Mets rookie Kodai Senga is getting plenty of recognition from the baseball writers this year after garnering some votes in the Cy Young voting.
The Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) released the tally for both the American League and National League Cy Young awards. Yankees ace Gerrit Cole unanimously won in the AL with the Padres’ Blake Snell winning for the NL.
During the voting process, Senga picked up three third-place and three fourth-place votes to rank seventh overall for a total of 15 points in the Cy Young voting. The Japanese right-hander finished ahead of the Brewers’ Corbin Burnes and 13 points behind the Phillies’ Zack Wheeler.
Senga had a superb rookie season in Flushing. In 29 starts, the 30-year-old went 12-7 with a 2.98 ERA and 1.22 WHIP. He also struck out 202 batters in 166.1 innings pitched. Those numbers had the voters place him second in the National League Rookie of the Year voting, behind Arizona’s Corbin Carroll.
The righty is the first Mets rookie to receive a vote for Cy Young since Dwight Gooden placed second in 1984.
Last season, Edwin Diaz picked up some Cy Young votes. The electric closer ranked ninth out of 12 pitchers who picked up votes. Diaz had two fifth-place votes and one second-place vote. In 2021, Jacob deGrom finished ninth out of nine pitchers in the Cy Young voting, earning one fifth-place vote.