It's no secret that Max Fried has been among the best pitchers in MLB this season. And after another strong performance in the Braves 2-1 win over the Yankees on Wednesday, he's got to be considered the top candidate to win the Cy Young Award in the National League.
Max Fried is 5-0, the only starter in the NL who can claim that (Yu Darvish is 5-1), and he has the lowest ERA in the NL at 1.35.
While his strikeout total is off from the league lead, those two traditional pitching numbers place him at the top of the Cy Young conversation and more advanced numbers keep him there.
Obviously we are only halfway through the season. But at this point of the year, Max Fried has got to be considered the top pitcher in the National League.
"It’s gotten to the point now that it’s almost an expected win," says Hugh Douglas. "Even if things don’t go well, like run support, you expect him to have you in it and do what he did last night."
Another stat in support of Fried is that he's thrown the second most innings of any pitcher in the National League