Detroit Tigers: Should Michael Fulmer Be a Cy Young Award Candidate?

Rookie Michael Fulmer of the Detroit Tigers is having an incredible season, but does he deserve to be considered among the best of the best?

When the season began, most of the discussion surrounding the Detroit Tigers starting rotation was about David Price’s exit, Jordan Zimmermann’s addition, and Justin Verlander’s future. After witnessing the collapse of Anibal Sanchez, many fans wondered how the team would fare with the core of their starting rotation gone. Surely, any starting pitching success would revolve around Justin Verlander and Jordan Zimmermann.

Instead, Michael Fulmer has emerged as the staff ace. After making a few starts in the minor leagues to begin the season, the right-hander has adjusted to the major leagues better than anyone could have ever expected. On the heels of last night’s complete-game shutout, he leads all American League pitchers with at least 120 innings pitched with a 2.25 earned run average.

Given his dominant success, should he be a candidate for the Cy Young Award? It may seem like a strange question given his level of play, but he has only pitched 120 innings so far. Other top pitchers like Corey Kluber, Jose Quintana, and Aaron Sanchez have pitched over 150 innings. While it is important to pitch well to qualify for the Cy Young Award, it is equally important to provide one’s team with many quality starts. Durability is an important part of a pitcher’s value.

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This said, there have been times when a pitcher has won the Cy Young Award despite pitching less than his opponents. Clayton Kershaw took home the National League honors in 2014 even though he only completed 198 frames. The reason for this, however, was that Kershaw played at a level of greatness that no pitcher could even come close to matching.

While this may have been the case a few years ago, it is not true for the American League today. The next best pitcher by earned run average is Danny Duffy of the Kansas City Royals. Like Fulmer, he has pitched in many fewer innings than the typical Cy Young Award candidate, but he has also been outstanding. Although his earned run average is four-tenths of a run higher than Fulmer’s, Duffy has also struck out more batters while issuing fewer free passes.

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If we want to look at candidates with higher workloads, Aaron Sanchez and Corey Kluber certainly deserve consideration. Sanchez, 24, has been absolutely marvelous for the Toronto Blue Jays this year. After spending time in the pen last season, he has reached a whole new level of success in the starting rotation. He has pitched 152.1 innings to the tune of a 2.84 earned run average, a 3.29 fielding independent pitching, and a .229 opponent batting average.

As for the elder Corey Kluber, the right-hander has put up another excellent season for the Cleveland Indians. He leads qualified American League pitchers in fielding independent pitching and WHIP while placing second in opponent batting average. He may come with a slightly higher earned run average than desired at 3.21, but he has been a durable workhorse.

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We could go on and on listing more deserving AL pitchers, but the point should be pretty clear by now. Michael Fulmer has been great, but there are other pitchers who have been nearly as good for longer. Should he continue this level of success for the rest of the season – which is a serious question since he is a rookie – then he absolutely deserves consideration for the American League Cy Young Award. As things stand right now, however, he is not quite there.