Was the strong first half enough to stay on voters' ballots?
Aug 3, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Tanner Houck (89) in action during the game between the Texas Rangers and the Boston Red Sox at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Pitching has mirrored the story arc of the 2024 Boston Red Sox. Things started off strong, then continually got worse as the season gradually fell off the rails.
Under first-year pitching coach Andrew Bailey, the Red Sox impressed early on by getting excellent results out of some unheralded pitchers, particularly starters. One stood above the rest, earning his first career All-Star nod.
Tanner Houck, the ace of the Red Sox's staff this season, was brilliant in the first half, representing the Boston pitching staff at the All-Star Game in Arlington, Texas. But after allowing a three-run home run to Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani in that game, something seems to have changed.
Houck hasn't been himself in the second half, and he's also missed two turns through the rotation due to shoulder fatigue. But ahead of his first start back on Wednesday, he was predicted to receive somewhat surprising recognition at the end of the year.
In The Athletic's MLB power rankings, insider Andy McCullough predicted Houck would receive Cy Young votes in 2024, despite his second-half slide.
"In an odd year for starting pitchers, Houck should land on a few Cy Young Award ballots, even if he entered the season’s final fortnight with a losing record," McCullough said.
"Houck has been a stable presence for Boston all season. He has kept hitters off-balance by leaning heavily on his sweeper and his splitter. In turn, he’s kept opposing lineups from going deep, which is never an easy task in the American League East."
At the All-Star break, it seemed like a lock that Houck would finish in the top five in the AL. He had a 2.54, fourth among all big-league starters, and was also top-10 in WHIP and innings pitched. The righty was more than deserving of his roster spot at the Midsummer Classic.
Things have slowed down for Houck in the second half, though, as his unprecedented innings workload has caught up to him. He's gone 0-4 with a 4.78 ERA in nine starts. His overall ERA of 3.24 remains 12th among all starters, but he's fallen out of the top 20 in innings pitched.
At the end of the day, it doesn't matter much to the Red Sox if Houck gets votes or not. They just hope their ace has a healthy offseason and is ready to handle a full-time starter's workload when he comes back in 2025.
Still, it would be nice for Houck individually to be recognized on the ballots. And once a pitcher has received votes for the Cy Young, they just might start to think they could one day win the darn thing.
