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MLB Awards Watch: Greetings from Memorial Day

By Brad Rowland

May 30, 2016; New York City, NY, USA; A member of the U.S. Navy parachute team 'Leap Frogs' takes part in Memorial Day celebrations prior to the game between the New York Mets and the Chicago White Sox at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
May 30, 2016; New York City, NY, USA; A member of the U.S. Navy parachute team 'Leap Frogs' takes part in Memorial Day celebrations prior to the game between the New York Mets and the Chicago White Sox at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports /
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May 29, 2016; New York City, NY, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) heads to the dugout after being relieved during the eighth inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
May 29, 2016; New York City, NY, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) heads to the dugout after being relieved during the eighth inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports /

NL Cy Young

  1. Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers – Kershaw is preposterously good. In 86.2 innings this season, the left-hander has 105 strikeouts and five (yes, FIVE) walks. As if that wasn’t crazy enough, Kershaw also leads the majors in ERA (1.56), FIP (1.49) and fWAR (4.1) and there really isn’t a reasonable argument for anyone else occupying this slot. He is the best in the business.
  2. Noah Syndergaard, New York Mets – There is a steep drop from Kershaw to everyone else, but “Thor” has been the best of the rest. Syndergaard has pitched more than 20 fewer innings than Kershaw, but his 10-start performance has been so electric that we’ll overlook the lack of workload, at least to some degree. The hard-throwing youngster trails only Kershaw and Jake Arrieta in ERA among NL starters, and his strikeout rate (11.35 per 9 innings) is off-the-charts, leading to a 1.69 FIP. To stay in the hunt all season, Syndergaard must pitch deeper into games, but when he’s been on the mound, the results are fantastic.
  3. Jake Arrieta, Chicago Cubs – As mentioned above, Arrieta sits in second place among NL starters in ERA (1.72), which usually cements a legitimate candidacy. There are a few knocks, though, in that the reigning Cy Young award winner has accumulated only 68 innings (10 starts) and his FIP (2.73) is more than a full run higher than his ERA. Some of that can be tied to a lights-out Chicago defense that isn’t going anywhere, but Arrieta’s peripherals indicate that regression might be coming, and Syndergaard has just been better in the aggregate this season.

Next: AL Cy Young

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