In some years, we have very intense debates on who should win the Cy Young. Right now, though, there is no debate from this writer's perspective on who should be the A.L. Cy Young front runner at this point in time. Dallas Keuchel of the Houston Astros is the clear and indisputable runaway favorite to win the award.
The Astros have jumped to the top of the A.L. West standings and have one of the best records in the American League at 49-38 as play begins on July 9. Along with the resurgence of the team and its fast ascension into first place, there are plenty of other factors in Keuchel’s favor.
As play begins on July 9, Keuchel leads the Majors in innings pitched with 130.1, and leads the American League in wins with 11. He has allowed just 32 runs (31 earned), for an ERA of 14, which also leads the American League. His 4.6 wins above replacement is the highest among A.L. pitchers, and he is fifth in the A.L. with 110 strikeouts. Along with the Oakland Athletics’ Sonny Gray, Tampa Bay Rays' Chris Archer, and Chicago White Sox' Chris Sale, Keuchel is one of just four American League starters to average under one walk per inning pitched.
His numbers are also comparable to his counterparts in the National League. Only Gerrit Cole of the Pittsburgh Pirates has more wins this season (12), and only Zack Greinke of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Max Schrezer of the Washington Nationals, and two others have lower earned run averages in all the Majors.
Other contenders for the A.L. Cy Young this season include Archer with his nine wins and 2.74 ERA and annual contender Felix Hernandez with his 10 wins. However, Keuchel has been an integral part of the Astros' rise this season, and he is pitching as well as just about any starter in the majors this year. For those reasons, Dallas Keuchel earns this writer's vote for the 2015 American League Cy Young award right now.