NL Cy Young

People didn't seem to be too thrilled with my post about the AL Cy Young race, so I figured I'd give it another shot, and discuss the NL race.

The NL has had some great pitchers this year, and there are plenty of guys who deserve to considered for the award. The pitchers include: Dan Haren, Tim Lincecum, Edinson Volquez, and Ryan Dempster. Now clearly, there are a few others who also worthy of consideration, but for this discussion, that is beside the point.

In my mind, the NL Cy Young race has come down to two guys: Brandon Webb and CC Sabathia.

Both guys are having amazing years. In terms of overall records, both pitchers are pretty close. In fact, based solely on overall numbers alone, Sabathia has a slight edge over Webb, as he has a slightly better ERA and about 50 more strikeouts, although Webb has had more wins and less losses.

This, however, is where things get tricky. Since coming over from the Indians, Sabathia has made 11 starts. During that stretch, he has compiled 9 wins and no losses, with a 1.43 ERA, and 85 strikeouts. Of those 9 wins, he has 3 shutouts, including a controversial one-hitter this past weekend, that very easily could have been ruled a no-hitter. These numbers are dominating.

***Editor's Note***
I have reviewed the tapes and there is no way that hit/error can be ruled routine. He had to bare-hand the ball, spin and throw a strike to first to get the runner out. An error occurs when the fielder fails to make a routine play, which this clearly was not

The question is, given the fact that he has only been a National League pitcher since early July, are Sabathia’s numbers good enough to justify a Cy Young?

Webb has been nearly as good as Sabathia, and all of his starts have come as a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Should the fact that all of his success this season has come as a National Leaguer carry any weight in the Cy Young decision?

These are tough questions to answer. I don’t personally see a clear winner. I do, however, expect that when it’s all said and done, Sabathia will be awared the NL Cy Young.