MLB Opening Day 2016 is approaching and here are very early favorites to win the Cy Young award.
With MLB Opening Day less than a week away, plenty of excitement is building around the 2016 season. So much promising young talent has made its way from the minors to the majors and this could be another gold mine of a year for rookie superstars.
Pitching is the key to many World Series titles and you can just ask the Kansas City Royals. They built a strong staff from No. 1 starter all the way into the depths of the bullpen. The New York Mets were another strong team with guys like Matt Harvey and Jacob deGrom bolstering the rotation — a good reason as to why they made it to the World Series.
Heck, the Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros — two teams that have been stockpiling pitching talent for years — went from bottom-dwellers in their respective leagues to top dogs because no one could hit the ball off their staffs consistently.
The old saying goes, “defense wins championships” which is true when talking about football, basketball and most other sports, but pitching wins titles in baseball.
The 2016 season is about to start and the teams with the top pitchers will likely find themselves in the thick of the playoff race come September and October. Can last year’s Cy Young winners for the American League and National League lead their teams back to the playoffs and win the award once again?
Here are the top five Cy Young candidates, combined from both leagues, to start the 2016 season. Let us know if you agree or disagree with any, or if we missed anyone major, in the comment section below.
Next: 5. Chris Archer, Rays