Don't discount Josh Johnson, solid, very solid start, and with a Jimmenez poor second half, couple with an equally solid second half, Johnson could win it.
Over in the AL, Hughes has been lights out, but so has David Price, who has the better second half will decide it.
Don't rule out Andy, Clay Buchotlz, or even Jon Lester
ANY OTHER PITCHER INCLUDES THE FRONTRUNNER???
http://www.examiner.com/sports-in-b...y-buchholz-leading-the-al-cy-young-award-race
Red Sox ace Clay Buchholz leading the AL Cy Young Award race
- August 23rd, 2010 1:53 am ET
Clay Buchholz #11 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates after teammate Bill Hall made a diving catch.Photo: (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
If the season ended today, how could you not give the Cy Young Award to Clay Buchholz?
It’s impossible to overstate exactly how amazing Clay Buchholz has been this season. He is in the middle of the best season of any Red Sox starting pitcher since Pedro Martinez in 2003.
While pitching in the American League East, Clay Buchholz is 15-5 with a league leading 2.26 ERA. He hasn’t allowed an earned run in 23.1 innings. He shutdown the New York Yankees in his last start against them, going 7.1 innings and giving up only three runs.
This was right before the highly (over)paid John Lackey and Josh Beckett were humiliated by the powerful Yankees lineup.
He has a 0.82 ERA against the Tampa Bay Rays this season in two starts.
Prior to the All-Star break, Buchholz was 10-4 with a 2.45 ERA. Post All-Star break, with his team desperately clinging to their dwindling playoff hopes, Buchholz is 4-1 with a 2.18 ERA.
In the month of August he’s been lights-out. Buchholz is 4-0 with a microscopic 0.99 ERA. He’s given up 4 earned runs in 36.1 innings.
Point is, he’s been pretty good.
Buchholz is first in ERA, second in wins, and third in hits per nine innings. He’s done this in a division that features the first and third best offenses in baseball (New York and Tampa Bay respectively), as well as the best home run hitting team in the majors (Toronto).
Of the guys he’s competing against, only David Price has played against the same level of offensive competition. But Price hasn’t been as good.
Price and Buchholz have identical 15-5 records. Buchholz has a better ERA (2.26 vs. 2.97) and a better WHIP (1.20 vs. 1.26). He gives up less hits per nine innings. He has a higher WAR (wins above replacement pitcher). He gives up less home runs per nine innings. His adjusted ERA leads the league by a large margin.
The only arguments for Price over Buchholz are his strikeout numbers (his 2.11 strikeout to walk ratio is better than Buchholz’ 1.83) and the additional 18.1 innings he’s thrown.
That’s simply not enough. Buchholz has been better. He’s been the most dominant pitcher in the American League, and maybe all of baseball.
And he deserves to be the odds-on-favorite to win the AL Cy Young Award.
