Can Stephen Strasburg Win NL Cy Young Award Throwing Only 160 Innings?

Stephen Strasburg has continued to live up to the hype this season with an incredible performance thus far. His recent dominance has helped the Washington Nationals become leaders of the NL East and serious playoff contenders.

Coming into the majors in 2010, Strasburg impressed with his nasty pitches and ability to throw just about as hard as anyone in the league. In his debut season, he went 5-3 in 12 starts, striking out 92 batters in 68 innings.

Unfortunately, Strasburg injured his right UCL during an August start that required Tommy John surgery to repair. The recovery was supposed to take anywhere from 12-18 months but Strasburg managed to come back earlier than expected, starting in early September last season. 

Going into this season it was thought that Strasburg would be held to an innings limit, but since then GM Mike Rizzo has said that was only a media creation, according to Kevin Kudak of Yahoo! Sports.

Giving Strasburg only 160 innings to pitch, if the limit is true, puts an interesting turn on things. What if the Nationals are in the playoff race? Will they let him pitch in the playoffs?

A question that CBS Sports' Jon Heyman raised really caught my attention.

"

stephen strasburg (3-0, 1.64, 51 K's) looks like NL cy young favorite. but what happens if he's kept to 160-inning limit?

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) May 11, 2012"

Let's look at Strasburg's performances this season:

April 5 @ Cubs (ND): 7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K

April 11 @ Mets (W): 6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 9 K

April 16 vs. Astros (W): 6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K

April 21 vs. Marlins (ND): 6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K

April 28 @ Dodgers (ND): 7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 9 K

May 4 vs. Phillies (ND): 6 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K

May 10 @ Pirates (W): 6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 13 K

Just to sum those up real quick, that's a 3-0 record with a 1.64 ERA in 44 innings. He has 51 strike outs and only 10 walks.

If he can continue this success, he could very well be on pace for a Cy Young award. The innings limit could put an interesting twist on things.

Only one starting pitcher ever has won the Cy Young Award while pitching less than 160 innings, that being Rick Sutcliffe in 1984.

Can Stephen Strasburg be the second to win the Cy Young while throwing less than 160 innings?