David Price and R.A. Dickey would get my first place votes for the American and National League Cy Young Awards which will be announced Wednesday evening.
David Price is one of several pitchers competing for the American League Cy Young Award, the winner will be announced Wednesday Night. It's a busy week for Major League Baseball. Teams are wheeling and dealing, trades are being made, rosters are being re-shaped and awards are being announced.
Wednesday evening, the American and National league Cy Young awards will be announced. Both are expected to be hotly contested.
The American League features three very qualified candidates: Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers, David Price of the Tampa Bay Rays and Jared Weaver of the Los Angeles Angels.
My vote would go to Price and I think he will ultimately win the award. He's coming off a fantastic season in which he tied for the AL lead in wins with 20 while leading the league with a 2.56 ERA.
Price had his best season as a big leaguer, registering 205 strikeouts in 211 innings.
Second place should go to last year's winner, Verlander. While he had another exceptional season, it was a drop-off from his Cy Young/MVP season of 2011. Verlander was 17-8 with a 2.64 ERA, leading the AL in strikeouts (239) and complete games (six).
Weaver just might have been the best pitcher of 2012. Yet he missed some time due to injury, and he pitched fewer innings than either of the other top contenders.
He still managed to finish with a record of 20-5, matching Price for the league lead in wins. His ERA was 2.81 and he had 142 strikeouts in 188.2 innings pitched.
Weaver also threw a no-hitter on May 2, but his lack of innings will hurt him in the voting. If healthy, he might have run away with this award. But Price and Verlander were both exceptional and more durable, as well.
Look for the final vote to be very close. There's no clear-cut winner among this group.
A similar dynamic exists in the National League.
Clayton Kershaw, the defending Cy Young winner, had a great 2012, but it wasn't as good as his 2011. Kershaw led the NL with a 2.53 ERA, going 14-9 with 229 strikeouts in 227.2 innings pitched. Those are outstanding numbers, but they don't stand out as much as R.A. Dickey's do.
Dickey, one of baseball's best stories at 38 years old, had a career year throwing primarily a knuckleball for the New York Mets.
Dickey finished 20-6 with a 2.73 ERA, leading the National League in innings pitched, strikeouts, complete games and shutouts. It was a magical season for Dickey and it should result in the Cy Young award.
Of course, the Washington Nationals' Gio Gonzalez might have something to say about Dickey's quest for a Cy Young.
Gonzalez, acquired last winter from the Oakland A's, finally developed into an ace. He finished 21-8 with a 2.89 ERA and 207 strikeouts in 199.1 innings pitched.
It was an outstanding year for Gonzalez, but on my ballot he'd finish third. Kershaw would finish second and Dickey would get the nod for the award.
The American and National League MVP Awards will be announced on Thursday Night.