Who's In the Mix? AL Cy Young Hopefuls

It's that time of year again, where baseball fans begin to make their predictions on who will win the Cy Young and Most Valuable Player awards of their respective league. 

This year has proven to be a great one for a Cy Young mix up. There have been some obvious contenders and some that have come out of nowhere.

This is a list of who I see in the running for the American League Cy Young award.

1. Cliff Lee, Cleveland Indians

With an extremely disappointing season that was obviously over long ago, the Indians have seen bad hit after bad hit to their team; however, there has been one bright spot for the Indians, besides Grady Sizemore. Lee has emerged into one of the leagues' best pitchers. 

After a disappointing season last year, it was a big question whether Lee would make the roster. He was given a shot in Spring Training, and the rest is history. Lee has been money for a struggling Tribe. 

While posting a 16-2 record with a league best 2.45 ERA, his 128 Ks to his 22 walks is very impressive. The Indians record and success hurts Lee, but his numbers are so good that you can't look past him.

2. Francisco Rodriguez, Los Angeles Angels

The Angels have been rolling all year, and have the best record in baseball. A lot of their success has been a result of their pitching. When they have a lead heading into the eighth or ninth, they hand the ball to Francisco "K-Rod" Rodriguez. You can pretty much well close the book on the game right then and there. 

It's not a common thing to hear a closer in the Cy Young talks, but K-Rod has been lights out. He is on his way to breaking the single season saves record; he has 46 at the moment, while posting an extremely impressive 2.86 ERA. If anyone tries to tell you his ERA may be slightly high, and his five blown saves might be too many, just remind them that he has already had 51 save opportunities. The next highest is 37.

3. Joe Saunders, Los Angeles Angels

No, I am really not a diehard Angels fan. Just thought I'd clear that up to anyone who may think I am favoring any one team. I truly believe Saunders is a contender in the Cy Young race. Many people say he gets a lot of help from the lineup, but he does his job on the mound. He's 14-5 with a sparkling 3.07 ERA. I would say that those numbers are good arguments in his case.

4. Mike Mussina, New York Yankees

The Yankees have chipped away all season, putting together what they can to stay in the hunt. Lately they have struggled. I wouldn’t count them out, but I don't see them making the postseason; it's going to be too tough of a hill to climb to get in the playoffs. Mussina has proved a lot of people wrong this year. 

Many thought his days were up and that he might even need to be replaced. In 2008, though, the scrappy veteran has put together another solid season. He's 15-7, with a 3.30 ERA. That's a great year, and I would say he's in the conversation.

Well there you go. Maybe a few surprises on the list and maybe some you don't agree with, but it's hard to say that any of these guys don't have a valid argument. 

The season is far from over, so it's hard to say how it will end up. In my opinion, it's going to come down to Lee and K-Rod. Lee has dominated in the starting role and K-Rod has been lights out in the bullpen. From what I see, these two have stood out above the rest of the field.