Gerrit Cole shuts down Angels: AL Cy Young Power Rankings

New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole put himself back at the top of the AL Cy Young power rankings with a 15-strikeout game against the Angels.

The race for the AL Cy Young is entering the final stretch with a handful of contenders in the running.

One of those challengers just made a big statement.

Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole struck out 15 Angels batters, allowing one earned run in seven innings of action on Wednesday night.

How does his strong start to September impact the AL Cy Young power rankings?

AL Cy Young power rankings

1. Gerrit Cole
2. Robbie Ray
3. Lance Lynn
4. Carlos Rodon

Cole leads the American League with 14 victories. His ERA is down to 2.73 and his season-high strikeout total against the Angels put him ahead of Robbie Ray in that category for the year. He claims the top spot in the power rankings until someone takes it off of him.

Ray will have a chance to regain his strikeouts lead when he pitches next. The Blue Jays star had 10 or more strikeouts in his last three appearances, so he’s not going to let Cole beat him without putting up a fight.

Lance Lynn still leads the AL with an ERA of 2.59, so he’s very much in it. However, he’s coming off a rough outing against the Cubs, giving up seven earned runs including three home runs in five innings. His August ERA was 4.67, so he’ll need to rebound in September but first, he’ll have to complete a stint on the White Sox injured list with knee inflammation.

Rodon has a smaller sample size than the rest, but it’s excellent. He has an ERA of 2.43, which would be the best in the AL if he qualified. He’s averaging 12.8 strikeouts per nine innings, bettering Cole, Ray and Lynn.