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MLB Awards Watch: David Price, Dallas Keuchel in two-way battle for AL Cy Young

By Brad Rowland

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher David Price (14) pitches against Tampa Bay Rays in the first inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Peter Llewellyn-USA TODAY Sports
Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher David Price (14) pitches against Tampa Bay Rays in the first inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Peter Llewellyn-USA TODAY Sports /
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Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jake Arrieta (49) is congratulated after hitting a home run by manager Joe Maddon (70) during the second inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jake Arrieta (49) is congratulated after hitting a home run by manager Joe Maddon (70) during the second inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports /

NL Cy Young

  1. Jake Arrieta, Chicago Cubs – The NL Cy Young race is arguably the closest of them all, and it seems to shift on a weekly basis. Arrieta holds the crown at this moment given his ridiculous combination of ERA dominance (1.82), workload (223 IP) and strikeout ability (9.24 K/9). It is fair to assume that his league-leading win total of 21 wins will help Arrieta’s case for some voters, but I’m focused on his balance across the board. Given that Kershaw and Greinke are likely to split votes, he’s probably the smart bet to take the crown.
  2. Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers – I may be the last one on the planet who would take Kershaw over Greinke, but here we are. I simply can’t get past Kershaw’s ridiculous peripherals, with a strikeout rate of 11.50 per 9 innings and a league-leading 2.10 FIP chief among them. He isn’t going to lead the NL in ERA for the fifth straight season, but we all need to remember that there is more to pitching that earned run average.
  3. Zack Greinke, Los Angeles Dodgers – I’ll undoubtedly be accused of “hating” on Greinke, and that’s just not the case. To be clear, he’s been tremendous all season long. Still, there is a significant gap between Greinke and both of the top two pitchers in strikeouts, where Greinke posts only about 8 per 9 innings, and every indication is that Greinke’s incredible 1.68 ERA is a product of luck to some degree. A lot of voters won’t care, which is why Greinke is seen by many as the favorite. It wouldn’t be crazy to see him win the award, but for me, he would not.

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