In the history of the MLB, no pitcher has ever won three Cy Young awards before turning 27. The Cy Young award is given to the best pitcher in the league, and Clayton Kershaw might be the first player to ever win a third Cy Young in four years after the season is over.
Hopefully, he adds a World Series ring to his trophy case as well. Despite missing six starts at the beginning of the season due to a back injury, Kershaw is still leading the entire MLB in wins. Kershaw’s earned run average (ERA) sits at 1.70, which is lower than Sandy Koufax’s best year (1.73 ERA). This will be Kershaw’s second straight season with an ERA under two and his fourth year in a row leading the MLB in ERA.
With the Cy Young guaranteed pending an absolute collapse during the last month of the season, he will be setting history. The question on the minds of baseball fans, writers, and players alike is can Kershaw win the MVP? A pitcher winning the MVP is a very gray area. Justin Verlander became the first pitcher since 1992 to win the award when he took home the Cy Young and MVP in 2011.
A National League pitcher has not won the award since Bob Gibson’s record setting year in 1968. Winning the award is achievable, but it has become very rare. The argument against pitchers is that they have their own award (Cy Young), and they don’t play enough. A pitcher will play in only 35 games during the season opposed to 140 or more. Every day, players have more impact on the team day to day, but a pitcher can be just as valuable.
Right now Kershaw’s WAR (wins above replacement), which tracks how many wins a player is worth to his team, is leading the MLB with a 7.4 WAR. In games that Kershaw pitches, the Dodgers are 19-4, while games he doesn’t pitch they are 59-58. Despite not playing everyday, it is hard to say that one player has more of an impact on his team than Kershaw.
If Kershaw didn’t lose six starts to injury at the beginning of the year, there is no doubt he could have unanimously won the MVP award, but there’s no dwelling on the past. The MVP race is much different than a year ago. Paul Goldschmidt and early MVP front-runner Troy Tulowitzki are both out for the year following injuries. Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina missed a good chunk of the season, and Pirates centerfielder Andrew McCutchen just came off the disabled list. Right now, Kershaw’s main competition is Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton.
Stanton is having a tremendous year: 36 home runs and 102 runs batted in (RBI’s) as of September 4, and he leads the league in on base percentage, slugging percentage, home runs, RBI’s, extra base hits, walks, and total bases. If he was playing on any other team in the league he would be the favorite to win, but the thing he has going against him is playing for the Marlins.
Going back to the controversial 2011 MVP race, the voters made it known that they favor a player on a playoff team, even if he didn’t have the best numbers. While Stanton does have the best numbers, playing for a team that could possibly finish in 4th place doesn’t do much to help his case.
Jonathan Lucroy of the Milwaukee Brewers was also a thought to be a front-runner for the MVP award. He started the All-Star Game for the National League due to Yadier Molina’s injury. He leaders all catchers with a 5.6 WAR and 46 doubles.
The Brewers recent eight game losing streak has dropped them three games behind St. Louis and a half game ahead of Atlanta for the second Wild Card spot. Their recent struggles mixed with his recent struggles no longer have him as one of the favorites.
If Kershaw can win three more games, he will be at 20 wins for the season, one of the most appreciated stats in the game.
Though his lack of innings pitched could hurt him, his numbers should be the only thing that stands out. Kershaw is the best player on one of the best teams in the league. It is hard to say that one single player has more of an impact on his team than Clayton Kershaw does.
Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright has a rough past few starts. The Nationals’ Stephen Strasburg hasn’t put together a 200+ inning season yet. Miami’s Jose Fernandez and the Mets’ Matt Harvey have been hurt all season. Philadelphia’s Cole Hamels has pitched for one of the worst teams in baseball all season.
If Kershaw is able to close out the season with four or five more strong outings, it will be hard to argue with him being the first National League pitcher in 46 years winning the MVP award.
Connor Anthony can be reached at connor.anthony@spartans.ut.edu