2010 MLB Predictions: Cy Young Award Winners

Last year I predicted that Zack Greinke would win the American League Cy Young award, and I nailed that one.

I thought Cole Hamels would win the National League version of the award, and, well, that didn’t turn out quite like I expected.

The Cy Young Award is an honor given annually in baseball to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball, one each for the American League and National League.

The award was first introduced in 1956 by baseball commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young, who died in 1955.

The award was originally given to the single best pitcher in the major leagues, but in 1967, after the retirement of Frick, the award was given to one pitcher in each league.

Let’s take a look at who the candidates are for this year’s Cy Young Awards and who I think will win it.

National League

Candidates: Dan Haren, Roy Halladay, Tim Lincecum, Josh Johnson, Adam Wainwright, Yovani Gallardo

Winner: Roy Halladay, Philadelphia Phillies

Usually this award is reserved for someone in the NL West, but Halladay’s arrival in the NL changes things. Halladay has been rescued from the brutal AL East, where he had to pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays, New York Yankees, and Boston Red Sox.

Since 2005, Halladay is 81-37 with a 3.01 ERA pitching against those teams and others in the AL. Now he gets to pitch against the New York Mets, San Diego Padres, and Pittsburgh Pirates.

Pitching on the best team in the league, I think Halladay runs away with the award.

American League

Candidates: Matt Garza, CC Sabathia, Jon Lester, Felix Hernandez, Zack Greinke

Winner: Jon Lester, Boston Red Sox

I have the same feeling about Lester this year that I had about Greinke last year. A lot of these predictions are made by my gut, and my gut feels really good about Lester this year.

Lester was a machine last year, but his numbers didn’t reflect how dominant he was last year. In the first half of last year, Lester would be cruising in a game and then all of a sudden give up five runs in the fifth inning.

Lester fixed that problem in the second half and went 7-2 with a 2.82 ERA. I say he carries his second half from last year over to this year.

Tomorrow I will cover the two most important individual awards there are—the American League and National League MVPs.

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