Chase Burns will win 2026 National League Cy Young | ESPN's Passan

Among ESPN's 2026 MLB predictions two weeks into the season, reporter Jeff Passan wrote that he predicts Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Chase Burns will win the National League Cy Young award.

"Making such a grand proclamation after all of two starts this season is a stretch, but everything about Burns, who's barely 50 innings into his big league career with Cincinnati, suggests it's not as foolish as it looks on its face," Passan wrote.

Passan cited Burns' "ultra-premium" stuff, including his fastball and slider, in addition to the evolution of Burns' changeup, which Passan wrote is "the great separator" and "the sort of pitch that can confound left-handed hitters even more than his primary two offerings do."

"Yes, Burns is in the same league as Paul Skenes and Cristopher Sánchez," Passan continued. "Yes, he can be out-stuffed on any given night by Jacob Misiorowski or Eury Pérez. They'll all have their moment. This is Burns' time."

Burns, the second overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, has posted a 0.82 ERA and 0.909 WHIP through his first two starts of the season. He is scheduled to start again Friday, April 10, against the Los Angeles Angels.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Chase Burns will win 2026 National League Cy Young, per ESPN's Passan