A few weeks ago, I was watching a game with some friends and Clayton Kershaw was on the mound. Kershaw’s performance wasn’t very solid in that game, but for me, he’s one of the best pitchers this generation. My friends and I were discussing some top pitchers in the majors. And, I was thinking of three pitchers.
The three names that came to my mind are Clayton Kershaw, Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer. These three pitchers definitely are dominant on the mound. They have achieved so many milestones and won many awards.
Firstly, let’s look at the awards. Justin Verlander won the AL Cy Young award twice and he won the 2011 AL MVP award. Clayton Kershaw won the NL Cy Young award three times and he was the 2014 NL MVP winner. Max Scherzer hasn’t won an MVP award. However, he was the AL Cy Young award winner in 2013 and won the NL Cy Young award twice. These three pitchers are multi-time Cy Young award winners and they are also multi-time All-Stars. Kershaw and Verlander are each selected to the All-Star game 9 times. Scherzer is an 8-time All-Star. Moreover, these three pitchers each got a World Series ring.
In addition, looking at their career stats, those numbers just show how great they are. Verlander already earned 242 wins. At the same time, Kershaw and Scherzer are getting close to 200 career wins. Kershaw’s career ERA is 2.49. Scherzer and Verlander each have a career ERA under 3.30 so far. Additionally, these three pitchers each have a good WHIP. And, opponents can’t hit well against them and they each have a BAA under .230. Meanwhile, Verlander and Scherzer already joined the 3000-strikeout club. Among these three great pitchers, Max Scherzer is the only one with a K/9 over 10 and Kershaw has the lowest BB/9 rate.
Finally, let’s take a look at their stats in the postseason. Clayton Kershaw’s ERA is slightly over 4 in the postseason, however, his WHIP is 1.07 in the playoffs, which isn’t that bad. Moreover, Kershaw already threw 207 strikeouts in the postseason and is now leading in strikeouts in the postseason. Additionally, Verlander also has 200+ strikeouts in the playoffs and his WHIP is 1.07. In the meantime, Scherzer doesn’t have 200+ strikeouts in the playoffs as Verlander or Kershaw does. Nonetheless, among these three pitchers, Scherzer has the highest K/9 rate and opponents’ batting average against him is under .200.
Justin Verlander made his MLB debut in 2005 and soon, he became the ace of the Tigers before being traded to the Astros. In 2008, Max Scherzer and Clayton Kershaw each made it into the big leagues. Over the last 10+ years, these three pitchers are MLB batters’ nightmares and they won 8 Cy Young awards (combined) thus far. By far this season, Verlander has a great 1.87 ERA and a 0.85 WHIP in 23 starts. After making 15 starts, Kershaw’s ERA is 2.64 and his WHIP is under 1. At the same time, Max Scherzer owns a 2.33 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP in 18 starts. Looking at those numbers, they are just outstanding. But, will one of these three pitchers win the Cy Young award again? Well, it seems that Justin Verlander will be another 3-time Cy Young award winner.
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