The Top 5 NL Cy Young Contenders in 2009
This has been one of the better seasons of baseball pitching in recent memory, and it's an exciting time to be a baseball fan.
Let's have a look at the pitchers leading the charge in the National League, to see who may have a shot at the coveted Cy Young award.
Dan Haren (11-7, 2.
59 ERA, 0.
89 WHIP).
With the lowest WHIP in baseball, Dan Haren has been lights out for most of the season, limiting his opposition to a.
202 batting average and pitching the majority of his games having given up 5 hits or less all season.
Haren was arguably the best pitcher in baseball for most of the season, having had a 1.
96 ERA as recently as July 18th.
Lately, it hasn't been all great for Haren, who's given up 4 or more ER in three of his last four starts.
Haren is known to drop off during the late part of the season, and should the trend continue, the chances for a Cy Young don't look as good as they did just a few short weeks ago.
Wandy Rodriguez (11-6, 2.
51 ERA, 1.
20 WHIP).
Perhaps the most impressive thing about Wandy Rodriguez (aside from the fact that this season seemingly came out of nowhere) is what he's done on the mound since July.
Rodriguez has been legitimately exceptional since July 2nd, having given up a total of just 4 ER in his last 7 starts (and 47.
0 IP).
That amounts to an ERA of 1.
34 over the span, and if he keeps it up, he's sure to make a legitimate case for himself.
Matt Cain (12-4, 2.
44 ERA, 1.
17 WHIP).
While often overshadowed by his teammate Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain is having a season that any pitcher would be thrilled to have even once in his career.
ERAs this low are generally unheard of nowadays, and Cain is partly responsible for a resurgence of success in San Francisco.
Should Lincecum be hurt or otherwise slip up, Cain's numbers stand pretty well on their own.
Chris Carpenter (12-3, 2.
27 ERA, 0.
98 WHIP).
Who knew that Carpenter still had it.
One of the best pitchers in baseball just a few years ago, Carpenter missed nearly all of 2007 and 2008, and most of the baseball world either forgot about him or wrote him off.
At 34 years old, Carpenter looks as good as ever before, with what has been an incredible season of pitching so far.
Carpenter has amazingly surrendered just 19 walks in 130 innings pitched, one of the reasons for his career low 2.
27 ERA.
It's no coincidence the Cardinals lead their division.
Tim Lincecum (12-3, 2.
19 ERA, 1.
02 WHIP).
Lincecum appears to be the favorite for the Cy Young award at this point, and with good reason.
These numbers are out of control! Between the ERA (best in the NL), his opposition's batting average of.
211, his four complete games, and most notably, his major league-high 205 strikeouts, Lincecum dominates the opposition nearly every time he takes the mound.
He needs a haircut badly, but who really cares when you're putting up numbers like these? It's been a great season of pitching for the National League.
Aside from these five, pitchers like Clayton Kershaw, Johan Santana, Adam Wainwright, Javier Vazquez, and Josh Johnson are all having great seasons and could easily replace another pitcher on this list with some more strong outings.
Let's see what happens from here.
Let's have a look at the pitchers leading the charge in the National League, to see who may have a shot at the coveted Cy Young award.
Dan Haren (11-7, 2.
59 ERA, 0.
89 WHIP).
With the lowest WHIP in baseball, Dan Haren has been lights out for most of the season, limiting his opposition to a.
202 batting average and pitching the majority of his games having given up 5 hits or less all season.
Haren was arguably the best pitcher in baseball for most of the season, having had a 1.
96 ERA as recently as July 18th.
Lately, it hasn't been all great for Haren, who's given up 4 or more ER in three of his last four starts.
Haren is known to drop off during the late part of the season, and should the trend continue, the chances for a Cy Young don't look as good as they did just a few short weeks ago.
Wandy Rodriguez (11-6, 2.
51 ERA, 1.
20 WHIP).
Perhaps the most impressive thing about Wandy Rodriguez (aside from the fact that this season seemingly came out of nowhere) is what he's done on the mound since July.
Rodriguez has been legitimately exceptional since July 2nd, having given up a total of just 4 ER in his last 7 starts (and 47.
0 IP).
That amounts to an ERA of 1.
34 over the span, and if he keeps it up, he's sure to make a legitimate case for himself.
Matt Cain (12-4, 2.
44 ERA, 1.
17 WHIP).
While often overshadowed by his teammate Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain is having a season that any pitcher would be thrilled to have even once in his career.
ERAs this low are generally unheard of nowadays, and Cain is partly responsible for a resurgence of success in San Francisco.
Should Lincecum be hurt or otherwise slip up, Cain's numbers stand pretty well on their own.
Chris Carpenter (12-3, 2.
27 ERA, 0.
98 WHIP).
Who knew that Carpenter still had it.
One of the best pitchers in baseball just a few years ago, Carpenter missed nearly all of 2007 and 2008, and most of the baseball world either forgot about him or wrote him off.
At 34 years old, Carpenter looks as good as ever before, with what has been an incredible season of pitching so far.
Carpenter has amazingly surrendered just 19 walks in 130 innings pitched, one of the reasons for his career low 2.
27 ERA.
It's no coincidence the Cardinals lead their division.
Tim Lincecum (12-3, 2.
19 ERA, 1.
02 WHIP).
Lincecum appears to be the favorite for the Cy Young award at this point, and with good reason.
These numbers are out of control! Between the ERA (best in the NL), his opposition's batting average of.
211, his four complete games, and most notably, his major league-high 205 strikeouts, Lincecum dominates the opposition nearly every time he takes the mound.
He needs a haircut badly, but who really cares when you're putting up numbers like these? It's been a great season of pitching for the National League.
Aside from these five, pitchers like Clayton Kershaw, Johan Santana, Adam Wainwright, Javier Vazquez, and Josh Johnson are all having great seasons and could easily replace another pitcher on this list with some more strong outings.
Let's see what happens from here.