Chicago White Sox: Lance Lynn comes in 3rd for Cy Young

Pitching was a big asset for the 2021 Chicago White Sox. Lance Lynn was a big reason why as he was one of the best pitchers in the league for most of the year. He was so good that he was nominated along with Gerrit Cole of the New York Yankees and Robbie Ray of the Toronto Blue Jays who both also had outstanding years.

Ray won the award and it was well deserved. Cole came in second and Lynn came in third. It is a little disappointing that our guy didn’t win it or even come in second but seeing him get recognized at all was amazing.

Lynn was acquired from the Texas Rangers during the offseason prior to 2021 in exchange for Dane Dunning. It was a great trade for the White Sox as Lynn was great all year long. Whenever they needed a start, it seemed like he was there to save the day.

Lance Lynn also wasn’t the only White Sox pitcher to receive recognition on the Cy Young Award ballot. Carlos Rodon came in fifth, Liam Hendriks came in 8th, and Lucas Giolito came in 7th. It was an outstanding year for all of them.

The Chicago White Sox received some outstanding pitching from their 2021 staff.

All of these players have something that makes their Cy Young Award votes extra special. For Lynn, it was his first year on a new team and he thrived. He fit like a glove on this team so he decided to sign an extension during the season. It is going to be awesome watching Lynn play here for the next couple of years.

Rodon was not tendered during the offseason prior to 2021 and took a discount to come back later in the hinter. He had to battle for the fifth spot in the rotation and he arguably was their best pitcher all year long. If he didn’t deal with some arm soreness down the stretch, he may have won the award with the numbers that he was posting.

Liam Hendriks is a relief pitcher so you have to be extra special to be a Cy Young vote-getter in that role. He was the AL Reliever of the Year because of how good he was. As of right now, it is hard to call him anything other than the best closer in the league.

Lucas Gioltio only received one fifth-place vote but it is notable. He didn’t get off to the best start which made it his lowest Cy Young finish since being the worst pitcher in baseball in 2018. He always deserves recognition as he is one of the true elite pitchers in the league now.

It was so cool to see all of these guys pitch like this in 2021. If they can repeat some of these performances in 2022, the team could go really far. Michael Kopech and Dylan Cease may even be in line for some votes as the years go on. For Lance Lynn specifically, this is a special announcement. He deserves so much respect.