The Cy Young award has been given out every year since 1956 and named after the famed pitcher Denton True “Cy” Young. It’s given to one American League and one National League pitcher that are nominated and voted on by the Baseball Writers Association of America. There are approximately 360 pitchers in the league and every season they are all hoping to win this much coveted award named for famed pitcher. Tonight the winner will be named for the 60th time and here is a snapshot of the nominees:
National League:
Jon Lester (Chicago Cubs)
Lester made his MLB debut in 2006 with the Boston Red Sox. In the last 10 seasons he has been finished 4th in the Cy Young voting twice, 2010 and 2014. Although Lester has always been a solid on the mound, this season was one of his best finishing with a record of 19-5 with an ERA of 2.44 and a WHIP of 1.016.
Max Scherzer (Washington Nationals)
Scherzer has found himself in the running for the Cy Young every year since 2013, the first year that he won it with the Detroit Tigers. This year had a very similar year to that winning year in 2013; 20-7 record, ERA 2.96, and a WHIP of .968. If Scherzer wins he would have a Cy Young in the American and National league a feat only 5 pitchers in baseball history have done.
Kyle Hendricks (Chicago Cubs)
This is only Hendrick’s 2nd full season in the league and what a season he had indeed. Of the 3 top candidates he has the least amount of wins with a record of 16-8, but he has the lowest overall ERA at 2.14 and 2nd best WHIP at .979. Wins aside, I would definitely pick Hendricks as the clear winner.
Winner: Max Scherzer (2)
American League:
Corey Kluber (Cleveland Indians)
No doubt one of the top starters in the league, no Cy Young discussion could be complete without mention of Kluber. If he is to win this would be his 2nd Cy Young, the 1st being in 2014 when he also won MVP. With the exception of the ERA (3.14), this season’s record (18-9) and WHIP (1.056) closely mirrors that 2014 winning season.
Rick Porcello (Boston Red Sox)
Porcello is been in the league since 2009 and has never had near the season that he had this year. With the best record in the league, 22-4, there was no question he would be in the top 3 of the AL CY Young race. To go with his winningest record, Porcello’s ERA was 3.15 with a WHIP of 1.009.
Justin Verlander (Detroit Tigers)
The most tenured pitcher of the top 3, Verlander is no stranger to the Cy Young. Of his 11 seasons in the league, all with the Tigers, he has finished in the the top 10 in the voting 5 times and won both the Cy Young and MVP in 2011. With record of of 16-9, and ERA of 3.04, and a WHIP of 1.001 as the least impressive combination of stats, it seems he is the least likely to win.
Winner: Rick Porcello (1)
