Who leads the AL Cy Young race as May comes to a close?

MLB awards watch: AL Cy Young race

CHICAGO, IL - MAY 02: Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Lucas Giolito (27) delivers the ball in the first inning against the Boston Red Sox on May 2, 2019 at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

3 of 6

CLEVELAND, OHIO – MAY 25: Starting pitcher Charlie Morton #50 of the Tampa Bay Rays pitches during the first inning against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field on May 25, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

4. Charlie Morton, RHP, Tampa Bay Rays

5-0, 77 strikeouts, 1.16 WHIP, 1.4 WAR and 2.54 ERA.

Remember when Charlie Morton was a back end of the rotation starter for the Pittsburgh Pirates? In seven seasons, he went 41-62 with a 4.39 ERA. The Houston Astros scooped him up in 2017, and he has become a top-of-the-rotation arm since then.

After coming to contractual terms with the Tampa Bay Rays this past offseason, Morton has posted Cy Young numbers while pitching for the best rotation in baseball, ERA-wise.

Morton has been extremely consistent. He went 2-0 with a 2.60 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in five starts in April. Currently in May, his record is the same: his WHIP is 1.19 and he has an ERA of 2.28 in five more starts.

The veteran has career highs in strikeouts per-nine (11.49) and left-on-base percentage (80.7). Over 53 percent of his contact results have been ground balls, and he’s been using his fastball less and curveball more.

Morton’s ERA is third in the American League and sixth in all of baseball. Although, the one thing he needs to do more is work deeper into ballgames. He has yet to pitch past seven innings, and he’s gone five or less four times.

The Rays manage pitchers much differently, so there is a method to their madness. But Morton’s Cy Young case would be even stronger if he was eating more innings.

Home/MLB