MLB Awards Watch: Top Five AL Cy Young Candidates
. Zach Britton. 4. team. 11. . (40 Saves, 0.65 ERA)
Yes, closers can win the Cy Young award, just ask Eric Gagne, Rollie Fingers or Dennis Eckersley.
It’s always been an argument that closers don’t pitch enough to be considered the best pitcher in the league, but let’s really take a look at the value of a good closer. The 2014-2015 Royals had the best bullpen in baseball, and it showed when they made back-to-back World Series trips. The combination of Greg Holland and Wade Davis was almost unhittable.
The closer role itself is becoming one of the most valued in baseball. Major trades were made this season for Aroldis Chapman, Craig Kimbrel and Andrew Miller that all involved major prospects. So saying that Zach Britton isn’t valuable enough just isn’t true.
On top of all of this, he’s been really, really good. His number of saves can’t be the defining factor in all of this because he hasn’t had as many save opportunities thanks to the O’s pounding offense. However, he still is third in MLB with 40 saves.
His most impressive stat is his ERA. In 55 innings pitched, he has a 0.65 ERA. He went on a streak of 43 games without allowing an earned run. This is more impressive than it seems. Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman, often thought of as the greatest closers of all time, never had an ERA under 1.30.
Out of all the balls hit in play, batters are hitting just .211. The hard contact percentage is 15.5 percent, the best in the league. Britton’s extreme success has been when batters hit the ball, which makes his performance even more impressive.
ESPN Cy Young Predictor gives him a rating of 141.7, second best in the AL. He might be a closer, but Zach Britton has a legitimate chance to take home the award.
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