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AL Cy Young Race: Who is Corey Kluber’s Competition to Take Home the Award?

By Benno Martens

Sep 6, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Corey Kluber (28) delivers in the first inning against the Houston Astros at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 6, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Corey Kluber (28) delivers in the first inning against the Houston Astros at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /
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Masahiro Tanaka – New York Yankees

Sep 10, 2016; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka (19) pitches in the 2nd inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 10, 2016; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka (19) pitches in the 2nd inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports /

When the New York Yankees dealt the likes of Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller, and Carlos Beltran, and sent Alex Rodriguez riding off into the sunset a couple of months ago, the entirety of the baseball world wrote the team off for 2016. At the time of the July 31st non-waiver trade deadline, the Yankees were 52-52 and sitting seven games back in the AL East.

What has happened since has been one of the more interesting stories of this MLB season, as the club called up a gaggle of youngsters, began to see veterans perform again, and surged back into the pennant and wild card races.  Since August 1st, the “Baby Bombers” are 25-15, have climbed back to within four games in the division, and sit just two games out of the second wild card spot.

A big reason why New York wasn’t further back at the deadline and why they’ve been so hot since the deadline, has been the performance of Tanaka. The 27-year old from Japan has been among the most consistently solid pitchers in the AL since Opening Day, and especially in the past month and a half, when the team is 7-1 in games with him on the mound.

Tanaka is 13-4 with a 3.04 ERA in 186.2 innings over 29 starts, and like Kluber, his name is all over the top ten lists of statistical leaders among pitchers in the AL. Heading into play on Wednesday, Tanaka is in the top four in the advanced metrics of bWAR, ERA+, FIP, adjusted pitching runs, adjusted pitching wins, base-out runs saved, base-out wins saved, and situational wins saved.

Also like Kluber, the more traditional numbers are kind to Tanaka, as he places among the leaders in wins, ERA, innings pitched, WHIP, and strikeout-to-walk rate. Despite all of this success, though, and despite his playing for the heavily-covered Yankees, it feels as though he has managed to fly under the radar.

But under the radar or not, Tanaka is having one of the best seasons by a pitcher in the Bronx in quite some time, and will certainly garner consideration in the Cy Young race. If New York is somehow able to pull off the incredible feat of making the playoffs, his candidacy will only be bolstered.

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