Gerrit Cole is the best pitcher in baseball, and has been in the conversation of several years. And yet, the former No. 1 overall pick doesn’t have a Cy Young to his résumé. In fact, before this season, he hadn’t even started an All-Star Game. Sure, he’s finished in the top five of voting on five separate occasions and was runner-up in 2019 and 2021, but the stars just have never aligned to see him take home the highest honor in pitching.
We could sit here and wax poetic about the significance of Cole winning that particular award, but there really is no need.