The Cy Young race is heating up as the MLB playoff chase comes down to the wire.
Both the National League and American League feature three stars who could very well win the coveted award. The 2015 MLB regular season has arguably seen the best and most consistent pitching in recent years, but who will win the prestigious Cy Young award?
Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers: 14-6, 2.12 ERA
The MLB leader in strikeouts (264), Kershaw has a legitimate chance to win his fourth Cy Young award. After a record-breaking 2014 season, which resulted in being named the NL CY Young winner and MVP, he has been nothing short of dominate in 2015.
To date, Kershaw has a 2.12 ERA (third in the MLB) and a 0.89 WHIP (second in the MLB). No doubt the lefty is proving he is worth his hefty $31 million per year salary, but is he worthy of winning his third Cy Young in a row?
Judging by statistics alone, the short answer would be no. But luckily for Kershaw, there is no strict voting criteria for Cy Young winners as voted by the Baseball Writers Association of America. One writer might value Kershaw’s impressive strikeouts more than he value’s an ERA or win total — it all depends.
But one thing is certain: With the game on the line in the playoffs, Kershaw is getting the ball, no doubt. He has proven his consistency and value in the playoffs, but his biggest competition for winning the Cy Young may come from his teammate, Zack Greinke.
Zack Greinke, Los Angeles Dodgers: 17-3, 1.61 ERA
The MLB leader with the lowest ERA (1.61) and the lowest WHIP (0.85), Greinke is the favorite to win the NL Cy Young award. His 17 wins are certainly impressive, but his three losses are even more unbelievable.
Obviously a pitcher’s win/loss record isn’t 100 percent conducive on the pitcher’s outings, but three losses needs to be recognized. For reference, since 1967, there has never been an NL starting pitcher to win the Cy Young with only three losses. Additionally, Greinke’s 1.61 ERA is “once-in-a-lifetime” impressive. A great ERA for an MLB starter is anything under 3.00, and Greinke is crushing that by 1.39 points.
Besides Kershaw’s 2013 and 2014 sub two ERA’s, the last Cy Young winner (who was a starter) with a sub 2.00 season-long ERA was Pedro Martinez’s ERA of 1.74 in 2000, and he is now in the Hall of Fame. If Greinke can keep his ERA under two, which he will have no problem doing, and cap his loss total at three, there is no reason why he won’t win the NL Cy Young award.
Jake Arrieta, Chicago Cubs: 19-6, 1.99 ERA
Arrieta may be the only Cy Young candidate to reach 20 wins, which is mind-boggling considering the record highs MLB pitchers are putting up in every category.
Since the All Star break, Arrieta has posted an MLB best 0.93 ERA. He is also the only 2015 Cy Young candidate to throw a no-hitter, which was against the Los Angeles Dodgers, who were no-hit twice in 2015. As stated earlier, there is no concrete formula for picking a Cy Young winner, but one has to argue that throwing a no-no must be factored into the decision.
While Kershaw and Greinke were pre-season favorites to contend for the NL Cy Young award, Arrieta has come on as a dark horse. If any Cubs starting pitcher was to be considered at the start of the season it was the $155 million man, Jon Lester. But with Lester’s lackluster 2015 performance, Arrieta has really stepped up as a true ace and is in serious consideration to be named the NL Cy Young winner.
Dallas Keuchel, Houston Astros: 17-7, 2.22 ERA
Keuchel is second in the AL in strike outs with 192, and is first in the AL with a 1.00 WHIP, which is incredibly impressive considering AL pitchers face nine professional batters, not eight like in the NL. Keuchel also has the best AL ERA for a starter with 2.22, again impressive for facing nine professional hitters.
There’s no doubt that Keuchel has been pitching like he is about to enter free agency, and he will definitely be paid accordingly in the offseason. But have all the contract extension talks with the Astros as of late been distracting Keuchel? Maybe a little, but he is still has putting up staggering numbers throughout the entire 2015 season.
While Keuchel does not have an over-powering arsenal, he does throw with the best precision in the MLB, which has lead to a career year and which is why he will most likely win the AL Cy Young award.
Sonny Gray, Oakland Athletics: 13-7, 2.56 ERA
Take Gray’s 13 wins with a grain of salt considering the Athletics are in dead last in the AL West. However, his 13 wins are 21 percent of the Athletics’ total wins for the 2015 season.
Gray was a pre-season AL favorite to win the Cy Young, and he’s been one of the only bright spots in Oakland this year. But the fact that he is playing for Oakland may also be his hope for winning the AL Cy Young award, considering his defense and bullpen have let him down on multiple occasions. All that aside, Gray has still been as consistent as prescribed.
Given Keuchel’s recent slight decline, if Gray can post some above average outings — say going at least seven innings and allowing only one or two runs in his remaining starts — he could catch some voters’ eyes and win the AL Cy Young award.
David Price, Toronto Blue Jays: 15-5, 2.46 ERA
Probably the most controversial Cy Young contender, can Price overcome the odds and win the AL Cy Young award? It’s extremely doubtful, but he does have a legitimate shot.
After being acquired from the Tigers at the 2015 trade deadline, Price has been unstoppable for the AL East leaders posting a 6-1 record and a 2.28 ERA.
There has been great debate if Price should be a Cy Young contender given he pitched for two teams in 2015, but isn’t that even more of a reason why he should win the Cy Young award? One could make the argument that Price was even more dominant for the struggling Tigers this season posting a 2.53 ERA and 138 strikeouts in 146 innings pitched.
Seeing as the 2012 Cy Young winner is on “loan” to the Blue Jays as they prepare to enter the playoffs for the first time since 1993, when they won the World Series, Price has pitched like an unstoppable ace. Given his low loss record, 203 strike outs (most between Keuchel and Gray) and the fact that he will have the opportunity to pitch in October, look for Price to surprise the AL and win the 2015 Cy Young award.