodgers, you can't really say the same about Urias. Tyler Anderson has been just as good as Urias this season, and Tony Gonsolin and Clayton Kershaw have been spectacular when they have been on the mound. The Marlins obviously would be much worse off without Alcantara, but does it really matter since they aren't competing for a playoff spot?
Fried has contributed the most out of these three pitchers to a team that is on the verge of snatching their division away from the New York Mets. In the end, that's what the Cy Young award is about. Urias and Alcantara have both made their impact, but it doesn't feel like it's been as strong as Fried's impact. If the Braves can end up winning the division, Fried's Cy Young case would have some legs to it.
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1. Max Fried is only continuing to get better as the season progresses
As previously mentioned, Fried has only continued to get better as the Braves season has progressed, while the supposed frontrunner Alcantara has slowed down. It's also worth noting that Urias has allowed more than one run than once in his last seven starts, which is why he's in the race now, but it still feels like he's a bit behind the pack as we enter the final few weeks of the season.
The only reason this race is even a contest really is because Alcantara has a 5.28 ERA over his previous five starts, which has caused his ERA on the season to get pushed up to 2.43. That's still a very good number, but Urias has the lowest ERA in the NL at 2.30, while Fried's isn't much worse at 2.50.
For what it's worth, Fried's ERA over his most recent five game stretch is just 2.03. He's making up serious ground on Alcantara currently, and if things keep progressing the way they are, there will be a real decision for voters to make between these three pitchers when the season ends.
Right now, Fried is probably in second place behind Alcantara and ahead of Urias, but that could change very quickly if things keep going well for him and poorly for Alcantara. These guys all only have three or four starts left on the season to make their case, and if Fried continues his strong finish and Alcantara continues to wilter, we could see Fried emerge as a surprise Cy Young victor in the National League.
It's a close race, but Fried has impacted his team the most out of any pitcher in the NL this season. Combine that with his standout numbers, and it's clear why he deserves to win a Cy Young award this season.
