Who Will Win American League Cy Young?

The American League Cy Young race is full of the usual suspects. You usually have a dominant picther from the Yankees and Red Sox (check), one from the AL Central division leader (check), and a few dark horses that are no longer in the divisional race (check). Check out who are the favorites and who could come from behind over their last 7 or 8 starts of the season.

Leading Candidates

Justin Verlander - He is tha anchor of a nice pitching staff in Detroit. He currently 14-7 with a 3.38 ERA and has an alarming 211 strikeouts in only 181 innings of work this season. He had a dismal 2008 season and it is nice that he bounced back. The Tigers are currently winning their division, but it could hurt him that he won't get as much exposure as pitchers on the Red Sox and Yankees. I think he will at least finish in the top three in voting and could take the award.

C.C. Sabathia - He had a rough start to the season, but over the last two months, he has been great. It helps him that he gets a lot of run support from the modern-day "Murder's Row" the Yankees have assembled. He has a fairly high ERA to be up for the Cy Young, he's currently at 3.59. He is leading the league in wins (15-7) and his WHIP is 1.13, which is great. It will help him that he's on the Yankees and that he probably should have won the award last season, but he switched leagues mid-season.

Roy Halladay - His season has been marred with "Am I getting traded?...okay, how about now?" banter all season. He has had a great year despite all of the distractions, he's 13-7 with a 3.03 ERA. He has been a workhorse with five complete games and will easily get to 200 innings this year. He's still a leading candidate for the Cy Young, even if his chances aren't as great as Verlander or Sabathia's at getting another Cy Young.

Zack Greinke - If the season ended at the beginning of June, then Greinke would have been the unanimous winner, but the Royals hit bottom and Greinke had a few bad starts. He still had a great year and is still leading the AL in ERA with a 2.43, a full .3 a head of the next guy on the list, Seattle's Felix Hernandez at 2.73. Greinke has a 12-8 record with 5 complete games, if he were on a contender, I am confident that he would be a 20-game winner. He is also currently 2nd in the AL in strikeouts with 197. If he had run support, Greinke would be in stronger position to win the AL Cy Young.

Dark Horses

Josh Beckett - The Red Sox may not win the AL East this year, but they are fighting for their Wild Card life. Beckett has helped them by pitching well, but he has been erratic at times. He has a 3.65 ERA, but is 14-5 this year. He had a month-long stretch that he barely gave up any hits, but that streak has ended and he's hittable again. I would say that he's a dark horse to win it, unless he can pull out a perfect game between now and the end of the season.

Scott Feldman - The young ace of the Texas Rangers isn't used to being considered for end of the year awards, but he deserves a little recognition. He's currently 13-4 with a 3.87 ERA for the Rangers, but only has 84 strikeouts, but that isn't his expertise. He has helped the Rangers contend for the AL Wild Card and with Kevin Milwood, Dexter Holland, and Tommy Hunter has transformed the Rangers starting rotation. He has too high of an ERA to win, but should garner some votes.

Jared Weaver - Weaver had a horrible first couple weeks of the season. At one point his ERA was nearing double digits. Over the last few months, he has trimmed his ERA down to 4.03. He is 13-5 with 143 strikeouts for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Over the course of his dominance, they have bolted all the way to the best record in the American League. Weaver also has a high ERA to win this award, but the way he has pitched lately could change some minds.

Jeff Niemann - At the beginning of the year, The Tampa Bay Rays were needing to trim down their starting rotation and Niemann was almost the odd man out. He has pitched great this year and especially at home in Tropicana Field, he has a 2.67 ERA at home. This season, Niemann is 12-5 with a 3.87 ERA, something that the Rays didn't expect from him, those numbers were expected out of David Price, Scott Kazmir, or Andy Sonnanstine. He's not a sexy pick for the Cy Young, but if can get the Rays into the playoffs and dominantly pitch the rest of the way, there's a slim chance.

I would say that award is Justin Verlander's to lose. He just has to stay the course and pitch consistently and he should take it home. C.C. Sabathia should finish second, but as much press that the Yankees garner, he could leapfrog Verlander if they keep winning and getting ample run support for their pitchers. At this point it's too close to call, but when it's all said and done, Verlander should finally win the AL Cy Young.

Who Will Win National League Cy Young?

The National League Cy Young race is as close as ever. There are many possible candidates and nearly all of them are on contenders. Will the Cardinals pitchers cancel each other out? Could Cliff Lee make a run if he stays perfect? Here are some of the leading candidates and darkhorses in the National League Cy Young race.



Leading Candidates

Chris Carpenter - He's currently 14-3 with a 2.16 ERA this season for the St. Louis Cardinals. You have to believe that he is the front runner for the award at this point. His team is murdering the ball and the run support is definitely there. He doesn't have the flashy strikeout total (111 Ks) that some of the award winners have had in the past, but he is just consistent. He did miss five or six stars near the beginning of the year due to injury, but if he can keep his ERA at his current level, that is what sets him apart right now. His one downfall at this point is that he hasn't even pitched 150 innings yet, he needs to get near 200 by the end of the year.

Adam Wainwright - Wainwright is currently leading the league in wins and his current record stands at 15-7. He has been helped by the mid-season additions on offense. The only reason he's in the discussion is because he does have a nice ERA (2.61) and the wins are high, but his Batting Average Against is good, but not great at .248. If the Cardinals keep winning, Wainwright would have to stay perfect to win the award.

Tim Lincecum - Last year's Cy Young winner is at it again this year. He's striking guys out at an alarming rate and has amassed 214 strikeouts in 185 innings this year. He is currently 12-4 and has 21 quality starts. The San Francisco Giants aren't giving him as much run support as the Cardinals give Wainwright and Carpenter. He has been un-hittable this year, but with only 12 wins, he needs at least 17 to win the award again, especially if the Cardinals pitchers get near 20.

Matt Cain - If I were to compare the Giants pitchers with the Cardinals, Cain gets over-shadowed by Lincecum, like Wainwright gets overlooked because of Carpenter. Cain's stuff isn't flashy, but he is efficient. He is also 12-4 and currently has a Batting Average Against is .227. If he was on any other team, he would probably be their ace. He also sits in the same boat as his teammate, he needs to win at least 5 more games this year to overtake one of the Cardinals pitchers.

Dark Horses

Jason Marquis - The Colorado Rockies are on another run, just like they did a few years ago. Aaron Cook was a key piece in their run back then and Marquis is their man this year. He's currently 14-8, but his ERA isn't anything to write home about at 3.48. He only has 84 strikeouts, but if he keeps winning, he could be in the discussion. The chances of him winning are very weak, but at the very least he should get a lot of votes for Comeback Player of the Year.

Josh Johnson - He's the ace for the Florida Marlins who got off to a blistering start this season. He maintained consistency, but the team has not helped him out with run support. He's currently 12-3 with a 2.99 ERA and he has a K/9 rate around 8. If the Marlins were a playoff contender he would be in the discussion more. For Johnson to win the award, all of the leading candidates would have to go cold.

Tommy Hanson - He was called up a few months ago and he has helped the Atlanta Braves every time he pitches. He would take a miracle for him to win the award, but he's currently 9-2 with a 3.04 ERA this season. He has only pitched 86.2 innings this year, but he goes perfect through the rest of his starts, he could get some votes. It's an extreme longshot, but at the very least he has secured the NL Rookie of the Year and a contender for the Cy Young in 2010.

I really like Tim Lincecum in this race. He's in a close race in the NL West and every start has a lot of exposure and publicity. Carpenter is the front-runner, but the Cardinals have a sizable lead in the NL Central and the Cardinals could give him some rest, since he has a history of injury. I think he's his to lose, but Lincecum is breathing down his neck. It's such a close race, it will come down to the last week of the season.