Candidates for the 2007 American League Cy Young Award

October means the leaves changing colors, the NFL and college football seasons are in full swing and the kickoff of another NHL season. Thanks to Dane Cook we also know that October means it’s time for the Major League Baseball playoffs and that there is indeed only one October, contrary to what some of you may have been told. With the Major League Baseball playoffs well under way it’s also time for the regular season awards to be handed out to the best in all of baseball.

The award that is generating the most discussion among baseball fans and experts is the American League Cy Young Award. No matter who takes home the AL Cy Young in 2007 it is almost certain that there will be some controversy surrounding the winner. The problem is simple. There were many very good pitchers during the 2007 Major League Baseball season in the American League. As always, whenever a situation like this occurs in the sports world there is only one person who can make the final call.

Me.

Before I pick the 2007 American League Cy Young Award winning pitcher here are the five candidates. All five of these pitchers had an outstanding season and could claim to have earned the Cy Young in 2007.

First candidate for the 2007 American League Cy Young Award: Chien-Ming Wang

Wang was the staff ace for a Yankees team that had less than stellar pitching in 2007 to say the least. Wang finished the season with a 19-7 record, an impressive 3.70 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. The stat that may keep the Cy Young Award out of the hands of Chien-Ming Wang is the fact that he only had one complete game during the entire 2007 regular season. Wang only pitched a total of 199.1 innings during 2007, fewer than any of the other four candidates.

Second candidate for the 2007 American League Cy Young Award: Josh Beckett

Beckett was simply phenomenal during the 2007 regular season. Beckett was the only 20-game winner in all the Majors in ’07, finishing with a 20-7 record. Beckett’s 3.27 ERA and 1.14 WHIP are better than his Yankee counterpart. Like Wang, however, Beckett only threw one complete game in 2007, pitching in 200.2 innings during the regular season.

Third candidate for the 2007 American League Cy Young Award: Fausto Carmona

Carmona was the number two man in the Indians’ rotation in 2007. He pitched like an ace. Carmona finished with a 19-8 record, a 3.06 ERA and a 1.21 Whip. Carmona threw two complete games during the regular season, including one shutout performance. His 215 innings pitched place him third out of the five Cy Young candidates mentioned in this article. Carmona was excellent for the Tribe in 2007, and there are many people who believe that he would take home the Cy Young if not for his own teammate.

Fourth candidate for the 2007 American League Cy Young Award: C.C. Sabathia

Many people doubted that Sabathia would ever fully replace Bartolo Colon as an ace pitcher for the Cleveland Indians. In 2007 Sabathia did more than just prove that he could be the ace Cleveland so desperately needed. He proved that he is the best pitcher in all of baseball. Sabathia finished the regular season with a 19-7 record, a 3.21 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. Even more impressive is that he achieved those stats while throwing more innings than anybody else in baseball in ’07. Sabathia pitched in 241 innings during the regular season, including four complete games, one of which was a shutout. Perhaps the most impressive stat is the fact that Sabathia had an ERA of under 2.50 in eight no-decisions. Imagine what his record could have been.

Fifth candidate for the 2007 American League Cy Young Award: John Lackey

Perhaps it’s because he pitches in California but it seems to me that almost everybody is ignoring just how impressive Lackey was in 2007. Lackey finished with a 19-9 overall record, an outstanding 3.01 ERA and 1.21 WHIP. He pitched in less innings than Sabathia (224) and only had two complete games. Both of those performances, however, were shutouts. I wonder how much attention from the press Lackey would receive if he played for the Yankees, Mets, or Red Sox. So goes the “east coast bias” that plagues sports.

All five of these pitchers were excellent in 2007. One man, however, stands out as the best. That man is C.C. Sabathia. Sabathia was the most dominant pitcher while pitching the most innings. He was the best pitcher in the Major Leagues during the regular season and deserves to win the Cy Young.