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(Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
Understanding that it’s still very early in the season doesn’t mean it’s too early to start talking about who has a real chance at some of the top MLB awards.
After Thursday’s stellar outing against the Colorado Rockies, San Diego Padres‘ reliever/closer Mason Miller has some very impressive numbers to start the 2026 season.
MLB.com writer AJ Cassavell wrote after the Padres’ 7-3 win on Thursday: “With his scoreless ninth inning, Miller extended his overall scoreless streak to 27 2/3 innings, dating back to last August. It’s the longest active streak in baseball and six shy of Cla Meredith’s franchise record.”
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Is Mason Miller A Real Cy Young Candidate?
GettySAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 28: Mason Miller #22 of the San Diego Padres pitches against the Detroit Tigers during the ninth inning at Petco Park on March 28, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)
Mason Miller’s stats to start the 2026 season? Six appearances, FOUR saves, 0.00 ERA, 6.1 innings pitched, 16 strikeouts!! That’s 2.6 K’s/inning. I think that’s good.
For a broader scope on how good Miller has been since joining the Padres, the 27-year-old has a 0.61 ERA over 29.2 innings, six saves, and 61 strikeouts since being dealt over for a massive trade haul.
TWSN’s sports writer Michael O’Hara believes that Miller is a clear-cut Cy Young candidate:
“Mason Miller is in the infancy of his fourth MLB season, and thus far, he’s been untouchable. In my eyes, he has a real case to become the first reliever since Gagné to win the Cy Young.”
Eric Gagné is the last MLB reliever to win a Cy Young award (2003). Here were his stats from that season with the Los Angeles Dodgers:
77 games, 55 saves, 82.1 innings, 137 strikeouts, 1.20 ERA 0.692 WHIP, 337 ERA+
There’s a real chance that Miller can at least match some of those numbers, if not post better ones. It’s a clear starting pitcher award, but with a pitcher as dominant as Miller controlling every batter he faces, he could gain some real traction as the season progresses. Again, very early sample size, but Miller’s WHIP this season is 0.316 as he’s walked just one batter and surrendered just one hit.
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More on Mason Miller
Mason Miller started his MLB career with the Athletics, but likely out of fear that they would not be able to extend him long term (which is bizarre if that was the reason), they traded him to the Padres after two and a half seasons.
Over 166.1 innings and 131 total appearances out of the bullpen, Miller has an ERA of 2.71 and 262 career strikeouts.
He was drafted in the third round of the 2021 MLB draft out of Gardner-Webb University, and unsurprisingly, he swiftly made his way through the Athletics minor league system.
Perhaps the best aspect of Mason Miller (for the Padres) is the fact that he’s under team control for another three full seasons. However, if San Diego were smart, they’d go ahead and lock him up to a long-term extension, because not only has he earned it, but he should become the highest-paid reliever in MLB history.
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