
With the 2025 MLB season right around the corner, it's about time we take a look at which pitchers will rise to the occasion this year to capture the Cy Young award in their respective leagues.
(Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
In the American League, we'll do some digging to find some prime breakout candidates as we preview the MLB Futures market.
All odds via FanDuel as of March 8, 2025.
Everything that Red Sox pitching coach Andrew Bailey touches turns to gold, and now he'll have the opportunity to work with one of the most talented young arms in the game -- Garrett Crochet.
Crochet has it all, but what's most enticing is the insane 35.1% strikeout rate which he posted in 2024 -- something that will go a long way in a hitter-friendly Fenway Park.
Bailey has found a way to help his pitchers get outs on ground balls -- something that wasn't quite as effective last season with a poor defense -- but now that Trevor Story and Triston Casas are healthy -- and Alex Bregman is manning third -- the contact which Crochet does induce should result in more outs. That's especially true when you consider how bad his defense was in Chicago.
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I just like taking a pitcher who was one of the very best in baseball a year ago, who has the opportunity to not only improve with a new coaching staff but pitch closer to his expected numbers with what should be a better defense.
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Remember him? Well, he's healthy again -- and in speaking with reporters over the weekend, Jacob deGrom revealed he's found a way to take a bit off the stress off his oft-injured body by managing how hard he throws his fastball.
We've long known that it's the extension and movement on deGrom's fastball which makes it unhittable -- not just the velocity -- so if this trick keeps him on the field for a full season I don't see why he can't replicate his Hall of Fame form from years' past.
The Rangers not only play in a massive park, but they sport one of the best defenses in baseball. This is something deGrom never had in New York -- and on top of that he's got an offense and bullpen which could make him a 20-game winner in a full season.
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Speaking of injuries, Shane McClanahan will be pitching for the first time since undergoing Tommy John Surgery two years ago. That's a scary thought, sure, but prior to going down he was one of the most exciting arms in the league.
If you sense a theme here, it's with good reason -- the Rays know pitching. They have developed an abundance of excellent arms in the last two years with Ryan Pepiot being the latest example, and McClanahan's strikeout upside is second to very few on this list.
In a full 2022 season, he pitched to a 2.79 Expected ERA -- just outside the top 10 in the league -- and while the contact he induced in 2023 wasn't quite as great he got even better when it came to missing bats.
As he enters his prime years, this season could easily be the one where he puts it all together. The only risk is that he's traded to the National League by a perennial seller.
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