(Way too) Early Cy Young Awards

With the Twins game in another rain delay, I realized I don't want to have to wait for it to end to do today's entry, as it could get late and I have some work to do. Therefore, I decided to focus on another game that happened today between the Mets and the Phillies. Johan Santana stayed red hot, pitching 7 innings and allowing only 5 baserunners and no runs. He also struck out ten. So far this season, he's 4-1 with a 0.91 WHIP and ERA and 54 strikeouts in 39.2 innings. That's good for a rate of 12.25 K/9 and 4.5 K/BB, in addition to a measly .168 batting average against. If not for the Mets' paltry 12 runs scored in his six starts, he could easily be 6-0 already.

6-0? Well, there is somebody who is 6-0... Zack Greinke. His fast start has been much more heralded (and with good reason), but Santana is not far behind. The two are clearly the top choices if anybody (as I am) were foolish enough to talk about a Cy Young award in early May. Greinke, for the year, has a 0.40 ERA and 0.84 WHIP, 54 strikeouts in 45 innings, and 3 complete games and 2 shutouts. His K/9 is 10.8, his BB/9 a slim 1.6, and his K/BB 6.75, while opponents are hitting .189 against him. In essence, both pitchers have turned every opposing hitter into Alexi Casilla circa 2009. Sorry, but I couldn't resist another jab at the poor guy.

My point is simply that these guys have both been pitching out of this world and, at this point, are head and shoulders above anybody else in their respective leagues. Both of them have a good shot at earning the Cy Young honor when it actually counts at the end of the year.

[Edit, 5/7/09, 12:30 PM: These two certainly have been spectacular, but there is one more pitcher who I feel deserved to be mention, rather than just saying there's no one close: Dan Haren. He's got a 1.47 ERA, a 0.74 WHIP, 47 strikeouts against 7 walks, and a .167 opponent average in 43 innings. He had even worse support than Santana, though, as the D-Backs scored just 1 run in his first three starts. He lost all three and thus is only 3-3 on the season. I just didn't feel I was being fair if I didn't mention Haren.]

Sorry for the lack of Twins writing of late, and for the shorter entries in general, but it's finals time so this is all we can muster. Twin #2 finishes classes this week, and I'll be done at the end of next week, at which point things will pick right back up. There will definitely still be posts in the interim, though, so be sure to keep checking in!