Padres' Mason Miller Emerging as Early NL Cy Young Contender

The dominant Padres closer is making a strong case for the prestigious pitching award.

Apr. 20, 2026 at 12:11am

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A fractured, geometric painting depicting the motion of a baseball pitcher, with sharp planes of color and overlapping shapes representing the power and precision of the pitcher's delivery.A cubist interpretation of Padres closer Mason Miller's dominant pitching motion, capturing the raw power and precision that have made him an early Cy Young contender.San Diego Today

San Diego Padres closer Mason Miller has been utterly dominant to start the 2026 MLB season, already emerging as an early frontrunner for the National League Cy Young Award. Through his first 11 innings, Miller has struck out 27 of the 38 batters he's faced, allowing just 2 hits and 2 walks while not surrendering a single run.

Why it matters

Relief pitchers rarely win the Cy Young Award, as their specialized role and lower innings totals compared to starting pitchers often diminish their perceived value. However, when a reliever is as historically dominant as Miller has been so far, it becomes impossible to ignore their impact and they can force their way into serious Cy Young consideration.

The details

In his first 11 appearances of the season, Miller has been utterly unhittable. He's struck out 27 of the 38 batters he's faced, allowing just 2 hits and 2 walks while not surrendering a single run. This level of dominance is unprecedented, as even the last two relief pitchers to win the Cy Young Award - Eric Gagne in 2003 and Dennis Eckersley in 1992 - did not match Miller's early-season performance.

  • Through his first 11 innings of the 2026 MLB season.

The players

Mason Miller

The dominant closer for the San Diego Padres who is emerging as an early frontrunner for the 2026 National League Cy Young Award.

Eric Gagne

The Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher who won the National League Cy Young Award in 2003.

Dennis Eckersley

The Oakland Athletics relief pitcher who won the American League Cy Young Award in 1992.

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What they’re saying

“If he continues on this pace, it could put him in a position to do something few relief pitchers have ever done: win the Cy Young Award.”

— Adam Gretz, Freelance Writer

What’s next

With the season still young, it remains to be seen if Miller can maintain this historic level of dominance and cement his status as the NL Cy Young frontrunner. His performance will be closely watched in the coming months as he aims to join the select group of relief pitchers to win the prestigious award.

The takeaway

Mason Miller's early-season dominance has put him in rare company, as the Padres closer is making a strong case to become just the 10th relief pitcher in MLB history to win the Cy Young Award. If he can sustain this historic level of performance, it would cement his status as one of the most dominant pitchers in the game.