(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
For the most part of this 2018 MLB season, the NL candidate for the Cy Young award seemed like a lock as the New York Mets Jacob deGrom has shown to be the best pitcher on the mound. His below 2.00 ERA landed him as the starter on the MLB All Star Game and a sure bet to win the coveted pitching award.
But there is just one problem, deGrom is stuck on a team that doesn’t give him run support and his record shows as he is 5-7 in 22 starts, which also means that he has 10 no decisions. His other stats are outstanding as he has 173 K’s in 146.1 innings pitched, an actual ERA of 1.85, and a 0.97 WHIP as of August 7th.
So if fans are looking for a true NL Cy Young candidate, what are the things they look for, well wins is one key element. Any starter that can put up big numbers and lead the league with wins, should be considered a sure in for the award.
What if the best pitcher in the game is just on the wrong team, is that his fault? But looking at the best pitcher for the award, unfortunately giving it to a guy who is under .500 in wins, is not an option, just blame it on his teammates.
At 15-5 and winner of his last five starts, the Washington Nationals Max Scherzer looks like the favorite to overtake deGrom and steal the award.
Is there even a possibility that deGrom can regain momentum and become the favorite again? Well the Mets will need to actually score runs during his remaining starts to give him the chance to win an award that has his name written all over it.
With roughly 10 starts left in the 2018 season, at this point deGrom is a long shot to gain the advantage again, unless somehow the Mets can make him a winner in at least eight of those games. Now of course that will determine how many wins any other starter including Scherzer ends up with.
But with the best ERA in the game, deGrom sure deserves the chance to take home the trophy. Maybe the Mets will finally figure that out before the season is over.
