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MLB Awards Watch: Top Five AL Cy Young Candidates

By Matthew Lively

Apr 10, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Corey Kluber (28) poses with the Cy Young Award before the game between the Cleveland Indians and the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 10, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Corey Kluber (28) poses with the Cy Young Award before the game between the Cleveland Indians and the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /

J.A. Happ has played the wild card in this year’s Cy Young race. He took over in the Blue Jays rotation as a dominant ace after the departure of David Price.

He’s gone an impressive 17-4 this season. Although we don’t put too much weight on wins and losses, the people who vote for the award do, so excuse us for overusing this stat in this article.

At one point, Happ had the highest ESPN Cy Young Predictor rating in the month of August, but since then he has struggled. His current rating is 136.3, which is still good for fourth on that list. A couple of rough starts over the last few weeks have inflated his ERA and FIP, but his early success should not be overlooked.

Happ ranks in the top ten in the AL in wins, winning percentage, DIP percentage and batting average on balls in play. His major contribution has been in his clutch starts for the Blue Jays. Winning 17 games for your club makes you a bit of a clutch pitcher, and that’s exactly what Happ has been this season.

His fastball has been one of the reasons for his success this year. His four-seam fastball has a wFB of 25, good for second in the AL. This measures his fastball runs above average. His fastball is clearly one of the best and most unhittable pitches in the league this year.

Yes, he is a bit of an oddball choice, but if Happ can pitch the Jays into the playoffs, he will get a lot of votes from the BBWAA.

Next: Closing the door

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