Can Santana win his 2nd consecutive Cy Young?

[Lynch]

The push is on in Minnesota to get pitcher Johan Santana his second consecutive Cy Young Award. The Twins media relations staff handed out an American League Cy Young Watch release, noting past AL CY Young winners with less than 20 wins. Santana (15-7) has just one start left this season and would need a win to match the lowest win total of any non-relief pitcher to win the award. David Cone had 16 wins in 1994 when he won the Cy Young.

In comparison to Cy Young candidates Bartolo Colon, Jon Garland and Cliff Lee, Santana leads in

• ERA
• innings pitched
• fewest hits allowed
• fewest runs allowed
• strikeouts
• quality starts
• opponents on base percentage (is this the same thing as WHIP?)
• opponents slugging percentage
• lowest opponents batting average

Meanwhile, Santana has the lowest run support of the four pitchers at 4.65. Of Santana's seven losses and 10 no-decisions, he has allowed three runs or fewer in 10 of those games and two runs or fewer in six games. Santana leads all Major League starters in ERA and opponents batting average since the All-Star break.

[mntwinsfan]

Lynch,

Santana needs to win. 16-7 may not be enough, but on the other hand with all the catagories he is leading in he may get the cy young. I say he has to win for a good shot.

[Lynch]

He -should- win it based on the overwhelming fact of the stats he leads in. Pretty much all of the worthwhile pitching stats, he's the leader in, other than wins. Unfortunately, he's pitching on one of the worst offensive teams in the league.

[mntwinsfan]

that may cost him then. If we had a better hitting team that could score runs, his wins would have inproved and he would wins hands down. I hope he wins it. Nathan had a great year as well. Lets see what happens. I think it may be based on wins. But I hope not.

[Lynch]

It's almost always based soley on wins. If Santans does NOT win the cy young, you can be rest assured that the only two reasons he didn't get it would be:

1) not enough wins
2) no playoffs


3) ... if there'd be another reason, it'd be that he won it last year.

[mntwinsfan]

maybe but with all the stats he leads in he should be able to get it. I hope, Let the Twins have 1 good note to end the season with.