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

2014 MLB National League Cy Young Odds and Predictions: Favorites, Dark Horses and Sleepers : When discussing the National League Cy Young Award, the conversation has to start with Los Angeles Dodgers’ ace Clayton Kershaw. The defending winner of the award has earned the honor twice in the last three seasons, and if he doesn’t repeat, it is basically a lock that the NL will have a first-time winner. After all, 2012 winner R.A. Dickey is now in the American League while former winners Roy Halladay and Tim Lincecum have experienced a dramatic decline in their production the past couple of season. Throw in a crop of young, talented pitchers that are coming into their own, and while Kershaw is the clear frontrunner, he isn’t the only contender for the NL Cy Young in 2014. With that in mind, here is a breakdown of all the legitimate candidates.

The Favorite

Coming off his second Cy Young in three years, Los Angeles starter Clayton Kershaw is the unquestioned favorite to win the award again in 2014. Kershaw has led the NL in ERA and WHIP in each of the past three seasons, and he has led the league in strikeouts twice in the past three seasons. Kershaw will only be 26 when the season begins, and his ERA has been below 3.00 in all five seasons as a full-time starter. The lefty is currently the best in the business.

The Dark Horses

He is the workhorse for the St. Louis Cardinals, and Adam Wainwright is coming off a year when he led the NL in starts and innings pitched. He also finished seventh in ERA and WHIP and third in strikeouts. Meanwhile, his 19 wins led the NL. Wainwright has been progressively better in two seasons following elbow surgery, and he shows no signs of slowing down.

Although the Phillies had a horrible year, starter Cliff Lee was actually pretty stout. He ranked second in strikeouts, third in innings pitched, fourth in WHIP and sixth in ERA. If Lee can just repeat his numbers from a year ago, the lefty will be on the conversation for the Cy Young. If he gets traded to a contender as many expect, his chances only increase.

San Francisco left Madison Bumgarner came into his own last year, ranking in the top five in the NL in ERA, WHIP and opponent batting average. He also ranked seventh in the league with 199 strikeouts. Bumgarner is only 24 so he is just entering his prime. His breakout season from a year ago could be the start of something special.

Sleeper Special

He will have to improve on his 3.00 ERA from a year ago in order to win the Cy Young, but there is no denying just how nasty Stephen Strasburg’s stuff is. The Washington starter ranked sixth in WHIP last year and fourth in opponent batting average, and he struck out 191 batters in just 183.0 innings. Nagging injuries that cost him a few starts didn’t help his cause last season, but if Strasburg can throw at least 200 innings, his overall numbers will likely be impressive enough to put him in the Cy Young mix.

Defending Rookie of the Year Jose Fernandez was nothing short of incredible last season. He finished second in the NL in ERA and third in WHIP while leading the majors with a .182 batting average against. He also struck out 187 batters in 172.2 innings and went 12-6 for an otherwise horrible Miami team. Playing for such a terrible team is going to cap his win total again in 2014, but if the Marlins remove the innings restriction that prematurely ended his season last year, Fernandez clearly has the stuff to win a Cy Young.

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