Saturday night at Citi Field in New York, Jacob deGrom and Hyun-Jin Ryu went head-to-head. As the season moves along, it’s looking like those two are the top two choices for the NL Cy Young, so each team’s offense had the chance to help their pitcher’s chances.
Both pitchers shut out the other teams’ offense, keeping the race tight. Ryu went seven innings, allowing only two hits while striking out six while deGrom matched his seven innings, but allowed three hits while striking out eight.
If the season were to end right now, it would be a toss-up as to who would take home the award. Not just between those two pitchers either, as there are actually many pitchers vying for the Award, and many have better resume’s than you might think.
The defending NL Cy Young has been making a great case for himself to become the 10th pitcher in MLB history to win the Cy Young in consecutive seasons. He has a 9-8 record, which we learned last season will not hurt his chances to win (only to make it unanimous), with a 2.61 ERA (3rd in NL), 2.79 FIP (2nd), 1.005 WHIP (1st), 190 IP (4th), 239 Ks (1st), 6.3 bWAR (1st), and 6.2 fWAR (2nd). If it weren’t for three starts in April in which he went 0-3 with a 9.69 ERA (14 runs in 13 innings), his resume would be much stronger. It is a safe bet to call deGrom the front-runner right now.
On August 16th, the Award was Ryu’s to lose. He was 12-2 with a 1.45 ERA across 22 starts and nobody’s ERA came close. In four starts since then before Saturday’s game against the Mets, Ryu went 0-3 with a 9.95 ERA, allowing 21 earned runs in 19 innings. He righted the ship against the Mets, as many pitchers seem to do, and he now has a 12-5 record with a 2.35 ERA (1st in NL), 3.12 FIP (4th), 1.026 WHIP (3rd), 168.2 IP (16th), 148 Ks (21st), 4.5 bWAR (9th), and 4.4 fWAR (6th). His lack of innings pitched and strikeouts, as well as his “high” FIP, might be his downfall, but he has a impressive resume nonetheless.
It wouldn’t be a Cy Young article without mentioning Mad Max. He has battled through some injuries but is pitching as well as ever, leading MLB with a 2.31 FIP. Though he has only thrown 159 2/3 innings to date, he will still compete for the strikeout title as his 12.5 K/9 and 6.94 K/BB are NL bests. His lack of starts will hurt his chances, but unlike Ryu, he might have the numbers to make up for it. On the season Scherzer is 10-6 with a 2.65 ERA (4th in NL), 2.31 FIP (1st), 1.027 WHIP (4th), 159.2 IP (27th), 222 Ks (3rd), 6.0 bWAR (2nd), and 6.4 fWAR (1st).
With the spotlight always on Scherzer, former phenom Stephen Strasburg has had an outstanding season and no one seems to be talking about it. With a National League-leading 17 wins and 196 innings-pitched, as well as strong peripherals, Strasburg would be a very strong contender. He is not helping his own cause, as in nine starts since August 1st, he has gone 3-2 with a 4.07 ERA. On the season, he is 17-6 with a 3.49 ERA (13th in NL), 3.29 FIP (5th), 1.056 WHIP (7th), 196 IP (1st), 235 Ks (2nd), 5.6 bWAR (4th), and 5.3 fWAR (3rd).
After finishing third in Rookie of the Year voting last season, the 25-year-old Buehler is making a strong push for an even better award. Some are saying that he has a stronger case than teammate Hyun-Jin Ryu. He has gone 13-3 this season with a 3.15 ERA (8th in NL), 2.87 FIP (3rd), 1.010 WHIP (2nd), 171.1 IP (12th), 202 Ks (10th), 2.1 bWAR, and a more accurate 5.0 fWAR (4th).
Also keep an eye on:
Patrick Corbin – 12-7, 3.20 ERA (9th), 3.41 FIP (6th), 1.153 WHIP (15th), 185.2 IP (5th), 213 Ks (6th), 5.5 bWAR (5th), 4.6 fWAR (5th)
Sonny Gray – 10-7, 2.80 ERA (5th), 3.43 FIP (7th), 1.088 WHIP (8th), 163.2 IP (22nd), 190 Ks (11th), 5.5 bWAR (6th), 4.1 fWAR (9th)
Jack Flaherty – 10-8, 3.05 ERA (6th), 3.64 FIP (12th), 1.033 WHIP (5th), 174.1 IP (10th), 206 Ks (8th), 4.5 bWAR (10th), 3.9 fWAR (11th)
Mike Soroka – 12-4, 2.57 ERA (2nd), 3.50 FIP (8th), 1.093 WHIP (9th), 164.2 IP (21st), 130 Ks (31st), 5.6 bWAR (3rd), 3.7 fWAR (12th)
Clayton Kershaw – 14-5, 3.05 ERA (7th), 3.80 FIP (14th), 1.052 WHIP (6th), 165.1 IP (20th), 176 Ks (15th), 3.2 bWAR, 3.3 fWAR (16th)
