Bieber, Bauer lead Cy Young Award Races
This shortened season has seen the emergence of a future star, in Shane Bieber of the Cleveland Indians. The 2019 All-Star has taken the AL Cy Young Award race and ran with it, as he is currently the lead candidate for the Award. His stats have been phenomenal, as he has an 8-1 record, with a league-leading 1.74 ERA, and 112 strikeouts in 72.1 innings pitched. His 263 ERA+, and his 13.9 strikeouts per 9 are also leading the league. Although Bieber is surely the runaway candidate in the AL, the NL Cy Young Award is up for grabs. Cincinnati Reds ace Trevor Bauer appears to be in the lead in the race, as his 1.80 ERA, 2 complete games, and 88 strikeouts in 65 innings pitched are great statistics all-around. Even with these numbers, he is certainly not strides ahead of other pitchers. The Milwaukee Brewers starter Corbin Burnes and the New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom are close behind. Burnes has pretty much emerged out of nowhere in this race, as he is leading the NL in ERA, at 1.77. His hits per 9 are leading the league, at just 5. The biggest factor that hurts Corbin’s case is his starts and innings pitched. Although he has appeared in 11 games this season, he has started just 8. He has accumulated 56 innings pitched this year, which pales in comparison to Bieber’s 72.1. Jacob deGrom is a well-respected pitcher around Major League Baseball, and is largely considered to be the best pitcher in baseball for the past few years. He is trying to “three-peat” as the NL Cy Young Award winner, as he won it in 2018 and 2019. This season, he has posted a 2.14 ERA, with an NL-leading 94 strikeouts in 63 innings pitched. His 13.4 strikeouts per 9 is also leading the senior circuit. Even though these stats are incredible, the biggest knock to Jake’s Cy case is the 2.14 ERA. While most of the other contenders for the Award are sitting at at or below a 2 ERA, his is slightly higher. Bauer, Burnes, and deGrom all have one start remaining this season, so it will be very interesting to see who rises when it matters most, to take the NL Cy Young Award.