2014 MLB AL Cy Young Odds and Predictions: Favorites, Dark Horses and Sleepers

2014 MLB American League Cy Young Odds and Predictions: Favorites, Dark Horses and Sleepers: The American League Cy Young Award has been up for grabs in recent years. Since Johan Santana won the honor a second time in 2006, seven different players have won the AL Cy Young, and all seven have been first-time winners. Last year, Detroit’s Max Scherzer became the latest first-time winner, and while he and other former winners should be in the mix again in 2014, the streak of first-time winners could certainly be extended. After all, last year’s strikeout champ Yu Darvish and ERA champ Anibal Sanchez have never won a Cy Young, and both figure to be stout again this season. With that in mind, here is a closer look at how the contenders for the 2014 AL Cy Young Award stack up.

The Favorites

Although he didn’t win the Cy Young last season, an argument could be made that Yu Darvish was the most unhittable pitcher in the majors. After all, the Rangers’ ace led the majors with 277 strikeouts in just 209.2 innings. He also led the AL with a .194 batting average against while ranking fourth in the league in both ERA and WHIP. Darvish ended up second in the Cy Young voting last year, and if he puts up similar numbers in 2014, he will be right back in the conversation.

It all came together for Max Scherzer last season, and he walked away with his first Cy Young Award. His MLB-leading 21 wins no doubt helped his cause, but Scherzer also finished second in the AL in strikeouts and batting average against while posting the fifth-best ERA and AL-leading 0.97 WHIP. Scherzer has always had powerful stuff, but last season, he was finally able to consistently command his pitches. If his command stays true in 2014, there is no reason he can’t repeat.

The Dark Horses

He was the surprise third-place finisher in the Cy Young voting last year, and Seattle’s Hisashi Iwakuma could be even better in his third year in the majors. He posted the second-best WHIP in the majors in 2013 and ranked third in both ERA and batting average against. Of course, injuries have been an issue for Iwakuma dating back to his days in Japan, and he could miss the first couple of weeks of the 2014 season. That being said, a few weeks will not doom his chances assuming he pitches like he did last year.

It was a bit of an off year by his standards, but Felix Hernandez still finished 2013 ranked sixth in ERA, seventh in WHIP and fifth in strikeouts. The Seattle ace has long been the victim of a lack of run support, but that didn’t stop him from winning the Cy Young in 2010 despite a 13-12 record. Hernandez is a small improvement in his numbers away from being one of the best in the AL once again in 2014, and writing off “King Felix” when he has yet to turn 28 is just foolish.

His 2.57 ERA led the AL last season, and Detroit starter Anibal Sanchez was solid in the other categories, as well. He finished sixth in strikeouts and batting average against and ninth in WHIP. He also allowed just nine home runs all year. If Sanchez can push some of his other stats into the top five while challenging for another ERA title, he will be an defendant factor in the Cy Young race.

Sleeper Special

Playing for a terrible White Sox squad left Chris Sale with an 11-14 record, but his overall numbers were still impressive enough to help him finish fifth in the Cy Young voting last season. He finished third in the AL in both strikeouts and WHIP, and his four complete games were tied for the league lead. Sale also finished seventh in the AL in ERA and batting average against. Ultimately, he has to find a way to improve his record a bit in order to win the Cy Young, but his stuff is clearly among the best in the business.

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