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MLB Awards Watch: Can Kris Bryant catch Joc Pederson?

By Brad Rowland

Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant (17) signs an autograph prior to a game against the Miami Marlins at Wrigley Field. Miami won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant (17) signs an autograph prior to a game against the Miami Marlins at Wrigley Field. Miami won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports /
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Washington Nationals starting pitcher Max Scherzer (31) pitches against the Atlanta Braves during the second inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Washington Nationals starting pitcher Max Scherzer (31) pitches against the Atlanta Braves during the second inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /

NL Cy Young

  1. Max Scherzer, Washington Nationals – Scherzer remains firmly in the driver’s seat, and if there was an MLB-wide award for pitching, he would win it. Hilariously, Scherzer is actually among the top five players in baseball in fWAR (4.7) and he has been head and shoulders better than any other pitcher with a combination of a 1.82 ERA and an obscene strikeout-to-walk ratio over 10. We’re frankly running out of superlatives to describe Scherzer, but he’s going to run away and hide if he can maintain anything approaching his current pace.
  2. Zack Greinke, Los Angeles Dodgers – Some of the advanced metrics continue to point to regression for Greinke in the near future, but at some point, we must acknowledge that he holds a 1.48 ERA in July. A minuscule 3.8% home run to fly ball rate explains away that ERA a bit, but even a 2.77 FIP is impressive, and Greinke leads MLB in ERA among starting pitchers. That qualifies you for Cy Young consideration.
  3. A.J. Burnett, Pittsburgh Pirates – The competition is fierce for the third spot, and if you argued for Clayton Kershaw, Gerrit Cole, Jacob deGrom or Jake Arrieta, I wouldn’t stop you. However, Burnett continues to plug along at the age of 38, posting a 1.99 ERA in 17 starts. Much like Greinke, the underlying peripherals suggest that he can’t maintain this level, but the Pirates are good and Burnett is at the center of it all, forming a devastating tandem with the aforementioned Cole and Francisco Liriano.

Next: AL Cy Young

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