MLB Awards Watch: Felix Hernandez leads stacked AL Cy Young race
By Brad Rowland
It is early in the season but it is never too late to start looking at players who are putting themselves in position to win some awards at the end of the season.
Regression is an interesting phenomenon. Small samples create inflated numbers in any sport, and that is no stranger to the world of baseball. Earlier in the week, we highlighted a handful of teams who could experience regression from this point forward, but that is also true of the league’s individual talent, as certain players have operated above their heads to this point.
In this space each week, we evaluate MLB’s award races, and the competition is just beginning to heat up. Sample size is good as a predictive caveat, but here, we must evaluate what has already taken place, even if all signs point to a downturn for some athletes.
Last week’s edition highlighted a few players who have been red-hot in the early going, but as you may expect by the tone of this column, the early-season nature of the results create fluctuation on the “leaderboard” in mid-May. Either way, let’s get to the awards, beginning with NL Rookie of the Year.
Next: NL Rookie of the Year