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The 2018 Cy Young races are both uniquely crowded
Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

The 2018 Cy Young races are both uniquely crowded

Much as is the case with the Most Valuable Player race in both the National and American Leagues, the top candidates for Cy Young Award honors present a series of interesting parallels this year. It is a blend of perennial (and reigning) contenders continuing in similar form that has previously won them the hardware. Meanwhile, exceptional seasons from new challengers are shaking up the scene, as they look to etch their names in the history books for the first time as well. 

It is a season in which the debate over how to validate the impact of a pitcher via his win/loss total continues to rage on. Is the value of being credited with a win the be-all, end-all for pitching brilliance? Or is it the context of performance that is given independent of whether the final outcome is favorable for the starter after he has done his work? While those questions will not be definitively answered regardless of the outcome of this year’s Cy Young voting in either league, more so than in many other years, the candidates for baseball’s top pitching honor each brings a unique case to the table for what exactly makes an impact starting arm. Here is a look at the wonderfully diverse slate of Cy Young candidates around the MLB this year.

NATIONAL LEAGUE


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Patrick Corbin, Diamondbacks It has been a well-timed revival year for Corbin, who has set himself up to be potentially the top free agent pitcher this winter. After a few rough years following Tommy John surgery in 2014, he rose past both Zack Greinke and Robbie Ray to become the D’Backs most dominant starter this year. A massive part of his rise to prominence has been a dramatically increased ability to miss bats. His 223 strikeouts are third in the NL, in part to him raising his strikeout-per-nine-innings mark by nearly four Ks from 2017 (8.4 to 11.2), while dropping his walks per nine to 2.1.

In a tight NL West race, Corbin owns a 2-0 record and 1.63 ERA over six starts against the Rockies and Dodgers.


Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Jacob deGrom, Mets In another lost year for the Mets, deGrom has authored arguably the greatest bad team pitching performance of all time. On Tuesday, he threw his 26th consecutive outing of three earned runs or less, breaking an MLB record for most consecutive such starts that had stood for 108 years. The breakdown of his historic run has played out as:

  • Four games with three runs allowed
  • Five games with two runs allowed 
  • Nine games with one run allowed
  • Seven games with no runs allowed

As a matter of fact, deGrom has allowed as many as four earned runs only once out of his 29 starts on the year. His 1.71 ERA is the lowest in baseball and a half-run lower than any other pitcher’s in the National League. His 239 strikeouts and 0.95 WHIP are only bested by Max Scherzer. However, being saddled with the 65-78 Mets, deGrom could be in line to make more history as the only pitcher ever in the MLB with fewer than 10 victories to lead the majors in ERA and pick up Cy Young honors.


Troy Babbitt-USA TODAY Sports

Kyle Freeland, Rockies The 25-year-old southpaw is quietly turning in the most surprising performance of the year via his dominance within the notorious pitcher’s wasteland of Coors Field. On his home turf, Freeland owns an 8-2 record with a 2.21 ERA over 81.1 innings. Amazingly, opponents are hitting only .217 against him at Coors while upping the ante to .253 on the road. Freeland has been especially brutal against fellow lefties, allowing just a .175 average against and a .509 OPS.

The secret to his success at defying the odds? He simply keeps the ball out of the middle of the plate in a park where that is the most dangerous place to be in baseball. Freeland has thrown the fewest pitches over the middle of the plate in the game this year while pounding the outside and inside corners. Sounds simple, right? Well his on-demand, five-pitch arsenal of a cutter, slider, curve and a pair of fastballs makes it easy to keep foes guessing.

Max Scherzer, Nationals You can’t have a Cy Young candidate party without inviting baseball’s most dominant starter and two-time defending NL recipient. Once again, Mad Max is mounting a favorable campaign to add a third straight and fourth overall victory in the category. As is usually the case, Scherzer leads the NL in a handful of notable categories, including wins (17), strikeouts (271), innings (202.1), WHIP (0.88), complete games (2) and fewest hits allowed per nine innings (5.9), among others. Also, 53 percent of Scherzer’s starts have featured double-digit strikeout performances. 

A third career 20-win season is still within reach, while Scherzer also joined Randy Johnson as the second pitcher in history to string together five consecutive 250 strike out season on Sept. 3.


Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Aaron Nola, Phillies Nola turned the corner this year and became the bona fide ace the Phillies hoped he would become since his quick ascension to the majors four years ago. He made his All-Star debut this season while winning the most games by a Phillies starter since Cole Hamels’ 17-win effort in 2012. Nola’s 9.3 WAR is best among all MLB pitchers, and he is one of three NL hurlers — along with deGrom and Scherzer — to own a WHIP south of 1.00.

Speaking of that pair of NL East foes, Nola has stepped up to the plate admirably when pitted against either. In three matchups against Scherzer and deGrom, Nola is 2-0 with an 0.85 ERA and 21 strikeouts over 21 innings — more than enough proof positive for why the 25-year-old deserves to be considered among his more notable peers.

AMERICAN LEAGUE


Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Edwin Diaz, Mariners It usually takes a mixture of an exceptional season and a perfect situation for a reliever to break through for Cy Young honors, and Diaz could very well find himself in that scenario. No reliever has carried a heavier burden in the success of his ballclub than the Mariners’ closer. Seattle has played in more tight games than any other competitive team this year, going 35-20 in one-run affairs. In such situations, Diaz has often been the final resolution, with 25 of his club-record 54 saves coming in one-run games.

With two weeks left to go in the season, Diaz still has an outside chance at breaking Francisco Rodriguez’s single-season save record of 62. Regardless of outcome, he has put together one of the most meaningful relief seasons of all time.


Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

Corey Kluber, Indians The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner is again toward the head of the pack. For the fourth time in the last five years, he has won at least 18 games while on pace to stand among the AL’s leaders in strikeouts (194; eighth), innings pitched (195; first) and lowest average against (.221; ninth).

The ever-consistent Kluber simply continues to be an anchor atop an Indians rotation that has had to deal with injuries to and inconsistencies from Trevor Bauer, Carlos Carrasco and Shane Bieber. While the value of win/loss records continues to be debated, there is still some significance to reaching 20 wins, something that Kluber could do for the first time this fall — if Terry Francona trots his ace out to the mound enough times over the last two weeks. But a 15-game lead in the woeful AL Central could be reason enough to rest him for another shot at claiming Cleveland’s elusive World Series title.


Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Chris Sale, Red Sox Once again, Sale approaches awards season with a phenomenal resume, but there's a noticeable issue plaguing his candidacy. Before taking anything away from his case, let's have a look at everything in favor of it — because there is a lot. Sale has dominated AL batters, leading the way for the game’s best team. He has the lowest ERA (1.97), WHIP (0.85) and average against (.176) in the American League. For those with a taste for a slightly more in-depth statistical impact, his adjusted ERA+ (222) and fielding independent pitching (1.95) are miles ahead of the rest of the league as well. And did we mention strikeouts? He has 221 in just over 147 innings, good for an average of 13.5 per nine innings, a career-best.

But with all those numbers considered, there is also the issue of the annual "Sale second-half swoon" that could hurt him yet again in claiming that elusive Cy Young. Shoulder issues have sent him to the DL twice since July 27, and he has made only two appearances in August and September combined for a grand total of six innings. While the numbers are impressive, the limited engagements could hurt his total portfolio.


Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Blake Snell, Rays After a first half spent sneaking up on the AL, Snell has resoundingly announced himself as one of the top arms in the game since the All-Star break. For everything that is said about deGrom’s resistance toward giving up runs, Snell has been nearly as impressive. Since allowing four earned runs in a June 14 loss to the Yankees, he has owned a 1.41 ERA, giving up more than one run only twice over the past three months.

Snell now is on the verge of 20 wins for an 80-65 Tampa Bay club. Following a near no-hitter on Wednesday, when he allowed one-hit over seven innings against the Indians, Snell sits in the AL top 10 in ERA (2.08), WHIP (0.98) and strikeouts (195).


Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Justin Verlander, Astros In the early stages of the year, it seemed as if the award was already Verlander’s to earn. JV picked up where he left off last fall, continuing a remarkable run of reinvention in Houston. Verlander roared out of the gate, allowing just 10 runs over his first 12 starts and owning a 9-5 record and 2.29 ERA at the All-Star break.

A rough second half brought him back to the pack however, as a rough August saw him post a 5.29 ERA and season-high nine home runs in the month. But regardless of the occasional struggles that brought him back to Earth, Verlander has continued to captain the Astros through some midseason challenges and still is among the most accomplished arms in the AL. He is among the AL top five in wins (17), WHIP (0.94), ERA (2.94) and strikeouts (274).

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