NY Mets ace Jacob deGrom’s Cy Young competitors for 2021

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JULY 24: Jacob deGrom #48 of the New York Mets smiles as he leaves the game after the fifth inning against the Atlanta Braves during Opening Day at Citi Field on July 24, 2020 in New York City. The 2020 season had been postponed since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) /

The Cy Young Award is an annual award given to the best pitcher in each of the American and National Leagues. It is among the most prestigious awards in all of sports, and it just so happens that New York Mets‘ ace Jacob deGrom is once again one of the favorites to take home the hardware.

Despite the fact deGrom will be 33-years-old in 2021, the Mets pitcher is only getting better. The shortstop-turned-starting pitcher has been arguably the best pitcher in all of baseball over the past three seasons, having won back-to-back Cy Young awards in 2018 and 2019.

This past season, despite coming in third place for the award, he posted a 2.38ERA with an absurd 13.8 strikeouts per nine innings over 68 innings pitched. As he continues to age, he is only getting better, and it is a scary sight for opponents.

Taking a look at Mets ace Jacob deGrom’s top competition for the 2021 National League Cy Young Award

It may be easy to see why deGrom is the man to beat for the honor, but there is surely plenty of competition. Let’s take a look at the Mets’ superstar’s competition for the 2021 National League Cy Young…

Notable Others

Now, anybody can breakout and challenge deGrom for the award. Who knows, maybe even teammate Marcus Stroman even returns from his one-year hiatus with elite numbers.

Nonetheless, some players simply are viewed as that tier 1B pitcher, a guy who is All-Star caliber, but trailing the 1A All-Star and Cy Young level players. Two of those are Philadelphia Phillies starter Aaron Nola and San Diego Padres starter Blake Snell.

The to-be 28-year-old Nola owns a career 3.47ERA, and just posted a career-high 12.1 strikeout per nine-inning mark in 2020. Yet he has not come close to matching his 2018 stats where he finished third in Cy Young voting. Similarly, Blake Snell has been fantastic in recent years, though not the shutdown starter he was when he won the 2018 American League Cy Young.

Three other guys on that 1B pitching tier are Jack Flaherty, Luis Castillo, Max Fried, and Dinelson Lamet. All four have flashed that top-notch capability yet has not yet ironed out to be tier-one contenders.

ARLINGTON, TEXAS – OCTOBER 27: Clayton Kershaw #22 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates with the Commissioners Trophy after defeating the Tampa Bay Rays 3-1 in Game Six to win the 2020 MLB World Series at Globe Life Field on October 27, 2020 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

SP Clayton Kershaw – Los Angeles Dodgers

Seriously? Clayton Kershaw is still a contender for the Cy Young?

Absolutely! How could he not be? It is easy to understand why he may be counted out, given his lengthy injury history in recent years.

However, this is still Clayton Kershaw. The Los Angeles Dodgers star and future Hall of Fame pitcher that has made eight All-Star games, won the ERA title five times, and also happens to have won the National League Cy Young Award five times.

Not to mention, he finally has that World Series ring to add to his already impressive resume.

In the 60-game, pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Kershaw started ten games, posting a 2.16ERA with a 0.840 WHIP. To put that into perspective, both are lower marks than deGrom had this past season and Kershaw’s lowest since 2016.

As long as Clayton Kershaw is on that mound, he is going to be a threat to take home the National League Cy Young award. That has simply been the expectation since he arrived in the majors.

Kershaw will be 33-years-old in 2021, which may be the same age as deGrom, but the Dodger has been around six years longer. He also does not strikeout batters at the same rate he once did.

At the end of the day, Kershaw’s chances of winning the award come down to two factors – his health and efficiency. And given his 2.43 career ERA and 2020 mark of 6.3 hits per nine innings, Kershaw is not slowing down anytime soon.

CHICAGO – SEPTEMBER 25: Yu Darvish #11 of the Chicago Cubs pitches against the Chicago White Sox on September 25, 2020 at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Ron Vesely/Getty Images) /

SP Yu Darvish – San Diego Padres

Like Kershaw, Yu Darvish has had his fair share of injuries in the past that would make one question his ability to stay healthy. Except, Darvish has stayed healthy for the past two seasons, and was the runner-up for the award this past season.

Coming in second place in 2020, Darvish had an 8-3 record in 12 starts. He posted a 2.01ERA, 11.0 strikeouts per nine innings, and had 2.7 wins above replacement. For the four-time All-Star, it was by far one of his most impressive seasons, if not the best of his career.

The question now becomes, can Darvish replicate it? After all, he posted a 3.98ERA the year prior and has only a 12-game sample size of being an elite National League starter.

Only time will tell, though, the chances could be better than one might think.

Darvish will be 34-years-old and is now heading to the west coast as the Cubs dealt him to the San Diego Padres earlier this off-season. He joins a strong rotation of Blake Snell, Dinelson Lamet, Chris Paddack, and Joe Musgrove.

Darvish is clearly the elder statesmen of their, then again, he did earn multiple first-place Cy Young votes last season. He also has flashed this elite level pitching in the past, and now will look to maintain it.

In other words, Darvish makes for the biggest wild card of the group because of his ups and downs. Depending on which version shows up in 2021, the Padres could have a big-time Cy Young candidate leading their team.

ARLINGTON, TEXAS – OCTOBER 06: Walker Buehler #21 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts after striking out Trent Grisham #2 of the San Diego Padres during Game One of the National League Divisional Series at Globe Life Field on October 06, 2020 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

SP Walker Buehler – Los Angeles Dodgers

Back in 2017, Los Angeles Dodgers’ pitching prospect Walker Buehler appeared in eight games out of the bullpen, posting a 7.71ERA in 9.1 innings. Of course, he was never supposed to be a relief pitcher, yet his immediate impact in the starting rotation the following year was fantastic.

He finished third in National League Rookie of the Year voting in 2018 after pitching a 2.62ERA in 24 games (23 starts). Buehler earned his spot in the rotation that year and made it clear he has a very bright future.

Then in 2019, Buehler made his first All-Star game, as he ended the season with a 14-4 record to go with a 3.26ERA in 20 starts. Even during a rather underwhelming 2020 regular season, Buehler still had a 3.44ERA in eight starts. That was until a fantastic playoff stretch put Buehler’s name amongst the top pitchers in all of baseball entering 2021.

Buehler started six games in the playoffs, striking out 83 over 61.1 innings. He had a 2.35ERA in the playoffs and pitched a scoreless gem in his six frames in the Dodgers’ huge game six win of the NLCS.

Now looking towards the 2021 season, Buehler looks to go from a playoff hero and top starter to among the elite in the game. And chances are, as he is only 26-years-old, Buehler can become among the annual Cy Young candidates in the National League.

Buehler is the youngest of the threats to deGrom chasing his third Cy Young and given his Cy Young-based incentives in his new deal, he has an extra push to take home the hardware.

WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 26: Max Scherzer #31 of the Washington Nationals pitches against the New York Mets during game 1 of a double header at Nationals Park on September 26, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) /

SP Max Scherzer – Washington Nationals

As previously mentioned, there are always a handful of pitchers who are annual Cy Young candidates. Jacob deGrom has been one for the past three years and Clayton Kershaw has been one for the past decade.

And joining them is none other than Washington Nationals starting pitcher Max Scherzer.

The 36-year-old is the oldest of deGrom’s competition, and the most established behind Kershaw. Scherzer is a seven-time All-Star pitcher who also happens to have three Cy Young awards to his name, including two of them being back-to-back in 2016 and 2017.

What is the most terrifying about Scherzer is the fact that he is being rather overlooked. From 2015-2019, he never had an earned run average above 2.96 and started at least 30 games all but one of those seasons.

Whereas in 2020, Scherzer was one of the many superstars who never truly found his footing in the 60-game sprint. He started 12 games, going 5-4 with a 3.74ERA. He also gave up 9.4 hits per nine innings, his highest mark since 2011.

Given his numbers in 2020 and his age, Scherzer may be exiting his prime, which would be music to Mets fan’s ears. Then again, this is Max Scherzer, and he is going to have something to prove going into a contract season.

The Washington Nationals won the World Series in 2019 and are going to look to the veteran Scherzer to lead not only himself but the team in a bounce-back campaign. Taking into consideration he was a top-five finisher, if not winner, of the Cy Young award from 2013-2019, do not be surprised if he is a finalist once again.

CINCINNATI, OH – SEPTEMBER 23: Trevor Bauer #27 of the Cincinnati Reds pitches during the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Great American Ball Park on September 23, 2020 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

SP Trevor Bauer – Los Angeles Dodgers

Last but not least, deGrom’s top 2021 Cy Young competitors would not be complete without the reigning winner – Trevor Bauer.

The longtime Cleveland Indians starter was dealt to the Cincinnati Reds in 2019, where he had a 6.39ERA in ten starts. It appeared as a lost trade, at least until he settled in during the shortened season.

Bauer was unhittable this past season, leading the league with only 5.1 hits per nine innings to go with a 1.73ERA and 0.795WHIP. While it may be only 12 starts, deGrom had 6.3 hits per nine innings with a 0.912WHIP to go with his 1.70ERA during his amazing Cy Young season in 2018.

Ultimately, Bauer finished the 2020 season having won the National League Cy Young award in his first full season out of the American League, as well as placing tenth in MVP voting.

Prior to his 2020 season, Bauer was a solid starting pitcher, with only one other elite season, being his All-Star campaign in 2018. At the same time, it did not affect his market once so ever as he was a free agent this off-season.

The New York Mets were one of two finalists for Bauer, as they hoped to pair him with deGrom. Instead, Bauer headed to the Dodgers, joining Kershaw and Buehler to form a terrifying three-headed-monster of starters. Thus, leaving the Mets now looking at what could have been with their own starting rotation.

While it may be brutal to watch Bauer pitch for the Dodgers for Mets fans knowing he could have been in Queens, it would be even worse to watch Bauer take another Cy Young from deGrom this season.

Next. Which free agent did the Mets need most?

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In the end, who knows who will win the 2021 National League Cy Young Award, but one thing for sure is that Jacob deGrom will have plenty of competition.