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MLB Awards Watch: Dexter Fowler is having himself a season

By Brad Rowland

Apr 24, 2016; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Chicago Cubs outfielder Dexter Fowler (left) acknowledges the crowd after the Cubs defeated the Cincinnati Reds 9-0 at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 24, 2016; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Chicago Cubs outfielder Dexter Fowler (left) acknowledges the crowd after the Cubs defeated the Cincinnati Reds 9-0 at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports /
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May 13, 2016; Bronx, NY, USA; Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale (49) delivers a pitch against the New York Yankees in the fifth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports
May 13, 2016; Bronx, NY, USA; Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale (49) delivers a pitch against the New York Yankees in the fifth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports /

AL Cy Young

  1. Chris Sale, Chicago White Sox – For my money, Sale is the best pitcher in the American League, and his early-season performance has done nothing to dissuade from that belief. The talented left-hander holds a 1.67 ERA over eight starts, and even with an uncharacteristically low strikeout rate (8.04 K/9), Sale has been able to regularly dominate the opposition. It certainly helps that Chicago has been awesome from a team standpoint, but Sale doesn’t “need” that assistance. He’s a monster on his own.
  2. Jose Quintana, Chicago White Sox – You’re reading this correctly. Two (!) members of the White Sox sit atop the list. Quintana has arguably been better than Sale, posting a higher fWAR (2.0) with a better ERA (1.67), and the tiebreaker for me is that Sale has thrown seven more innings in the same amount of starts. Still, Quintana remains one of the more underrated pitchers in all of baseball, and he should be garnering a great deal of respect for the level at which is he pitching right now.
  3. Danny Salazar, Cleveland Indians – Because of when this post falls, Salazar has the handicap of one fewer start than his competition, but the 26-year-old is becoming everything we wanted him to be and that should be recognized. Salazar holds a sub-2.00 ERA to go along with more than 11 strikeouts per 9 innings, and even with a troublesome walk rate (4.64 BB/9), he has been able to succeed due to his high-end offerings. In a vacuum, Corey Kluber might be Cleveland’s top starter, but Salazar is hot on his heels right now.

Next: NL MVP

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