MLB Awards Watch: Cy Young races

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Jun 24, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) pitches against the Colorado Rockies in the first inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers

Perhaps we’ve taken Clayton Kershaw for granted. In 10 major league seasons, Kershaw has won three NL Cy Young Awards, an MVP, and has posted a career 2.37 ERA. He won the ERA (and WHIP) title four years in a row from 2011-14, and followed with a 2.13 mark in 2015 and a 1.69 mark last year when he was limited to just 21 starts.

We mention that because there’s sort of a ho-hum feeling around Kershaw’s performance so far in 2017 despite the fact he is 11-2 with a 2.47 ERA in 16 starts. Wins don’t matter much to the modern baseball fan, but they still carry weight in the Cy Young vote, and no one in the majors has more than Kershaw this year. Kershaw ranks third in the big leagues in ERA and WHIP (0.92), fourth in SIERA (3.10) and xFIP (2.97), and sixth in fWAR (2.5).

He also leads the National League with 109.1 innings pitched, and has struck out 123 hitters – a solid 10.1 per nine innings, and a 29.2 percent strikeout rate that ranks sixth among major league qualified starters. Altogether, it’s an impressive line that makes Kershaw the third member of the Dodgers pitching staff worthy of Cy Young consideration.

However, there are some concerns. Kershaw has been victimized by the home run this season, and has already allowed 17 long balls, setting a new career high before we’ve even reached the All-Star break. He has also issued 18 walks, and though his 4.3 percent walk rate ranks fourth in the majors, he allowed only 11 free passes last season.

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