Bedard's CY Chances

[CrimsonTribe]

I don't want to count my chickens or anything, but it's time to put Bedard's name in the AL CY Young hunt. If he keeps pitching the way he is, his name will definitely be in there:

Haren - 23 GS, 155.0 IP, 13-3, 2.44 ERA, 121 Ks, 40 BBs
Santana - 22 GS, 148.0 IP, 11-8, 2.92 ERA, 156 Ks, 35 BBs
Bedard - 23 GS, 147.2 IP, 11-4, 3.05 ERA, 181 Ks, 48 BBs
Beckett - 20 GS, 132.0 IP, 13-5, 3.41 ERA, 123 Ks, 27 BBs
Buerhle - 21 GS, 144.1 IP, 8-6, 3.06 ERA, 85 Ks, 27 BBs
Lackey - 22 GS, 146.2 IP, 13-6, 3.07 ERA, 118 Ks, 41 BBs

As you can see, he's definitely in the thick of it. He's been blowing guys away all year, leading the AL in Ks by far. Haren and Santana are beating him in ERA right now, but I think Haren will eventually fall off; his BABIP has to even out eventually. Plus Haren gets to throw half his games in Oakland. Santana is the biggest threat IMO.

[Halladay_is_God]

I agree that his name belongs on the list but his team has to him games for him to keep up.

His strikeout totals are higher than Santana right now and whhen was the last time Santana didn't have the K's lead.

[Providence A's]

Haren is 13 - 3 after last night's game btw...not 12 - 3

[CrimsonTribe]

Sorry, went w/ ESPNs stats last night which weren't entirely updated. Went to MLB.com today and updated them.

[Providence A's]

you had the ERA right so I thought you just missed it...I think it'll come down to Haren, Bedard, and Santana...Beckett will get a lot of wins, but his ERA won't be as good. I hate Lackey and Buerhle won't have the wins.

[CrimsonTribe]

Don't know why I thought ESPN would have something right. Anyway, I agree that Haren, Santana, and Bedard are the top 3 for now. The other 3 I listed were just to have some other names in there. Beckett has a shot b/c he has the best chance to win a lot of games.

[OrioleFanatic]

Bedard has far more stikeouts than any other Cy Young candidates right now, so I'm guessing he has a big chance in making it. If his wins and ERA stays good.

[Molina00]

I think Bedard has as good a chance as anybody to win the Cy Young. He just won pitcher of the month for July going 5-0 with a 2.21 ERA, and if you take off his horrible April, his ERA since the start of May is something like 2.24. If he had pitched better in April he might even be leading the majors in wins right now, plus he's a strikeout machine. By my calculations he's on pace for 282 K's this season. If he leads in wins and K's, that 2/3rds of the battle right there.

[brewersfan19]

His numbers are great, but in his case of pitching in Baltimore when a guy like Beckett or Sabbathia are having the season they are having, I think his chances are mininmal at best at this point in the season.

[scarfire]

I agree that his name belongs on the list but his team has to him games for him to keep up.

His strikeout totals are higher than Santana right now and whhen was the last time Santana didn't have the K's lead.

2003, it was Esteban Loaiza. However I think Bedard is among the top 3 AL pitchers this year. His W-L record is impressive considering being in a team that currently is below .500.

[CrimsonTribe]

His numbers are great, but in his case of pitching in Baltimore when a guy like Beckett or Sabbathia are having the season they are having, I think his chances are mininmal at best at this point in the season.

The only thing Beckett or Captain Cheeseburger have on Bedard right now is wins, which are a terrible way to evaluate a pitcher. Unfortunately, most national writers will put way too much weight on them, which means you could be right.

[redsrbetter]

I am not sure what they look at when it comes to picking the CY Young. Harang lead the league in Ks and wins for the NL last year and didn't even get a vote. Bedard is a very strong candidate this year, but he is also on a long list of big names. Bedard has to get his name out there.

He struck out 11 TB would-be hitters last night. Dude is one of the best starters in the game right now. Its time for baseball to take notice.

[brewersfan19]

But they are also pitching on playoff contending teams. And sportswriters weigh heavily on that also. Again, I agree with you Crimson, Bedardis having an awesome year. Unfortunately for him, his team is not contending. That is all I meant in my previous post. I hope he gets it, myself. I feel that if awards are going to be handed out, they should be given to the most deserving person. It is a popularity contest just like fans voting for the All-Star games. The casual fan is not going to know who is most deserving and the are going with the most notable name they recognize.

[Dry1313]

Chien Ming Wang: 13-5 3.49 ERA. If Beckett is in this discussion, so should last year's #2.
Fausto Carmona: 13-7, 3.17 ERA. Look at his most recent numbers. 5-2 since 7/1, His last 5 games he's thrown at least 7 innings each time, with his maximum runs allowed at 2.
CC Sabathia: 14-6, 3.56 ERA, 148 Ks. Top Shot at the CY, IMO. 5th in Ks, T-1 in Wins, 12 in ERA. He really should have been on that list.

Haren/Sabathia, if everyone proceeds as is, will win it, with Bedard in the Top 5.

[Turn 2]

The key for Bedard to stay in the Hunt for the Cy Young is keep on Winning and lowering his ERA. The K's are in the bag for him. He is a strikeout machine.