Wainwright is the favorite to win the award at this point, as he is tied for the NL-lead in wins with nine, and ranks among the league leaders with a 2.34 ERA and 91 strikeouts. The St. Louis Cardinals’ ace has already thrown a couple of shutout ball games this season, and is finally showing his potential after fully recovering from Tommy John surgery. There is no doubt that Wainwright has one of the best arms in the NL, and isn’t it ironic that his biggest challenge in the Cy Young race could come from one of his own teammates in rookie Shelby Miller. Miller is 7-3 with a 1.91 ERA and a WHIP under 1.00, and while he got a bit of a late start to the season there is still time for him to catch the big guns. Miller’s potential is a big reason why the Cardinals let Kyle Lohse walk via free agency, and he is proving the organization right with his unbelievable stuff.
Breaking up the St. Louis starters at the top of this list is the best pitcher that the Washington Nationals have had this season, and it is not Stephen Strasburg. Jordan Zimmermann is 9-3 with a 2.00 ERA, and while his strikeout numbers aren’t nearly as good as Wainwright’s, his WHIP is lower and he has been doing an excellent job of attacking hitters and forcing bad swings. Zimmerman is tied with Wainwright in wins, but he must keep his ERA and WHIP down in order to have a chance.
2011 Cy Young award winner Clayton Kershaw is ranked third in the NL in strikeouts with 96 and has posted an outstanding 1.88 ERA, but he is just 5-4 this season and needs to put up more www.betonline.com wins with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Wild Card in the debate for the early NL Cy Young award candidates right now is Arizona Diamondbacks’ starter Patrick Corbin, who is 9-0 with a 1.98 ERA on the year. With a win total equal to both Wainwright and Zimmermann and a better ERA, a case can be made for Corbin even though his strikeout numbers aren’t as good as Wainwright and his WHIP isn’t as good as either of theirs. There is still time for things to change, and consistency will be the key for Corbin the remainder of the way. Atlanta Braves’ starter Mike Minor is another dark horse at 8-2 with a 2.44 ERA thanks to some quality strikeout numbers, while New York Mets’ starter Matt Harvey has really struggled following a quality start to the year and is still just 5-0 with a 2.10 ERA despite ranking fourth in the NL with 95 strikeouts.
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