Shocking Cardinals pitcher should be seen as underrated NL Cy Young candidate

The last time a relief pitcher won a Cy Young Award was 2003 -- when Éric Gagné accomplished the improbable feat with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Only eight others accompany Gagné in MLB history, highlighting how unlikely it is for a reliever to pull off the incredible achievement.

Enter St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley, who is making his case to join the rarefied group with his remarkable efforts this season.

Helsley is heavily favored to earn National League Reliever of the Year honors. He has been indispensable for the Cards, impacting winning at a high level. Should he garner Cy Young recognition? This impressive stat helps paint a picture of how valuable the right-hander has been for St. Louis, simultaneously making his case to do the unthinkable.

Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley should be considered a shocking yet underrated NL Cy Young candidate

On Monday, Helsley secured a 7-4 Cards victory against the Pittsburgh Pirates en route to recording his 31st save of 2024, setting a franchise record. No St. Louis hurler has registered that many saves ahead of the All-Star break.

St. Louis improved their record to 44-40 by defeating Pittsburgh. Helsley has been on the saving end of a whopping 70.4 percent of the club's victories thus far. As you can see above, this is an unprecedented landmark.

For context, Gagné had a 64.7 percent save rate the year he won Cy Young. Moreover, the next-closest player is New York Mets stopper Edwin Díaz (64 percent).

Where would the Cards be without Helsley? His play has been instrumental to St. Louis' success. He is 2-3 with a 2.54 ERA, 1.154 WHIP and 47 strikeouts. His 37 games finished and 31 saves lead the majors by a considerable margin.

Unfortunately, Helsley isn't getting much attention in the Cy Young Award race. The 29-year-old doesn't even have odds as of July 1. Nonetheless, he has established himself as one of the elite arms in baseball.