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MLB Awards Watch: Kris Bryant carries the NL MVP flag

By Brad Rowland

Jul 28, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant (17) hits an RBI double during the first inning of the game against the Chicago White Sox at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 28, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant (17) hits an RBI double during the first inning of the game against the Chicago White Sox at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports /
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SAN DIEGO, CA – JULY 12: (L-R) Corey Seager #5 of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Clayton Kershaw #22, and Kenley Jansen #74 stand on the field prior to the 87th Annual MLB All-Star Game at PETCO Park on July 12, 2016 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CA – JULY 12: (L-R) Corey Seager #5 of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Clayton Kershaw #22, and Kenley Jansen #74 stand on the field prior to the 87th Annual MLB All-Star Game at PETCO Park on July 12, 2016 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

NL Cy Young

Clayton Kershaw. 1. player. 71. <p>This is starting to be a controversial stance. Kershaw has not pitched since June 26 and he will be on the shelf until at least Aug. 27 as a result of back issues. In the same breath, the left-hander still comfortably leads all NL pitchers in fWAR (5.5) while throwing more than 120 innings, and that is enough to secure the top spot for another edition. Make no mistake, Kershaw probably isn’t the front-runner if you project another three weeks of inactivity, but as of today, I would give him the award.</p>. SP. Los Angeles Dodgers

SP. Washington Nationals. Max Scherzer. 2. player. 90. <p>Scherzer has been out-shined, at least at times, by a teammate in Stephen Strasburg but the advanced numbers point to Scherzer as to who has been the better pitcher. The powerful right-hander actually sits in a tie with Kershaw for the NL lead in bWAR (4.6) and while Scherzer’s 2.87 ERA isn’t overly impressive, he ranks in the top five in SIERA while trailing only Jose Fernandez in strikeout rate. Moreover, Scherzer has eaten through 156.2 innings over 23 starts, and I am a sucker for pitchers that can sustain this type of workload.</p>

<p>Workload matters. This is the biggest reason why Clayton Kershaw is (probably) fighting a losing battle at this point, and Bumgarner currently leads the NL with 163.2 innings pitched. It isn’t as if the left-hander has been run-of-the-mill in terms of production, either, with Bumgarner cruising along with a 2.20 ERA and nearly 10 strikeouts per 9 innings against only 2.2 walks over that same period. Some of his peripherals (3.17 FIP, 3.48 xFIP) don’t paint the best picture, but given the workload, I’m letting that slide.</p>. SP. San Francisco Giants. Madison Bumgarner. 3. player. 31

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