Fansided

MLB Awards Watch: Jake Arrieta challenges LA duo for NL Cy Young

By Brad Rowland

Aug 30, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jake Arrieta (49) reacts after thawing his final pitch of the ninth inning for a no hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Cubs won 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 30, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jake Arrieta (49) reacts after thawing his final pitch of the ninth inning for a no hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Cubs won 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 7
Next
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) reacts following his last strike out for the complete game 2-1 victory against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) reacts following his last strike out for the complete game 2-1 victory against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

NL Cy Young

  1. Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers – When in doubt, go with Kershaw. The left-hander leads all MLB pitchers in fWAR (7.2) while sporting an obscene strikeout rate (11.64 K/9 against just 1.58 BB/9), and no one can match his upside. For reference, Kershaw sports a 1.26 (!) ERA over his last 18 starts, and if not for a slow start to the season, this wouldn’t be a close race. As it is, it is a narrow margin, but if he continues this pace, Kershaw should claim the hardware again.
  2. Jake Arrieta, Chicago Cubs – This may surprise some, but Arrieta is right on the doorstep. His recent performance, including a 0.36 ERA in his last 50.1 innings (7 starts), has catapulted Chicago’s “ace” to prominence. It will be interesting to see how a lack of name recognition among more casual fans will hurt Arrieta, but no one has been better over the last month, and that includes Kershaw.
  3. Zack Greinke, Los Angeles Dodgers – Greinke is seen by some as a “slam dunk” pick because of his MLB-leading 1.68 ERA. That is undoubtedly impressive and worthy of mention, but his peripherals don’t stack up with Kershaw (or Arrieta, for that matter) and that has to be stated. You can decide whether a full run gap in ERA to FIP (2.72) matters to you, but the presence of two overly qualified candidates makes it easier for me to keep Greinke in third place this week.

Next: AL Cy Young

Home/MLB