Call to the pen
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American League Cy Young: A candidate for every style

By Bill Felber

BOSTON, MA - APRIL 15: A Boston Red Sox fan holds up another K sign marking the number of strike outs the starting pitcher Chris Sale has thrown against the Baltimore Orioles during sixth inning action at Fenway Park in Boston on April 15, 2018. (Photo by Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - APRIL 15: A Boston Red Sox fan holds up another K sign marking the number of strike outs the starting pitcher Chris Sale has thrown against the Baltimore Orioles during sixth inning action at Fenway Park in Boston on April 15, 2018. (Photo by Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /
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American League Cy Young
WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 17: Trevor Bauer #47 of the Cleveland Indians and the American League looks on with a GoPro on his hat during the 89th MLB All-Star Game, presented by Mastercard at Nationals Park on July 17, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

Trevor Bauer, Cleveland Indians

Old-school stats: 12-6, 2.22 ERA in 25 starts, 166 innings
New-school stats: 5.6 WAR, 3.2 Win Probability Added, 3.2 Situational Wins Saved, 37 Adjusted Pitching Runs

The case for Bauer: Bauer’s 37 Adjusted Pitching Runs trails only Sale. He has allowed just 8 home runs, the fewest per 9 innings of work of any AL pitcher. He also ranks fourth in strikeouts and third in pitcher WAR.  Left-handers are batting just .199 against Bauer. He’s improved down the stretch, allowing just a .190 batting average during the season’s second half, and he is undefeated since June. Bauer is at his best under pressure; opponents are batting just .176 against him when the Indians score two or fewer runs. He kills the other guy’s cleanup hitter, holding them to a .186 batting average.

The case against Bauer: He can be gotten early. When opponents swing at Bauer’s first pitch, they hit .291 and slug .516. He’s also injured right now, potentially limiting his ability to build on his award credentials down the stretch. As good as Bauer has been, his 25 starts to date is not taxing in comparison with the league leaders. Finally there’s the matter of Cleveland’s dominance of the weak AL Central, a factor that works against any Indian award candidate. Bauer is 11-3 against the AL Central, but 1-3 against the rest of the world.

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