Tampa Bay Rays breakout star Blake Snell beat out a strong field to win the 2018 American League Cy Young Award.

The MLB Network provided voting results:

Snell was completely off the Cy Young radar when this season began. The 25-year-old was coming off an uninspired 2017 in which he posted a 4.04 ERA with 119 strikeouts and 59 walks in 129.1 innings. 

There were indications Snell could be ready to take a leap if everything came together. He was regarded as one of the best prospects in Major League Baseball prior to the 2016 season, ranked No. 14 overall by ESPN's Keith Law:

"Snell was my sleeper for the Rays' organization coming into 2015, based on the gradual improvement of his command over the previous season after some quantum leaps in the caliber of his stuff. Snell walked 73 men in 99 innings in 2013, as he was unable to control his newfound arm strength, but walked just 53 in 134 innings across three levels in 2015. He recorded a 31 percent strikeout rate and a 1.41 composite ERA across all three levels, maintaining his success right up through Triple-A."

Things fell into place for Snell in ways that were better than anyone could have expected. He led the AL with a 1.89 ERA and tied for fifth with 221 strikeouts in 180.2 innings pitched. 

There was a minor hiccup in July when the Rays placed Snell on the 10-day disabled list with shoulder fatigue. After missing three weeks, he returned to the rotation and had a 1.17 ERA with 87 strikeouts and 32 hits allowed in 61.2 innings over his final 11 starts. 

Per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, only one starting pitcher had ever won the Cy Young Award with fewer than 200 innings pitched (Clayton Kershaw in 2014).

It's a testament to Snell's incredible performance this season that he was able to become the first AL starter to accomplish the feat. He went from an elite prospect to average starter to franchise building block in the span of two years. 

The Rays were one of MLB's biggest surprises in 2018, going 90-72 even after selling off former stars like Evan Longoria and Chris Archer. Snell was one of the main reasons for Tampa Bay's success and why the franchise's future looks so bright.