Cy Young Award

Justin Verlander won the popular vote, which is worth about as much this week as it was last week.

There's a system for these elections, and we all have to come together and accept Rick Porcello as our 2016 American League Cy Young winner. Hey, it's not that bad.

What does a pitcher need to win the Cy Young Award?

This list will undoubtedly feature some of the top arms in the game. Several of the pitchers here have won the award before, while others have come close—but not close enough. 

Defining an "ace" pitcher in Major League Baseball is difficult because it's subjective. What's more, just about everyone has a different opinion on how many actual "aces" there are and whether specific pitchers qualify or come up just short.

In some ways, however, it's simple: You know an ace when you see one.

But in the interest of trying to make this exercise of identifying the sport's next aces-in-the-making a bit more objective, there needs to be some criteria.

To qualify for this endeavor, a pitcher...

The race for the American League Cy Young Award appears to be so tight it might force even the staunchest of baseball traditionalists to dig deep into the statistics that normally make them cringe.

As the baseball industry awaits the first big transaction of the offseason—sorry, Adam Lind for Marco Estrada doesn't exactly get the juices flowing—the focus shifts temporarily to another matter, the individual awards.

Until there's a major move either in the free-agent market or on the trade front, the chases and races for MVP, Cy Young, Manager of the Year and Rookie of the Year hold our attention.

For most of the 2014 season, Felix Hernandez of the Seattle Mariners has been the undisputed choice to win his second AL Cy Young award. 

But Corey Kluber has produced an incredible second half for the Cleveland Indians, making the decision for voters much more difficult than anticipated.

Both pitchers are deserving of the award.

Ninth in an 11-part series examining the vagaries of awards voting.

It wouldn't be award season without controversy. After MLB Network unveiled the finalists for baseball's four prestigious individual honors, the names left off the list are even more compelling.

The 2013 Detroit Tigers are a month away from postseason baseball, an excellent bet to repeat as American League champions and a marquee attraction for Major League Baseball's broadcasting plan down the stretch of the season.

Part of that allure: Star power.

From Justin Verlander to Prince Fielder to Torii Hunter, the current version of the Detroit Tigers are one of the most recognizable groups in recent memory.

While baseball award predictions are usually thwarted by hot Septembers, cold Septembers and injuries, one cannot deny the fun of it.

The 2013 NL Cy Young race is a particularly interesting debate, since they are a few very good hurlers taking the mound every fifth day, but no clear-cut favorite.

There are so many good NL pitchers this season that I knew I would insult a couple candidates by narrowing the field down down to five contestants.

Jordan Zimmerman, Jason Grilli, and Cliff Lee were my final cuts.