MLB Awards Watch: Top 5 AL Cy Young candidates thru May
By Josh Sippie
5. Andrew Miller – 17/17 SVO, 1.08 ERA, 40 SO, 1.4 WAR
Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Andrew Miller remains the outlying candidate in our race for the American League Cy Young award winner. While he had a whopping 0.00 ERA last month, he’s still maintained his perfect 16/16 saves record and his ERA is still a minuscule 1.16. Yeah, that’s bigger than 0.00, but I think we can forgive him.
Miller has two particular number that are just impossible to ignore: an opponent batting average of 0.89 and a WHIP of 0.69. It’s safe to say that when this guy comes into the game, he will not be beaten. Then there’s his 14.27 K/9 that ranks second only to his team mate Dellin Betances. We’ve got quite the special pitcher on our hands.
With the elite crop of starters taking a few steps back, Andrew Miller’s hopes of getting a Cy Young as a closer are increasing, even if it’s a slight increase. His dominance is impossible to ignore. He also has the fact that he’s playing for the division leading New York Yankees in his favor. It appears that the spirit of Mariano Rivera is alive and well in the Yankees closer spot.
We mentioned last time that Eric Gagne is the last closer to win a Cy Young. He picked up 11 saves in May, whereas Miller has only put up another eight. It’s a minor detractor, but given the stock of starting pitchers, it’ll be tough for Andrew Miller to swing the vote in his favor.
Next: Number 4