National League Cy Young Award: Jacob deGrom – New York Mets
Let’s ignore the record. Jacob deGrom was the best pitcher in the National League in 2018.
Yes, it is easy to overlook his performance, especially for the more traditional voters. His 10-9 record is hardly going to get anyone to pause in their tracks. However, he was the victim of an incompetent offense and a horrendous bullpen. Given even competence in either case, or at least four runs per start, and deGrom’s record becomes a lot more palatable.
Ignoring his won-loss record, there is little reason for deGrom not to win the Cy Young award. He led the NL with a 1.70 ERA, 0.67 runs better than Aaron Nola in second. deGrom was the NL leader in bWAR, actually giving him a case as the NL MVP as well. Over his 217 innings, he struck out 269 batters, while allowing only 46 walks and just 10 homers.
Imagine if he played for a contending team. Put deGrom on a team like the Brewers, or even the Nationals, and his performance looks much better. He was the best pitcher in baseball, and was arguably the best player in the game. deGrom deserves that recognition.
Also considered: Max Scherzer, Josh Hader, Aaron Nola, Kyle Freeland