The 2025 Cy Young Draft

• 🏆 The "Talkin Baseball" crew, joined by The Athletic's Eno Sarris, conducts their annual Cy Young draft to predict the season's best pitchers.
• 🎯 The draft's objective is to select pitchers who will accumulate the most Cy Young votes by the end of the season, with past performance and potential for high rankings being key factors.
• 💡 A unique rule requires each participant to select at least one pitcher who has never received Cy Young votes before.

Key Pitcher Selections and Rationale

• 🌟 Jake's first pick is Paul Skenes, citing his impressive performance last year with limited innings and his perceived ease on the mound.
• 🚀 Eno selects Garrett Crochet, highlighting his status as the hardest-throwing lefty and his potential to dominate with an evolved four-pitch mix.
• ⚾ Trev picks Spencer Strider, acknowledging his strong performance and potential for a dominant season, despite some initial skepticism.
• 📈 Blake Snell is chosen by Jake, emphasizing his past Cy Young win and his history of strong second halves, now with the Dodgers.
• 💎 Corbin Burnes is Eno's pick, focusing on his dominant cutter, the addition of a sweeper, and the potential for a low ERA in his new environment.
• 🎯 Dylan Cease is selected by Trev, noting his status as an innings-eater, strikeout potential, and his motivation in a contract year.
• 🌪️ Chris Sale is Jake's wraparound pick, celebrated for his unique pitching style and his past Triple Crown win.
• ⚡ Jacob deGrom is Eno's selection, banking on his return from injury with strong velocity and the potential for a Cy Young-caliber season if he can maintain innings.
• 💪 Cole Ragans is Trev's final pick, chosen for his nasty stuff and potential to suppress home runs in a favorable park.
• 🛡️ Zack Wheeler is Jake's safe final pick, highlighting his consistency, high innings count, and past Cy Young finishes.
• 🌟 Logan Webb is Eno's final pick, valued for his durability, ability to go deep into games, and the strong defense behind him.

Draft Strategy and Insights

• 💡 The draft showcases a mix of established aces, rising stars, and potential bounce-back candidates.
• 📊 Discussions touch on the impact of ballpark factors, pitch development, and the evolving nature of pitching analytics.
• 🎤 Eno Sarris shares insights from his work at The Athletic and his popular pitching ranks, while also promoting his new podcast content.
• 🗣️ The conversation highlights the difficulty of predicting Cy Young winners and the subjective nature of award voting.