<h5><strong><a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/salech01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Chris Sale</a></strong>, Boston Red Sox</h5><p>No pitcher in baseball struck out more opposing hitters than Chris Sale. Nobody even came close. The lefty notched 308 strikeouts; the pitcher with the second-most had 268. In addition to striking out 50 more batters than anybody else, Sale also pitched more innings anyone in the majors (214 1/3) while leading all hurlers in fWAR (7.7). Sale's durability and propensity for whiffs give him a great case to win.</p><h5><strong><a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/severlu01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Luis Severino</a></strong>, New York Yankees</h5><p>After struggling with consistency for a couple of years, Luis Severino finally put together a full season of dominance. The right-hander struck out 230 batters across 193 1/3 innings, pitching to a 2.98 ERA. He's the only finalist in either league with a ground ball rate above 50%. His 28.5% hard contact allowed was the fifth best in the AL.</p><h2>National League Cy Young</h2><h5><strong><a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/k/kershcl01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Clayton Kershaw</a></strong>, Los Angeles Dodgers</h5><p>Although he missed some time due to an injury, Clayton Kershaw's 2.31 ERA and 2.84 xFIP were both best in the national league. The dominant left-hander still put up 175 strong innings en route to a shot at his fourth Cy Young award and first since 2014. Only <strong><a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/samarje01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Jeff Samardzija</a></strong> of the Giants walked fewer batters per nine innings than Kershaw's 1.54. He also managed to strand a remarkable 87.4% of opposing baserunners; a mark nearly three points higher than any other pitcher in the game.</p><h5><strong><a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/scherma01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Max Scherzer</a></strong>, Washington Nationals</h5><p>After winning the Cy Young in 2016, Max Scherzer made a strong case for a second consecutive honors. His 268 strikeouts led the entire national league, and his 6.0 fWAR was the best among NL pitchers as well. The right-hander threw 200 2/3 innings to the tune of a 2.51 ERA and limited hard contact better than any other pitcher in the game (26.5%). Scherzer has a fantastic all-around skill set as a pitcher, giving him a good shot to win more hardware.</p><h5><strong><a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/strasst01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Stephen Strasburg</a></strong>, Washington Nationals</h5><p>Pitching right behind Scherzer in the Nationals' rotation, Stephen Strasburg put up a great season of his own. The right-hander managed a fantastic 2.52 ERA across 175 1/3 innings, good for 5.6 fWAR. Across 28 starts for the Nationals, Strasburg was charged with just four losses. Most notably, he allowed fewer home runs per nine innings (0.67) than any pitcher in baseball.</p>
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