Clayton Kershaw Undeniably Deserving of NL Cy Young

A day after Clayton Kershaw won the NL Cy Young Award, there seems to be too much attention towards whether the young Dodgers ace deserved the hallowed award.  Not only should this not be the focus after the 23-year-old achieved an honorable feat, but the arguments fall very short of any logical continuity.

To put it plainly, there is no debate. Kershaw was the most deserving of the candidates. Amongst great pitchers like Ian Kennedy, Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee, Kershaw was the best pitcher in the National League this year. 

It’s understandable that Phillies and Diamondbacks fans were pulling for their candidates to be selected for the award, but now it’s time to salute the winner.

Statistically, it's close, but the numbers are in Kershaw's favor:

	W	L	IP	ER	SO	WHIP	BAA	ERA
Kershaw	21	5	233.1	59	248	0.98	.207	2.28
Kennedy	21	4	222.0	71	198	1.09	.227	2.88
Halladay	19	6	232.2	61	220	1.04	.239	2.35
Lee	17	8	232.2	62	238	1.03	.229	2.40

However, the awards aren’t always bestowed upon candidate with the most illustrious stats. Even with that assumption, Kershaw’s season exceeded statistics. The most convincing proponent for the bestowal of this award to Kershaw was his ability to win in the clutch, and most extraordinarily, with very little run support.

In games in which Kershaw gave up three or more earned runs, the Dodgers only had this once and Kershaw did not record the win. Roy Halladay recorded four wins on games in which he allowed three or more earned runs; Cliff Lee won three; and Ian Kennedy won four.

While supporting run production is merely a matter of circumstance, this substantially shows the quality of Kershaw’s wins. If he did not allow less than three runs, Kershaw did not record a win; whereas Halladay, Lee, and Kennedy had the leeway to allow more runs and record a win. With similar run support, Kershaw could have recorded 25 or more wins.

Another statistic that deviates from the norm is how many hits the candidate pitchers allowed in their starts. Kershaw allowed 174 hits this year, allowing six or less hits in 28 starts. Halladay allowed 208, six or less 18 times; Lee allowed 197, six or less 19 times; and Kennedy allowed 186, six or less 25 times.  Kershaw and Kennedy are close in this category but Halladay and Lee are clearly behind, which serves as proof of the quality of Kershaw’s starts.

In the five games in which Kershaw gave up more than six hits, he recorded only two wins. Halladay gave up more than six hits 13 times with eight recorded wins; Lee gave up more than six hits 14 times with four recorded wins; and Kennedy gave up more than six hits six times with four recorded wins. Once again, one can see Kershaw’s margin for error was minuscule.

There is no denying that Ian Kennedy, Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee had outstanding years. Halladay and Lee will be in Cooperstown without a doubt, and may be joined by Kershaw and Kennedy one day. However, the selection of this honor is not a popularity contest. It’s not based upon how many Cy Young Awards the candidates already have or how many World Series rings they have.

It’s not a random pick from the hat of the top candidates. It is the best of the elite. This is a merit-based award.

And this year, this is Clayton Kershaw’s award.