MLB Awards Watch: All-Star break edition

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Washington Nationals starting pitcher Max Scherzer (31) pitches during the ninth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Washington Nationals defeated Baltimore Orioles 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /

NL Cy Young

Max Scherzer, Washington Nationals – No, Scherzer doesn’t lead the NL in ERA. That is the one (and only) knock on his Cy Young candidacy. If you can see past that (and you should), Scherzer has been downright incredible for the Nats, posting a 2.11 ERA with 10.95 strikeouts per 9 innings and only 0.95 (!) walks in that same timeframe. He is easily the MLB leader in fWAR (4.7) among pitchers, and no one has been better on the mound than Max Scherzer.
Zack Greinke, Los Angeles Dodgers – ERA isn’t everything, as described previously with Scherzer, but Greinke leads the NL in the category by a wide margin. The right-hander sits with a 1.39 ERA through 18 starts, and even if that number isn’t nearly sustainable given his peripherals, he is the NL starter in the All-Star game. Greinke is an established ace who has been overshadowed by Clayton Kershaw in LA, but he is breaking out once again.
Jacob deGrom, New York Mets – I’m firmly in the tank for deGrom and I admit it. Still, he deserves his place on this list as a result of a 2.14 ERA (4th in NL) and solid peripherals including a strikeout-to-walk ratio north of 5-to-1. Matt Harvey will always earn the hype and headlines in New York based on his lights-out stuff, but deGrom is simply the better pitcher right now and he deserves more love.

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