Clayton Kershaw: Why LA Dodgers Ace Will Repeat as NL Cy Young

Los Angeles Dodgers' star left-hander Clayton Kershaw took home his first Cy Young award in the 2011-2012 MLB offseason.

He dazzled the league with a 21-5 record while striking out 248 batters and posting a 2.28 ERA—all the best numbers in the league, giving him the pitcher's version of the Triple Crown.

He was the easy choice to win the 2011 Cy Young and assuming he stays healthy, he should be the easy choice in 2012 as well.

Here's why.

Age

Clayton Kershaw got drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers directly out of high school with the seventh pick in the 2006 draft.

Kershaw gave up a scholarship to Texas A&M to sign with the Dodgers and quickly rose up the ranks of the Dodgers system.

Now, at the age of only 23, he is one of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball.

The average age of Cy Young winners is around 29 years old. With his best years ahead of him, why wouldn't he repeat as the Cy Young winner?

Continuous Improvement

Ever since breaking into the big leagues at the age of 20, Clayton Kershaw has improved each and every year.

His ERA has dropped from 4.26 as a rookie to 2.28 last year and his BB/9 has also undergone a significant improvement from 4.35 to 2.08.

Even if he doesn't continue to improve on such great numbers, he should be able to stay on par with them in 2012.

Competition

Roy Halladay (pictured) and Cliff Lee of the Phladelphia Phillies are very good pitchers and are feared by every team in the league.

And while there is no denying that fact, there is also no denying that they are heading into the twilight of their respective careers.

Halladay is now 34 and Lee is 33. They can still be very dominant pitchers but as they get older, will they have enough to keep up with a very young Kershaw?

Balloting

Due to the recent dominance that Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers have exerted over Tim Lincecum and the San Francisco Giants, the West Coast is Kershaw's stomping ground.

When the time comes for Cy Young voting, Kershaw will be the only name coming from the West Coast. 

However on the East Coast, Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee of the Philadelphia Phillies will be battling for Cy Young votes. They could effectively negate each other from consideration, leaving Kershaw to win back-to-back Cy Young awards.

Improved 2012 Team

The Dodgers were so mediocre in 2011, it only makes sense to think that the 2012 version of the Boys of Summer will be better.

They already have an upgrade at second base with the signing of Mark Ellis and MVP candidate center fielder Matt Kemp (pictured) is back with the biggest contract in Dodger history.

If they can provide more run support and keep playing good defense behind Clayton Kershaw, he should get more wins.

Last year, he had six no decisions and five losses. In 2012, both of those numbers should go down.

At such a young age, Kershaw exerted amazing dominance over the National League. Given his consistency, all signs point to another Cy Young for the young lefty in 2012.