Detmers Earns Top Six Finish in AL Cy Young Voting

The Los Angeles Angels endured a disappointing 2026 season, but one of their brightest performers received national recognition Wednesday.

Left-hander Reid Detmers finished sixth in American League Cy Young Award voting, earning nine points after the best season of his major league career.

According to MLB's official voting results, Detmers received one fourth-place vote and seven fifth-place votes from members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

New York Yankees right-hander Cam Schlittler won the award unanimously, collecting all 30 first-place votes and 210 points.

Toronto's Dylan Cease finished second with 110 points, followed by Cleveland's Parker Messick (84), Tampa Bay's Drew Rasmussen (72) and Boston's Sonny Gray (21).

Detmers' sixth-place finish represents another milestone in his emergence as a dependable frontline starter.

The 27-year-old went 7-8 with a 3.36 ERA across 32 starts, striking out 211 batters in 185 innings.

He also recorded a 1.04 WHIP and averaged 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings, demonstrating the effectiveness of his repertoire throughout the season.

His 211 strikeouts placed him in exclusive franchise company.

In September, Detmers became the first Angels pitcher since Shohei Ohtani in 2022 to reach 200 strikeouts in a season.

He was also the first Angels left-hander to accomplish the feat since Chuck Finley in 1999.

The achievement was particularly meaningful considering Detmers' transition back into the starting rotation after spending much of 2025 working out of the bullpen.

His performance improved considerably during the second half of the season, coinciding with significant changes to the Angels' pitching staff.

Los Angeles dismissed pitching coach Mike Maddux in August, promoting Tim Leveque and Michael Wuertz to interim major league roles.

The organization recently decided to retain both coaches after the staff's ERA improved from 4.51 before the changes to 3.69 over the remainder of the season.

Detmers' emergence also creates an important offseason decision for the Angels.

Despite his success, the left-hander has been identified as a potential trade candidate as the franchise prepares for new ownership and a front-office overhaul.

His strong season and two remaining years of team control could make him particularly attractive to clubs seeking starting pitching.

For an Angels team that finished 62-100, Detmers' Cy Young recognition provides a rare positive conclusion to an otherwise difficult year.