LAS VEGAS — Max Fried is among three finalists for the sport’s most prestigious annual award for pitchers.
Fried is a National League Cy Young Award finalist. The honor, voted on by members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, is given each year to the top pitcher in each league.
The other two finalists are Miami’s Sandy Alcantara and the Dodgers’ Julio Urias. Writers voted for the award at the end of the regular season.
In 2022, Fried posted a 2.48 ERA over 185 ⅓ innings. He tallied 170 strikeouts. His ERA ranked third in the NL.
Urias led the NL with a 2.16 ERA, while Alcantara was second with a 2.28 ERA.
By all marks, Fried had a terrific 2022 season. He might have ascended into the elite tier of the game’s true aces, though that’s a limited crew depending on your definition of the term “ace.”
In 30 regular-season starts, Fried allowed only four or more runs three times. He completed six innings 22 times and never went fewer than five.
He was consistent and dominant.
In two starts versus the dangerous Dodgers, Fried allowed two runs over 13 ⅔ innings. He compiled other stellar outings. On June 3, he shut out the Rockies over eight innings. On Aug. 23, he held Pittsburgh to a run over eight frames.
The year didn’t end the way Fried hoped, as he allowed six runs – four earned – over 3 ⅓ innings in Game 1 of the National League Division Series versus the Phillies. The Braves eventually lost the series in four games.
Alcantara led the NL with 228 ⅔ innings. He tossed six complete games and one shutout.
Urias, who completed at least six innings in 21 of 31 starts, allowed fewer than three runs in all but five outings.
The winner will be announced Nov. 16. Fried faced stiff competition for the award, but his inclusion on the list of three finalists is the latest testament to an outstanding year.
