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MLB Awards Watch: The final ballot

By Brad Rowland

American League outfielder Mike Trout (27) of the Los Angeles Angels celebrates with third baseman Josh Donaldson (20) of the Toronto Blue Jays after hitting a lead off home run against the National League during the first inning of the 2015 MLB All Star Game at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
American League outfielder Mike Trout (27) of the Los Angeles Angels celebrates with third baseman Josh Donaldson (20) of the Toronto Blue Jays after hitting a lead off home run against the National League during the first inning of the 2015 MLB All Star Game at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /
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A teammate pours champagne on Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) in the locker room after clinching the NL west after a win against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park. The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Francisco Giants 8-0. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
A teammate pours champagne on Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) in the locker room after clinching the NL west after a win against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park. The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Francisco Giants 8-0. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

NL Cy Young

  1. Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers – I’d be surprised if Kershaw actually won the Cy Young in 2015, but he’s the right choice, even if it is by an incredibly small margin. The left-hander led the league with 301 (!) strikeouts (11.64 K/9) while finishing with the best FIP (1.99) and xFIP (2.09) in all of MLB. The argument against Kershaw is that he lands third in the NL (behind the two pitchers below) in ERA with a mark of 2.13. That ratio should count against him in a big way, especially since all indications are that Kershaw was a victim of brutal luck in the early part of the season. There is no “wrong” choice between this trio, but give me Kershaw.
  2. Jake Arrieta, Chicago Cubs – Arrieta has been flatly ridiculous in leading Chicago to the playoffs. The talented right-hander finished the season with a 0.86 ERA in his final 20 starts (which is mind-boggling), and that led him to a lights-out 1.77 ERA for the season. He sags behind Kershaw in strikeouts (9.28 K/9), but some voters will give him a bump for his MLB-leading 22 wins. The fact that he anchored Chicago’s rotation will earn him brownie points as well. Again, you can’t go wrong if you choose Arrieta, but he’s my runner-up.
  3. Zack Greinke, Los Angeles Dodgers – It is crazy to think that Greinke would easily win the AL Cy Young award with his profile, yet he finishes third for me. Greinke led MLB with a 1.66 ERA in 32 starts (222.2 innings), but he also led MLB comfortably with an 86.5% strand rate, which helped to preserve that ERA to an unsustainable degree. Make no mistake, Zack Greinke was phenomenal and it wouldn’t shock me if he won the award, but Kershaw was (clearly) better. Arrieta also gets the edge when taking Greinke’s modest strikeout numbers (8.08 K/9) into account.

Next: AL Cy Young

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