Though he did not win the award, Toronto Blue Jays ace Dylan Cease ended up getting several votes for the American League MVP Award.
On Monday, the league announced that Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez won the award unanimously with all 30 first-place votes, as expected.
But the down-ballot votes are what are interesting, including seeing Cease get MVP votes.
Dylan Cease Gets AL MVP Votes
According to the BBWAA, Cease finished 11th in AL MVP voting with 20 points.
The Blue Jays’ ace pitcher received one seventh-place vote, three eighth-place votes, three ninth-place votes, and one 10th-place vote for Toronto in his first season with the club.
It’s a nice feather in the cap for Cease, who finished second in AL Cy Young Award voting when he lost to Cam Schlittler of the New York Yankees.
Cease was also named to the All-MLB First Team for his outstanding season for Toronto, as he was one of the five-best starting pitchers in all of baseball.
Dylan Cease Had Fantastic Season for Toronto
Cease was 11-6 with a 2.40 ERA in 29 starts for Toronto. He pitched 169 IP for the team and racked up an impressive 239 strikeouts while also accumulating 5.6 bWAR. He was also named an All-Star for the first time in his MLB career.
Overall, it was just an absolutely amazing season by Cease, who proved the Blue Jays right when they signed him to a seven-year, $210 million deal last season that some questioned due to his previous inconsistencies.
But he was absolutely incredible for Toronto, and the team has high hopes for him in the next six seasons, as there is no reason to think that he can be one of the best pitchers in the AL for the duration of his contract.
Cease finished the season banged up with injuries, but the hope is that by recovering during the offseason, he’ll be ready to go for the beginning of the 2027 MLB season, if and when there is one.
Either way, he had an amazing pitching season and deserves to be praised for what was an absolutely exceptional first season with the Blue Jays.
Dylan Cease Gets AL MVP Votes for Blue Jays