Call to the pen
Fansided

MLB Awards: Top 5 National League Cy Young Candidates

By Brendan Dlubala

Jul 19, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jake Arrieta (49) during the second inning against the New York Mets at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 19, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jake Arrieta (49) during the second inning against the New York Mets at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 6
Next
Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 4 – Kyle Hendricks, RHP, Chicago Cubs

Kyle Hendricks is not a name people would have chosen for a National League Cy Young winner at the start of the season. And after 2015 seasons where he went 8-7 with a 3.95 ERA, how could you blame them? But this year is different. The 26-year-old righty has been just as good, if not better than Jake Arrieta for the Cubs.

Through the months of July and August, Hendricks went 7-4 with a 1.20 ERA. Heading into September, Hendricks will look to continue his performance and hopefully get more help to secure wins. With about four starts left, he needs to pitch perfectly to remain a candidate.

Currently, among qualified NL starters, he ranks the following:

  • Wins: t-3rd- 14
  • ERA: 1st – 2.10
  • IP: 13th – 163.0
  • Strikeouts: 14th – 144
  • WHIP: 2nd – 0.99
  • OBA: 3rd – .205

As you can see, there are some flaws in Hendricks’ candidacy. He doesn’t have the innings pitched or the strikeouts. The innings pitched will remain a blemish against him considering the Cubs are sticking with a six-man rotation. Also, Hendricks isn’t a strikeout type of pitcher like the other guys on this list.

But what he does have going for him, is his Wins, ERA, WHIP, and OBA. He has a chance to be first in all four categories. Granted, he would have to win every start he gets and he will have to continue to be nearly untouchable, but if he does, he has as good of a claim as anyone.

Hendricks feels like an underdog for the Cy Young award. He’s in a group of established, dominant pitchers. Many of which, have won it before. But he has a real chance to win it and add that title to his resume. We’ll see how he performs in September, and how much weight the voters put in innings pitched and strikeouts. Those seem to be the only kinks in his armor, and these other candidates don’t have that issue.

Next: The West Coast WorkHorse

Home/MLB Awards