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MLB Awards Watch: Cy Young races

By Nicholas Ian Allen

June 6, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Max Scherzer (31) throws in the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
June 6, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Max Scherzer (31) throws in the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jun 23, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Alex Wood (57) pitches against the Colorado Rockies during the first inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 23, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Alex Wood (57) pitches against the Colorado Rockies during the first inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports /

National League

5. Alex Wood, Los Angeles Dodgers

Chris Sale is running away with the AL Cy Young, but there is a lot of competition in the NL Cy Young race. In fact, there are more than five candidates worthy of consideration at this point in the season. Cardinals righty Carlos Martinez has been great, and both Jimmy Nelson and Chase Anderson are big reasons why the Brewers have overachieved so far.

But there’s one pitcher that’s been so good, for such a good team, there’s no way we could leave him off the list.

Alex Wood has dominated the National League to the tune of an 8-0 record with a 1.86 ERA in 67.2 innings across 13 appearances including 11 starts. The 26-year-old lefty has a 2.70 SIERA, 2.12 FIP and 0.916 WHIP – all of which lead the National League and rank second among MLB pitchers with at least 60 innings pitched. Only Sale has been better in those three categories.

Opponents are hitting just .184 against Wood, which ranks third overall and second in the NL. His strikeout rate has spiked from a career 22.7 percent to 29.8 percent this year, and Wood has struck out a career-high 10.51 hitters per nine innings this season compared to 8.43 for his career.

Though Wood has been successful in his four previous major league seasons (he had a 3.35 ERA in nearly 500 innings coming into the season), the lefty with an even funkier delivery than Clayton Kershaw wasn’t expected to come anywhere near the league leaders in multiple major statistical categories. After all, he began the season in the Dodgers bullpen before being moved into the starting rotation in April. 

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