Cy Young 2014: Breaking Down Top Candidates for Marquee Award

"Predictable" is often a dreaded word in the world of sports, but when it comes to the 2014 Cy Young Award, it is something fans should welcome with open arms.

Predictability in this sense is a way of honoring downright dominant players who blessed fans over the course of the season with jaw-dropping performances in an era where those on the mound have reigned supreme.

The National League has a surefire winner on its hands whom fans are more than familiar with, while the American League is easily a two-man race. Other notables such as Chicago's Chris Sale (not enough innings) or Cincinnati's Johnny Cueto (dominance in a hitter's park is commendable) were great, but they still do not hold a candle to the eventual winners.

The top nominees are as follows.

American League

Corey Kluber, Cleveland Indians

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

Corey Kluber is one half of the epic race on the AL side of things.

The 28-year-old star's recent performance says all that really needs to be said at this point: He went eight scoreless innings and struck out 11 batters, making it the 11th time he has struck out 10 or more batters this season.

Kluber also happens to be the guy who was able to become the first hurler to fan a minimum of 14 batters in back-to-back starts since Randy Johnson in 2004.

ESPN.com's Mark Simon puts it best: 

Kluber is second in the league in WAR at 7.4, and his 2.44 ERA puts him in seventh. An 18-9 record and 269 strikeouts just rounds out the superb resume.

All that said, Kluber has some serious competition.

Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners

Ted S. Warren/Associated Press

The other half of the equation would be Felix Hernandez.

Hernandez went out with a bang this season and stole the AL ERA crown thanks to his 2.14 mark. That is second only in the league to a man who will be detailed later, while his 6.8 WAR places him right behind Kluber.

Feel free to sprinkle in a 15-6 record, 248 strikeouts and just 46 free passes issued. As Jordan Bastian of MLB.com wrote on September 25, also take into consideration that Hernandez has done his damage against better competition:

"

Hernandez has also performed better against top-tier competition. Facing teams with a winning record this season (18 of 33 starts), Seattle's ace has gone 9-4 with a 2.50 ERA. He has gone 4-2 with a 2.54 ERA in nine starts against the AL's top five offenses (in terms of OPS). Kluber has gone 7-7 with a 2.67 ERA in 17 starts against teams with a winning record and 5-5 with a 3.20 ERA in 12 games against the AL's top five lineups.

"

Call Hernandez clutch because he narrowed the gap late and did so against better teams.

Still, the AL race is so tight that the final decision might just come down to personal preference. Hernandez is the household name, whereas Kluber seemingly came out of nowhere to have a breakout year.

No matter which way the voters swing, it is impossible to argue against the selection.

National League

Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

The aforementioned man who would be detailed later is one Clayton Kershaw, who has already taken home this very award twice.

A third is right around the corner.

There really is no debate on the matter. Kershaw leads the league in WHIP (0.86), WAR (7.5) and ERA (1.77) to go with a 21-3 record and 239 strikeouts to just 31 walks, a number down from 52 last season when he also took home the award.

Only in-season statistics count toward the chase for the award, but this nugget from Ace of MLB Stats speaks to the sheer dominance, regardless:

Oh, and he is also the first player to lead the majors in ERA in four straight seasons.

But if we want to keep the historic path Kershaw travels in a limited scope to just this season, digest this jarring line from ESPN Stats & Info:

The account goes on to note more historic implications:

"

Kershaw is the first pitcher to win 21 starts within 27 games in a season in 134 years. The only other pitcher to do that was Fred Goldsmith of the 1880 Chicago White Stockings (who became the Cubs). Goldsmith finished 21-3 that season. No one else would go exactly 21-3 in a season until Max Scherzer did so last season and Kershaw did so in 2014.

"

So we could chat about how Adam Wainwright of the St. Louis Cardinals has a 2.38 ERA and is also in the 20-win club while arguably being the greatest recent player to never win the award. We could talk about the adversity on a miserable team in a less-than-ideal environment Cueto was able to overcome.

But in the end, it would be a waste. Not only is Kershaw a lock for the Cy Young, he might just take home MVP as well. Rarely is a player so dominant.

Predictability at an award ceremony after the fact is part of the deal.

Stats and info via baseball-reference.com unless otherwise specified.