Washington Nationals’ Gio Gonzalez a strong candidate to win National League Cy Young Award - MLB
Gio Gonzalez has left little reason to lengthen the debate on who is going to win the Cy Young Award this year. Name any category and one finds Gonzalez boasting an enviable position. His number of strike-outs shows what he has done to the batters this year.
His ERA can easily make experts question themselves as to why such an incredible arm was not earlier viewed as the possible Cy Young Award winner.
It seems the spotlight that Strasburg invited this year thanks to his excellent shows on the mound has come at the expense of Gonzalez. He has been equally great and yet he was totally negated from the equation of the contenders in the National League for
the Award.
While Strasburg was impeccable, if Gonzalez was in the team other than the Nationals, there was every possibility that the experts rated him higher than anyone else in the National League.
The exclusion of Strasburg from the season has come at the restoration of the sense which was earlier missing. The kind of ghost he has been for the batters with regard to deceiving and paralyzing their expertise was known when the picture became clearer
by the absence of Strasburg on the rotation.
He has recorded 19 wins so far which means if he adds few more in the days ahead, he can easily take his position to a level where his competitors cannot reach.
The fact the Nationals are likely to play more games this year than any other team in the National League East Division favours Gonzalez’s chances for winning the Award. With their current record it appears the Nationals are very likely to make it to the
playoffs. On the other hand the New York Mets are out of contention which explains R.A. Dickey, who is the closest competitor of Gonzalez does not have many starts left to throw.
Thus, if Gonzalez throws in more games, chances he will end up winning more matches and thus a better record than Dickey. However, the apparent advantage can also play against Gonzalez’s bid for the Award. For example if he experiences a decline in the post-season.
His current form suggests he will only get better as the games unfold.
Fortunately for Gonzalez, the Braves which are poised to grab a playoff spot this year do not have any of their pitchers with a record even remotely close him. This is another point which opens the door for Gonzalez to just keep the momentum going and finish
the season with a distinction in hand.
Gonzalez has competitors from outside his Division that are equally capable of running away with the Award by posting a better record. That is what is going to be the biggest hurdle in his way. The likes of Johnny Cueto and Clayton Kershaw are going to make
it extremely hard for Gonzalez to stay ahead of them.
Currently Gonzalez holds an edge over them in terms of wins which is off-course one of the most important parameters to judge the ultimate winner.
If all the twists and turns that Gonzalez has experienced in the season are considered, he is going to maintain his present form and thus is likely to edge them out.
The loss that he faced on Sunday is not an indicator of his decline. Instead it is highly likely to prove as a point to start a new beginning from and come out stronger as he has done all through the season.
There is every reason to believe that Gonzalez is all set to experience one of the most prized moments of his life and possibly take the coveted Cy Young Award.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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