Chris Sale is turning some heads in the AL Central while Strasburg’s fellow NL East young gun, Brandon Beachy of the Braves, is keeping opponents off the scoreboard at an impressive rate. David Price and Jeremy Hellickson, both of the Rays, are well on their way to long, successful careers, as well.
But which one is likely to win a Cy Young Award first?
Strasburg made his MLB debut in 2010, starting 12 games and putting up a 5-3 record to match a 2.91 ERA. Last season, he was limited to just five starts due to injury and was forced to undergo Tommy John surgery. This year, the 23-year-old is showing no ill effects as he’s jumped out to a 6-1 record and a 2.35 ERA, striking out 79 batters in 65 innings pitched.
Price, who made his MLB debut in 2008, already has 49 wins to his name. The 26-year-old lefty won 19 games and notched a 2.71 ERA in 2010 to finish second in Cy Young voting. This year, he’s already bagged eight wins, just four shy of last year’s season total.
Beachy has the goods to make a big impact in the NL East, as the 25-year-old is leading the MLB with a 1.87 ERA through 11 starts this year. Although he has just 12 career wins to his name (five this year) since making his debut in 2010, Beachy has 241 strikeouts in 229 innings.
Another 25-year-old, Hellickson, entered the league in 2010 with plenty of hype. He responded with a 4-0 record in his first year and followed that up by going 13-10 with a 2.95 ERA last year. So far this season, he has just four wins in 11 starts but his 2.69 ERA puts him in the top 20 in the entire MLB.
Sale made his debut back in 2010 but made his debut as a start this year. Through his first 10 career starts, he has a 7-2 record with a AL-best 2.30 ERA to go with 69 Ks in 66 2/3 frames.
Whch of these young guns will bag a Cy Young Award before the others? Vote below.
Which of these young pitchers will most likely be the first to win a Cy Young Award?
