2019 MLB Season: September NL Cy Young race update

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As the 2019 MLB season winds down, the 2019 NL Cy Young Award race is heating up. The second half has been muddled with competitive pitching, clutch performances, and vast improvements.

Throughout the whole entire 2019 MLB season, the NL Cy Young was Hyun-Jin Ryu’s race to lose. Every start seemed to impress the one before. However, his second half has been defined after a tough August and a slow start to September, Ryu managed to improve the rest of the league’s chances.

It seemed like Ryu would be heading into free agency and the offseason with an NL Cy Young award on his shelf and ready to ink a lucrative deal. Even though Ryu’s contract is still imminent, the accolade is no longer a lock for the 32-year-old.

Now, there is a crowded pack of starters that are clawing at the hardware. Each only has about four or five starts left to make their case. The race is filled with veteran, well-paid starters, as well as having a few younger starters that are on the brink of their prime.

Here are the honorable mentions for the 2019 NL Cy Young Award.

Sonny Gray, SP, CIN

Returning to his first All-Star game since 2015, Sonny Gray has been pitching. at a whole new level in 2019. In his first year with the Cincinnati Red, Gray is 10-6 with a 2.75 ERA through 28 starts.

He will be close to 200 strikeouts and will definitely finish in the top 10 in ERA in the NL. Currently, he has the worst batting average against of any starter in the NL. However, his main issue is. That he has allowed too many walks. The 29-year-old will definitely appear on ballots come this November.

Clayton Kershaw, SP, LAD

Future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw continued to build his case this season. Through 25 starts he is 13-5, holding an ERA of 3.06. However, he missed a bulk of time earlier this year that will limit him to under 30 starts, 200 innings pitched and 200 strikeouts, which are normal Kershaw familiarities. He looks to lower his ERA to below three by the end of the season.

Of the seven-season Kershaw has appeared on Cy Young ballots, he has not finished worse than fifth place. This might be the year that changes.

Luis Castillo, SP, CIN

Luis Castillo reached career-best in just about every category in 2019. He is a part of a rotation with a lot of potential. In only his third season, Castillo reached the 200 strikeouts milestone.

He is currently fourth in the NL in wins with 14 and fifth in strikeouts. Through 29 starts, his ERA is 3.21 Even though there were times throughout the season, where Similar to Gray, he was in the top 10 for most talks in the NL.

Castillo was looking like he had a chance to win the award, he will not be victorious this season. His 2020 season is already looking bright and he is going to be a heavy contender to win Cy Young next season.

This race remains wide open and will most likely remain that wait for the rest of the season. Here is a prediction of the top five finalists for the 2019 MLB season’s NL Cy Young.

2019 MLB Season: September NL Cy Young race update

5. Stephen Strasburg, SP, WSN

The only reason that this award is not going to Stephen Strasburg this year is because of his ERA. Through 29 starts, the 31-year-old leads the NL in wins with a 16-6 record, is second in innings pitched and strikeouts, and is helping lead the Washington Nationals to the playoffs.

He will be one of the few pitchers in the NL to reach 200 innings and 200 strikeouts. He is fourth in the NL in pitcher’s WAR> His wins inflate his value as a candidate, but he has proven to be a durable starter who can easily sit a batter down with his pitches.

The 31-year-old three-time All-Star, who already has a career-high in wins, has most likely had his best season since his 2017 campaign. During a season where he could opt out of his current contract, Strasburg truly performed at an elite caliber in 2019 and may be able to negotiate another large deal.

Even though his 2019 MLB season will fall short of Cy Young standards, it was significant due to the fact he helped carry the Nationals to a strong record and most likely finish second in the NL East.

It’s reasonable that Strasburg may obtain some first-place votes, but the main argument against him is that there are pitchers with much lower earned run averages. He has a few more opportunities to lower his ERA this season, and he really needs to take advantage of those starts.

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2019 MLB Season: September NL Cy Young race update

4. Mike Soroka, SP, ATL

Mike Soroka is possibly the most surprising starting pitcher in baseball this season. The rookie has been dominating for the Atlanta Braves and is a huge reason why they will the National Least East. Through 31 starts, he is 11-4 with a 2.67 ERA, which is third in the NL and 1.11 WHIP.

He is a dominant groundball pitcher. He leads the NL for the most grounded into a double play. Being able to successfully pitch to contact at such a young age has already made him a prominent starter in the league but will propel him into a superstar.

He will fall short of 200 innings because he missed a few starts. He will most likely still pitch over 170 innings in his first full season in the big leagues. He is not a strikeout pitcher in any means yet but has shown potential improvement.

Already third in the NL in ERA, he has a good chance to lower it and higher his ranking in the category, which most voters deem as the most important.

At 22, Soroka will finish high on NL Cy Young ballots, but not take home the hardware. He is another player who will be an early-season favorite to win the award next season.

(Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

2019 MLB Season: September NL Cy Young race update

3. Max Scherzer, SP, WSN

The ace of one of the most impressive and elite rotations in baseball has been dominant once again. Max Scherzer continued to add to his legacy this season. The three-time Cy Young award winner is currently 10-5 through 25 starts with a 2.56 ERA and 216 strikeouts through 154.2 innings pitched.

Having well over 200 strikeouts in less than 160 innings shows signs of dominance. Scherzer has always been able to make batters look silly.

He is currently third in the NL in strikeouts, second in ERA and second in WHIP with a 1.00.

He missed time due to back issues and that is the main reason why he is not going to win his fourth Cy Young in 2019 MLB season.

He has been beyond impressive this season but has not pitched enough innings as other strong and dominant candidates. However, since his ERA is one of the best in the NL, he could possibly be on the top of that category at the end of the season.

He still is a heavy contender for the award and has a chance to win it if he ends up leading the league in multiple categories, a combination of strikeouts, ERA or WHIP.

2019 MLB Season: September NL Cy Young race update

2. Hyun-Jin Ryu, SP, LAD

The impending free agent really capitalized off signing the Qualifying Offer, a one-year $17.9 million offer last offseason by putting together his best season yet. After being named to his first All-Star game and starting it, Ryu is 12-5 with an MLB best 2.45 ERA through 26 starts. However, there is an issue. Ryu has been collapsing.

After back-to-back seven-run outings for the 32-year-old South Korean pitcher, this race was blown wide open. For most of the season, his ERA was well below 2.0, but he has been struggling after returning from injury. The Dodgers are expected to limit Ryu’s innings before they make their postseason push.

If he continues to lead the league in ERA, he will have a chance to win the award. His last few outings are going to determine if he has the privilege to enter free agency as a reigning NL Cy Young award winner.

Ryu has been so successful because he is one of the best at limiting his walks. It took him months to reach double-digit walked batters.

His recent struggles and the few starts that he missed are going to turn away some voters. He will definitely receive multiple first-place finishes unless he continues to collapse.

2019 MLB Season: September NL Cy Young race update

1. Jacob deGrom, SP, NYM

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He’s back. Jacob deGrom‘s elite second half propelled him to the top of most ballots.

The reigning NL Cy Young award winner really made his case again this season by returning to his 2018 caliber in the second half. Since pitching in the All-Star game, deGrom has pitched 73 innings, striking out 93 batters and holding a 1.85 ERA.

He is leading the NL in strikeouts with 231 through 29 starts. He is 9-8 with a 2.70 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP. Currently, he is on pace to reach 200 innings for the third straight season. Batters’ average against him this year is .215. His record is 9-8, which could hurt him, but unfortunately; the New York Mets’ lineup is not in his control.

The 31-year-old is fourth in innings pitched this season. He has continued to show his durability and his ability to go deep into his starts.

Next. Jonny Venters looking to keep pitching. dark

His last four starts all need to be dominant if he wants to repeat as Cy Young. The needs to continue to lower his WHIP and ERA, as well as striking out as many batters as possible.
This is a wide-open race, but one that he has control of because of his well-roundedness and he has been one of the hottest pitchers in baseball.

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