Jacob deGrom, Justin Verlander Named Cy Young Award Winners

Image credit: Jacob deGrom (Photo by Tom DiPace)

Justin Verlander was a No. 2 overall pick who reached the majors one year after being drafted. 

Jacob deGrom was an anonymous ninth-round pick who needed four years to reach the big leagues.

The two righthanders took very different paths, but they’ve arrived at the same place as two-time Cy Young Award winners.

Verlander was named the American League Cy Young Award and deGrom was named the National League Cy Young Award winner on Wednesday night.

deGrom, 31, went 11-8, 2.43 with a league-leading 255 strikeouts for the Mets to win his second straight NL Cy Young Award. Verlander, 36, went 21-6, 2.58 with 300 strikeouts and a major-league leading 0.80 WHIP for the Astros to claim his second career AL Cy Young Award after previously winning in 2011. Verlander was named Baseball America’s 2019 Major League Player of the Year.

deGrom received 29 of 30 first-place votes in the NL to win in a landslide. Dodgers righthander Hyun-Jin Ryu finished second and Nationals righthander Max Scherzer finished third.

Verlander received 17 of 30 first-place votes to edge teammate Gerrit Cole, who received the other 13 first-place votes. Rays righthander Charlie Morton—a teammate of Cole and Verlander’s with the Astros last year—finished third.

It was the first time in the history of AL Cy Young voting that teammates finished first and second on the ballot. It has happened four times in the NL, most recently with the D-backs’ Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling in 2002.

deGrom is the seventh NL pitcher to win consecutive Cy Young Awards. Scherzer did it most recently in 2016-17.

deGrom and Verlander also carved a unique historical niche for themselves. They joined Hall of Fame righthander Tom Seaver as the only pitchers to win Rookie of the Year and multiple Cy Young Awards. deGrom won NL Rookie of the Year in 2014 and Verlander won AL Rookie of the Year in 2006.