All-Star. MLB All-First Team. Gold Glove. World Series champion. These are just some of the accolades that New York Yankees starting pitcher Max Fried has on his resume.
The only thing that’s missing? A coveted Cy Young award, the most prestigious pitching award in all of baseball.
Fried has been in the Cy Young conversation numerous times in his career, finishing as the runner-up in 2022 and fourth last season. However, with just three appearances made in the young 2026 season, Fried’s play has made it clear that he is coming for the hardware.
Fried’s Fiery Start
Through three games, Fried has allowed just three runs in his 2026 campaign. He is currently boasting a 1.35 ERA, good for top 10 in the American League. Fried is one of only two pitchers who have made at least three starts. Additionally, the 32-year-old veteran is tied for third in WAR (0.8), and eleventh in WHIP (0.75), though before his most recent start, Fried was ranked third.
In particular, his four-seam fastball has been almost impossible to hit this season. The three-time All-Star uses this pitch the most out of his seven pitch arsenal, and for good reason: it has only yielded two hits. Batters are currently hitting .154 against this pitch, while slugging just .231. Also, Fried’s four-seamer has an elite putaway percentage of 30.
While many pitchers have just one truly elite pitch in their arsenal, the Yankee ace has had two: his cutter. Reserved almost exclusively for right-handed batters, Fried’s cutter has allowed one hit this season and has a putaway percentage of 33.3, still above league average.
Yankees’ skipper Aaron Boone has noticed his tremendous start. After Fried pitched seven shutout innings against Seattle on March 25, Boone gave a simple assessment.
“That was an ace in control of the game,” said Boone. And he’s exactly right — Fried was absolute nails.
Resiliency in Recent Start
Although Fried’s last outing against the Marlins on Sunday was not quite as dominant as his first two, he still produced a quality start. Fried lasted 6.2 innings, allowing three runs and striking out four. However, it’s important to note that Jose Caballero’s throwing error allowed the third run to score.
If anything, Fried proved he has Cy Young-level focus. After the error and having a man on first and third with no outs, the former first-round pick buckled down. He picked off the runner on first, then forced the next two batters to ground into fielder’s choices, ending the inning.
The ability to bend but not break is one that separates Cy Young winners from contenders. This is what has allowed Fried to pitch his MLB-high 20 total innings thus far.
According to Draft Kings, Fried currently has the third best odds (10-1) to be named the AL Cy Young this year, behind Garrett Crochet (+450) and Tarik Skubal (+190). They have also both been incredible to begin the season, but odds are not the end-all, be-all. If Fried can keep continue on his current trajectory, it is not out of the realm of possibility that a Cy Young award is in his near future.
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