5 Reasons Jair Jurrjens Will Win the NL Cy Young Award

The midway point of the baseball season has recently passed and the All-Star break is rapidly approaching, which is the most interesting time to discuss awards such as the Cy Young.

It is impossible to tell how the remainder of the season will play out, and how the greatest pitchers so far will perform in the next half.

The race for the Cy Young Award at the end of this season is obviously going to be very close, considering the fantastic performances of so many pitchers this year.

In my opinion, the most deserving of the bunch is Jair Jurrjens of the Atlanta Braves, and in this article I will explain my reasoning behind this.

Jurrjens Has the Best Record and ERA in the NL

Jair Jurrjens has the best record and ERA not only in the National League, but in the entire MLB.

His record of 12-3 and his ERA of 1.87 by themselves are most impressive.

This, along with his WHIP of 1.07, is just about as good as a pitcher can get.

He has started 16 games this season, and two of them were complete games (including a one-hitter last week). This may not appear to be many, but considering the amount of pitches he throws, I am surprised he has this many.

Jurrjens Is the Ace of the Braves

It is quite a feat for one to be able to call himself the ace of the Atlanta Braves.

The Braves have the best overall ERA in the league, at 3.02. They also boast a BAA of .230.

The Braves obviously have one of the best pitching staffs in the MLB, and to be the ace of this team is a great accomplishment.

Jurrjens Is the "Real Deal"

Despite accusations from non-Braves fans, Jurrjens is the "real deal."

He is currently in his fourth full season of pitching, and has compiled an overall record of 49-30, and an ERA of 3.24.

A 3.24 ERA may not be the greatest in the league, but hey, Roy Halladay's career ERA is 3.27, so I will not complain.

Jurrjens 2010 season was marred by injuries, and kept him from pitching as well as he should have.

However, in 2009 he pitched fantastic, his 2.60 ERA one of the best in the NL.

In 2008, his first full season, Jurrjens posted an ERA of 3.68, which is not bad at all, considering his young age.

Competition

Jurrjens obviously has very tough competition for the Cy Young Award.

Jurrjens and Halladay will most likely be the front runners in the competition at the end of the season. Currently they are accompanied by teammates Tommy Hanson and Craig Kimbrel, as well as Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee.

Each of these players are fair contenders for the award, and the outcome depends on their performances in the remainder of the season.

However, Halladay, Lee, and Hamels are currently numbers one, two, and three for amount of innings pitched.

It is possible that their amazing pitching will not last due to injuries, or simply being worn out.

Jurrjens, on the other hand, is a ground ball pitcher, and is least likely to be worn out by the end of the season.

Jurrjens Offense Can Back Him Up

A pitcher from one of the best teams in the league will often win the Cy Young Award.

Although the Braves do not have the best record in the National League, they are only 2.5 games behind their competition.

It is very likely that the Braves will swap places with the Phillies for the NL East, which may give Jurrjens a boost for the award, especially if he helps lead the team to first place.

The Braves offense appears to be coming around, while the Phillies offense has not been displaying such positive signs.

This run support may also allow Jurrjens to pitch better.