Max Scherzer, Jacob deGrom & more: Predicting the Top 5 AL & NL candidates who can win the Cy Young award in 2022

The Cy Young Award will be highly contested in 2022, even between New York Mets teammates Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom. Of course, there are other stars in the running, including some who will be spending their year with a new team.

As the big hitters continue to steal the headlines in the MLB, it's the top pitchers who make all the difference between winning a championship and losing one.

In 2021, 20 different pitchers received votes for the Cy Young award, 11 in the American League and 9 in the National League. Can the two pitchers who won the award in 2021 regain their title as the official best pitchers in MLB?

Without further delay, here are the five most likely contenders to win this award in each league for the 2022 season.

National League top 5 Cy Young award contenders

#5 Brandon Woodruff

Brandon Woodruff

Brandon Woodruff was one of the top pitchers for Milwaukee Brewers in 2021 with a 5.7 WAR and a tremendous ERA of 2.56. The 29-year-old is entering his sixth year in the league and is a two-time All-Star. Brandon undoubtedly wants to add some more hardware to his mantle in 2022.

#4 Corbin Burnes

Corbin Burnes

The 2021 NL Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes is coming off the best season of his career. With a 2.43 ERA and 11 wins, Burnes was instrumental in the Brewers winning the NL Central.

At only 27 years of age, Corbin Burnes has a lot of years left in his career. He will look to do what Jacob deGrom has accomplished and regain the title of the best National League Pitcher in 2022.

#3 Jacob deGrom

Jacob deGrom

The four-time All-Star Jacob deGrom won back-to-back Cy Young Award in 2018 and 2019 respectfully. With Jacob deGrom coming into 2022 in good health and having Max Scherzer as a teammate, he will have a better chance of winning the award, provided he plays more games.

In 2021, Jacob deGrom had an insane ERA of 1.08 in 15 games played. If that pace can be maintained, deGrom will cruise to another Cy Young Award.

The 33-year-old is already off to a hot start in Spring Training, as posted by the MLB on Twitter.

#2 Carlos Rodón

Carlos Rodon

In his first season with the San Francisco Giants, Carlos Rodón has a chance to capture the trophy that has eluded him his entire career.

Rodón is coming off the first All-Star season of his career. If he improves at a similar rate to last season, he will have a good shot at winning his first Cy Young Award.

#1 Max Scherzer

Max Scherzer

The pairing of Jacob deGrom with Max Scherzer will make both players more lethal. It also makes Scherzer the favorite to win the 2022 NL Cy Young Award.

In 2021, Scherzer received the eighth All-Star selection of his career and pitched in 30 games with a 2.46 ERA. He is no stranger to this most prestigious award a pitcher can receive, having won it four times in his 14 year career.

Jacob deGrom might have something to say about it, but Scherzer seems the most likely to walk away with the trophy in 2022.

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American League top 5 Cy Young Award contenders

#5 Frankie Montas

Frankie Montas

Frankie Montas has been a trade target all offseason. Assuming he remains in the AL, he has a real shot at winning the Cy Young Award in 2022. With a breakout season in 2021 and a stellar 3.37 ERA, Montas came sixth among the contenders for the trophy, based on votes. He is a darkhorse to win in 2022.

#4 Nathan Eovaldi

Nathan Eovaldi

Nathan Eovaldi has the best first name on the list, and is a pretty good pitcher to boot. The Boston Red Sox top pitcher had his first All-Star season in 2021 with a WAR of 4.6 through 32 games.

Going into his 11th season in the bigs, Eovaldi has seen it all and has solidified his spot as the league's best in 2022.

#3 Lance Lynn

Lance Lynn

Lance Lynn with Chicago White Sox has a chance to upstage the AL pitchers at numbers 1 and 2 on this list and be voted as the Cy Young Award winner in 2022.

With a career ERA of 2.69, there is no reason to expect anything but excellence from Lynn in the upcoming season.

#2 Robbie Ray

Robbie Ray

The 2021 Cy Young Award winner Robbie Ray has a great shot at repeating the feat in 2022. Ray has joined the upstart Seattle Mariners for 2022 and beyond. He will look to maintain his 2.84 ERA from 2021 and help end the Mariners’ 21-year playoff drought. If he can, expect big things for the team in 2022.

Ray has already been announced as the Opening Day starter, via a tweet from the Mariners.

#1 Gerrit Cole

Gerrit Cole

The New York Yankees superstar pitcher Gerrit Cole is still hunting for his first Cy Young Award despite a 9-year career already. He seems to have a good chance this time round.

The AL East will be as competitive as any division with some of the toughest opponents, so Gerrit Cole will have to be at his best. With a respectable 3.23 ERA in 2021, Cole will have to improve to capture the award, but many consider him most likely to win in 2022.