Fansided

Jacob deGrom leads Cy Young ranking despite how horrible the Mets are

By Adam Strangis

BOSTON, MA - MAY 1: Chris Sale #41 of the Boston Red Sox pitches against the Kansas City Royals during the third inning at Fenway Park on May 1, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - MAY 1: Chris Sale #41 of the Boston Red Sox pitches against the Kansas City Royals during the third inning at Fenway Park on May 1, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
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CLEVELAND, OH – APRIL 30: Cleveland Indians Starting pitcher Trevor Bauer (47) delivers a pitch to the plate during the second inning of the Major League Baseball game between the Texas Rangers and Cleveland Indians on April 30, 2018, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH – APRIL 30: Cleveland Indians Starting pitcher Trevor Bauer (47) delivers a pitch to the plate during the second inning of the Major League Baseball game between the Texas Rangers and Cleveland Indians on April 30, 2018, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

4. Trevor Bauer, RHP for the Cleveland Indians

10-6, 2.34 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 30.7 strikeout rate, 153.2 IP, 2.43 FIP, 3.19 xFIP, 5.3 WAR 

He might be number four but Bauer is the clear cut number two choice in the American League right now. The Indians have really need the Bauer breakout this year with teammate Corey Kluber taking a small step back this year. Bauer is having a career season and would be a little closer to winning the award if there wasn’t a dominant option at the top of the food chain.

Much like Nola, Bauer has yet to give up more than four earned runs in any start. He’s only given up four runs three times and has allowed zero or one run 10 times. With an offense as potent as Cleveland’s is, his record is not indicative of how well he’s pitched all season and it shouldn’t be weighed too heavily. That’s going to be a theme we touch on later when we get to the N.L. frontrunner. Wins and losses are possibly one of the least relevant metrics when determining a pitcher’s worth.

The two factors that have really fueled Bauer’s season has been his significant jump in strikeouts and the fact he doesn’t give up home runs. The strikeout rate has bumped up by 4.5 percentage points this year which obviously takes a lot more balls out of play. The home runs have always been a weakness for Bauer. Just last season, he gave up 25. So far this year, he’s given up just seven. The HR/9 went from 16.1 percent to 5.5 percent. That’s a massive decrease and helps explain why his ERA went from 4.19 to 2.34. The Indians standout is one of the reasons that Cleveland is having another string season and he’s a tall task for opposing offenses.

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