Jacob deGrom named a finalist for NL Cy Young Award

The Baseball Writers Association of America announced the finalists for Rookie of the Year, Manager of the Year, Cy Young, and Most Valuable Player on Monday afternoon. New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom was named one of the three finalists for National League Cy Young award and is considered the favorite to win.

The news comes as no surprise after deGrom put together one of the most impressive seasons for a starting pitcher in the modern era. In 32 starts and a total of 217 innings, deGrom led the league with a 1.70 ERA, a 216 ERA+, a 1.98 FIP, and a 0.4 HR/9. He finished the year with a 10.0 bWAR, 269 strikeouts, a 0.912 WHIP, a 32.2% strikeout rate, and a 5.5% walk rate. He is vying to become the first Met to win the award since R.A. Dickey took home the prize in 2012. He would also represent the fourth different Met to win, joining Tom Seaver (1969, 1973, 1975) and Dwight Gooden (1985).

The other two National League Cy Young finalists are Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer and Philadelphia Phillies ace Aaron Nola. Scherzer — who took home the award in the American League in 2013 and in the National League in 2016 and 2017 — led the league with 18 wins, 300 strikeouts, and a 0.911 WHIP and likely represents deGrom’s toughest competition. The American League Cy Young Award will come down to Corey Kluber of the Cleveland Indians, Blake Snell of the Tampa Bay Rays, and Justin Verlander of the Houston Astros.

The National League Manager of the Year award finalists are Bud Black of the Colorado Rockies, Craig Counsell of the Milwaukee Brewers, and Brian Snitker of the Atlanta Braves. In American League, Kevin Cash of the Tampa Bay Rays, Alex Cora of the Boston Red Sox, and Bob Melvin of the Oakland Athletics were named finalists.

The National League Rookie of the Year award will feature two players from rival National League East teams, as Juan Soto of the Nationals and Ronald Acuna Jr. of the Braves were named finalists alongside Walker Buehler of the Los Angeles Dodgers. In the American League, the New York Yankees will have two representatives vying for the award, as Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres were named finalists alongside Los Angeles Angels phenom Shohei Ohtani.

The National League MVP award will come down to Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado, Chicago Cubs infielder Javier Baez, and Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich. The American League MVP award will go to either outfielder Mookie Betts of the world champion Red Sox, third baseman Jose Ramirez of the Indians, and outfielder Mike Trout of the Angels. Trout has won the honor twice before and has finished in the top four in voting in seven consecutive seasons.

Major League Baseball will announce the Rookie of the Year recipients on November 12, the Manager of the Year recipients on November 13, the Cy Young recipient on November 14, and the MVP recipients on November 15. The announcements will be broadcast live at 6:00pm ET on MLB Network.