Braves: Why Max Fried Should Be Considered Cy Young Favorite in 2020
We take a look at why Atlanta Braves young left-handed starter Max Fried deserves to be one of the favorites to win the NL Cy Young award in 2020.
If the Atlanta Braves are going to compete with the pitching rotations in the East they need a second dominant starter alongside Mike Soroka.
And many believe that Max Fried can not only be that guy but that he might actually surprise Soroka and become the true dominant ace of this staff.
While I love Soroka and think he might have a better career long-term, I’m certainly buying into the hype of Fried and could see him having a few seasons of dominance.
And in a shortened season like 2020 when we could see some pitchers get hot for two months, I think that just increases the chances of Fried inserting himself into the NL Cy Young discussions.
Let’s just go back a year ago when Fried had a great two-month stretch in April and May.
In those two months, he posted a 3.28 ERA in just over 60 innings with 56 strikeouts and a WHIP of 1.21.
And that includes the start in LA where he was hit by a comebacker and gave up four runs in just one inning before exiting.
While there may have been some fatigue for Fried down the stretch last year, he still had an ERA under four in the last two months and was really good out of the bullpen in the postseason other than the game we don’t speak of.
Now, those numbers don’t exactly scream Cy Young worthy, but when you consider the fact that Fried has had time to work with Cole Hamels and the way he’s looked in the spring and summer camps, you can certainly see the potential for him to take a huge step forward.
He already possesses one of the best curveballs in all of baseball — a pitch he probably doesn’t throw enough. And now he’s added a change-up to the mix to go along with an upper 90s fastball and a slider that was much improved in 2019.
There might not be anyone on the Braves I’m more excited to see in 2020 than Fried. I think he’s ready to take his game to the next level and become a top starter in all of baseball. Giving the Braves a one-two punch in the rotation that could dominate baseball for the next several years.