Early on this season, it appeared as if it would be Noah Syndergaard and Clayton Kershaw as the main competitors for the Cy Young Award.  When healthy, Kershaw is always going to be the Cy Young front runner.  However, Syndergaard seemed to be arriving ahead of schedule.

In his first start against the Royals, Syndergaard was doing the usual in throwing his fastball over 100 MPH.  However, it was his slider that looked like a game changer.  Syndergaard was striking out Royals left and right with his brand new 95 MPH slider.  Syndergaard would carry it forward, and he would be utterly dominant to start the season. Up until the bone spurs became an issue, Syndergaard was 8-2 with a 2.08 ERA and a 0.989 WHIP..  Before the bone spurs, Syndergaard was in the conversation to be the starting pitcher at the All Star Game.  However, with the bone spurs, Syndergaard would miss the All Star Game, and he would start to regress.

In a nine start stretch, starting with a three inning outing that saw the Nationals knock him around the ballpark, Syndergaard would go 2-5 with a 4.04 ERA and a 1.592 WHIP.  Syndergaard was no longer in the Cy Young discussion.  Rather, the discussion was whether he could continue to pitch effectively with the bone spurs.  Syndergaard has found a way to do that.  In his last three starts, Syndergaard is 2-1 with a 1.23 ERA and a 0.545 WHIP.  He is going deep into games pitching seven, seven, and eight innings.  He’s winning important games down the stretch that includes

Through it all, Syndergaard is 12-8 with a 2.56 ERA and a 1.111 WHIP.  His ERA is the third best in the National League.  His 188 strikeouts rank fourth in the National League.  His 10.4 strikeouts per nine also ranks fourth in the National League.  Additionally, Syndergaard has allowed the least amount of homers per nine innings in the majors, and he also has the best strikeout to walk ratio.  Syndergaard’s quality start percentage is 69%, which is the fifth best in the National League.

Going into the more advanced numbers, Syndergaard’s 4.3 WAR ranks eighth in the Nationals League.  His 157 ERA+ ranks third in the National League.  Syndergaard’s 2.32 FIP is the best in the major leagues.

With Kershaw missing most of the season, the National League Cy Young race is up for grabs.  Everyone can name their own personal front runner whether it is Madison Bumgarner, Kyle Hendricks, or Max Scherzer.  As we have seen from Sydnergaard’s statistics, no matter the list you compile, your list is going to be incomplete if it does not include Syndergaard.  In fact, if Syndergaard continues his current streak of dominance, he may very well find himself winning the Cy Young Award.