2025 Ben McDonald Award contenders

It might be a runaway winner for the Ben McDonald Award as one candidate checks plenty of boxes for the accolade. But who knows, perhaps a reliever will finally suprise?

The Ben McDonald Award recognizes the league's top pitcher. Voted upon by the DMBL's 20 owners, the awards ballot includes six slots with a point system of 10 for 1st place, 7 for 2nd place, 5-3-2-1. These 14 candidates, in no particular order, obviously won't all fit on your ballot but some may catch your eye more than others:

Spencer Schwellenbach, Green Lake

Schwellenbach checks all the boxes for a strong McDonald candidacy. As a rookie, he'll also make a strong case for the Listach Award. The 2nd overall pick yielded sweet dividends for the Gators, leading the league in various categories, including wins (22) -- the most since Merrill Kelly had 21 for San Francisco in 2021 -- and win percentage (.815, 22-5). Yes, it helped to get average of 5 runs per game in support, which ranked 5th in the league, but Schwellenbach's other numbers still display a strong case with a league-leading 8.2 R/9 and .237 OBP.

He challenged for the ERA title and led for parts of the season but ultimately finished 4th (2.49) though he ended up leading the DMBL in WHIP (0.86). He also topped the league by a wide margin with 5 shutouts and 8 complete games. It's the most complete games since Corey Kluber had 9 for Sardine City in 2018 and the most shutouts since Zack Greinke had 5 in 2016 with Tucson. Schwellenbach also has a no-hitter to his name.

It's no surprise that Cy Young Predictor loves Schwellenbach given his wins, innings, and ERA. It's not quite a runaway but the formula puts some distance between him and the 2nd-place finisher (more on that later). It's the 6th time since at least 2018 that a pitcher has compiled more than 200 points in the Predictor. His point total ranks 3rd (219.03) among those and almost matches precisely Lance Lynn's 2020 campaign (219.06) when he took home the McDonald Award. (Livingston's Jacob deGrom racked up the highest recent point total, almost 240, when he won the award in 2022.)

The one area where Schwellenbach might not compare with others is the power, with 201 Ks in 219 innings, which is still a solid number but not among the league leaders.

Paul Skenes, Empire City

Another rookie who could make a splash with McDonald Award voters is Empire City's Paul Skenes thanks to a strong second half. He finished 16-6 but it's the power numbers that make his case pop. Skenes ranked 2nd behind only Tyler Glasnow (268) in strikeouts with 260, and 2nd only to Zack Wheeler in ERA (2.28). His .572 SLG against was a fraction behind Mountain Top's Ian Snell for the league lead (.571). 11.4 K/9 4th in the league.

The Cy Young Predictor likes Skenes for a 4th-place finish, leading the 2nd tier of candidates. The -year-old also should find support for the Listach Award as the league's top rookie but again will find competition from Schwellenbach. 

Emmanuel Clase, Blue Ridge

Could it be a year where a relief pitcher finally breaks through to win the McDonald? It would have to be a balls-out spectacular season in relief. Blue Ridge's Emmanuel Clase wasn't messing around in 2025. His 31 saves aren't any sort of record (far short of the 50 by Michael Wuertz in 2010), nor did they even lead the league (that was 32 by Newark's Joe Jimenez). But Clase did have some eye-popping numbers out of the pen. He pitched to a 1.05 ERA and 0.76 WHIP, going a perfect 11-0 with 91 strikeouts in 94.3 innings in 67 appearances.

Those sterling numbers and impressive relief wins is probably why the Cy Young Predictor slots him for 2nd place (his 192.47 points are the most by a reliever since Andrew Miller compiled 196.25 in 2018 for a predicted 2nd place finish).

Jakub Junis, Florida

Florida's Jakub Junis makes a strong if peculiar candidacy as a reliever. The dude made 118 appearances (4th in DMBL) and qualified across a number of pitching categories thanks to an incredible 219.7 innings, which ranked 5th among all pitchers! And he wasn't just a junk innings eater, he logged a 2.34 ERA (3rd) and 0.89 WHIP (2nd), and 8.5 R/9 (2nd). He also tacked on 9 saves to boot. But with only 138 strikeouts and a pedestrian 8-5 record, the Cy Young Predictor is kinda meh; slotting him 15th, between lefties Cristopher Sanchez of Sardine City and Empire City's Jose Quintana.

Logan Gilbert, Vancouver

Back to the starters, though where Logan Gilbert shined among a powerful Iron Fist rotation. He finished 2nd in wins (19), win percentage (.792, 19-5), and quality starts (26) and QS% (.813), along with 6th in ERA (2.66). His 209.3 innings were good for 10th in DMBL to go with 221 strikeouts. For those reasons, the Cy Young Predictor envisions him in a 3rd-place finish.

Zack Wheeler, Philadelphia

The Philly ace has been among the most dependable starters in the league for years, regularly making onto the McDonald ballot yet never taking home the hardware. He finished 10th last year, 5th in 2022, and 6th in the COVID-plagued 2021 season. Maybe this year is different? He topped the DMBL in ERA (2.28) as well as quality starts (27) and quality start percentage (.818) to along with another workhorse campaign. His 225.3 IP ranked 5th overall and it was the 5th consecutive season eclipsed 220 innings. He fired 3 shutouts; only Schwellenbach had more.

Alas, the Cy Young Predictor probably frowns on his 13-10 mark, that might be why he's ranked 7th in the formula.

Framber Valdez, Sardine City

Valdez was among four pitchers who tied for 3rd in the league with 16 wins. He also ranked 3rd in win percentage (.762), trailing only Schwellenbach and Gilbert. His 23 quality started tied for 6th-most in DMBL and he ranked 7th in quality start percenage (.697). Valdez relied on inducing ground balls, with 42 double plays, 3rd most in the league, while the Straphangers provided an average 5 runs a game for him. He should find his way onto some ballots if his 5th-place finish in the Cy Young Predictor is any indication.

Seth Lugo, Vancouver

The 36-year-old may not win the McDonald but he checks enough boxes that he might find himself on more than a few ballots. He ranked 10th in ERA (2.94), sported a fashionable 15-8 record, good for 10th in win percentage (.652), and tied for 7th in wins with 3 others. He also made a mark with 3 complete games (T4th) and his 2 shutouts ranked 3rd in the league behind Wheeler (3) and Schwellenbach (5).

While his 208 innings and 1.09 WHIP were just outside the league's top 10 and his 164 Ks are paltry if you're looking for power but Lugo ranked 3rd in quality starts (25) and quality start percentage (.781), trailing only Gilbert and Wheeler. Given his wins and innings, the Cy Young Predictor likes Lugo for 6th place, which would get him the last spot on a ballot.

Nick Martinez, Mountain Top

Martinez was a workhorse for the Chili Dogs, leading the squad with  213.7 IP, which was 7th in DMBL. he was among four pitchers tired for 7th in the league with 15 wins (15-7) and his .682 win percentage ranked 8th. He only managed 167 strikeouts but he sparkled elsewhere, ranking 3rd in WHIP (0.91) and R/9 (8.6), trailing only Junis and Schwellenbach in those categories.

Martinez ranked 7th in ERA (2.70) and held batters to a .202 average (8th), and. 246 OBP (3rd). He alos matched Sale for 4th in quality starts (24), and was 5th in QS% (.727). Like a result of his paltry 167 strikeouts, the Cy Predictor only puts him 8th in the voting.

Logan Webb, Philly

Webb, who finished 2nd in McDonald voting last year, is the very definition of a workhorse. He led the DMBL in innings for the 2nd consecutive season (236.3 innings, 1.3 less than last year but a full 9 more than Schwellenbach - 954 batters faced, and 28.91 batters faced/game (tied with Livingston's Luis Severino). In addition, he logged 22 quality starts (T8th).

If you go by the Cy Young Predictor, Webb wouldn't find his place on a ballot, finishing 9th. However, he does a lot of things you want out a starting pitcher. His 43 GDP were 2nd in the league to Allentown rookie Jack Kochanowicz (51), and his 702 balls in park led the league again (ahead of Kochanowicz, 656). He compiled a modest 14-9 mark with 163 strikeouts -- likely the weakest part of his candidacy.

Blake Snell, Mountain Top

Would you vote for a starting pitcher who had a record 11-8 and 2.91 ERA in 179.3 innings? That eRA ranked 9th in DMBL. But what if I told you he also struck out 231 batters, 7th in the league, and 11.6 K>9 (tied for 2nd)? Still unconvinced? How about leading the league with .175 batting average. 291 slugging, .571 OPS, and 5/9 H/9. Now you're intrigued! It's not the counting stats that will make Blake Snell's candidacy (no surprise, the Cy Young Predictor pegs him 18th!), he'll have to do it in a non-traditional way with those league-base percentages. Voters will also have to swallow the 88 walks, tied for 2nd most in DMBL with Ronel Blanco.

Garret Crochet, Florida

You're probably wondering where the 1st overall pick of 2025 is hiding. They usually are in the mix on awards ballots but Garret Crochet went just 10-10. Where he makes his case is 257 strikeouts, 3rd in the league, and his league-best 13.4 K/9 and historically great 8.0 K/BB, up there with the likes of Cliff Lee and Pedro Martinez. What is with the lefties and the strikeouts and mediocre records?

Kevin Gausman, San Francisco

The veteran tied for 3rd in wins (16-7) and ranked 6th in win percentage (.696). That's likely why the Cy Young Predictor has him 10th. Otherwise, his numbers are solid, with 179 Ks in Ks in 187 innings across 30 starts, but a slightly meh 3.61 ERA and a rather unsightly 1.26 WHIP.

Tanner Houck, Hoboken

If Houck makes it onto a ballot, it'll be thanks to his 1.07 WHIP which tied for 8th in DMBL (with El Paso's Dylan Cease), along with 3 CG (tied for 4th with Lugo). Though he eclipsed 200 innings (203.7), he didn't crack the league's top 10 and only racked up 160 strikeouts. Still, he managed a 14-9 record and 3.09 ERA. He finished 11th, according to the Cy Young Predictor.