Multiple Nationals pitchers will earn Cy Young votes
Prior to last season this may not have been a bold prediction. For nine straight years there was a Nationals pitcher who garnered Cy Young votes, with four years multiple pitchers getting the honor.
In 2020, no one made the cut.
What makes me think 2021 will be different?
Two words. Max Scherzer. Prior to being left off the ballot last season, Scherzer had a personal seven year run with Top 5 finishes, including winning the award three times. 2020 was an anomaly for Scherzer and he is bound to have a comeback season. In three of the past five seasons Scherzer has led the league in strikeouts and in five of the past six seasons he’s had an ERA south of 3.00. He has the pedigree and even at 36 years of age he’s still one of the best pitchers in baseball. He’ll rebound.
After successfully having carpal tunnel surgery, Stephen Strasburg will be ready for the 2021 season. With a big contract to live up to, and an extended period of rest on his shoulder, Stras is due for a bounce back year as well.
While Strasburg’s highest finish is third in the voting, his stuff is good enough to get him on the list. His biggest enemy will be the injury bug. If he can avoid that, his thirty plus starts will do the rest.
For Patrick Corbin to make the list he just needs to pitch more like his 2019 self and less like his 2020 self. Easier said than done. My money is on the first two though, with Corbin being the fallback plan.