Why Roy Halladay Is The Front-Runner For NL Cy Young Award

One month ago, if anyone had even attempted to suggest any pitcher besides Colorado’s Ubaldo Jimenez for the NL Cy Young award, they would have been laughed out of whatever sports pub, office kitchenette, or Twitter chat in which they’d said it. But since mid-June, Jimenez has shown his flaws, leaving the door open for another pitcher to steal his front-runner mantle. One opportunistic pitcher has done just that.

That pitcher is the Phillies’ Roy Halladay, who in his first season with the team has been making quite a case for himself. In 2010, Halladay has pitched for a league-leading total of 139 innings. Over those innings, he’s struck out 119 batters and amassed an ERA of 2.33 (the lowest average in his career) and a 1.08 WHIP (his lowest since 2005). That’s pretty impressive for a 33-year old, 12-year veteran.

Surprisingly, though, those numbers are not why Halladay should get the Cy Young. As good as they are, apart from the total number of innings pitched, none of those stats actually ranks at the top of their respective stat category.

So why should Halladay get the pitching award over, say, Josh Johnson or Adam Wainwright (both of whom rank in the top 5 in ERA, strikeouts, and WHIP according to the above table)? What does “The Doc” have that those pitchers don’t?

That’s easy.

The Phillies right-hander has thrown 7 complete games in 2010, 3 more than Wainwright and 6 more than Johnson. Think about that. In 7 of his 18 starts, Halladay took the mound and didn’t leave until the game was over. And don’t forget about the perfect game that he pitched back on May 29, a game in which he absolutely shellacked the Marlin’s batting order for 11 strikeouts (and, coincidentally, outdueled Josh Johnson on the way to his seventh win of the year).

Roy Halladay deserves the NL Cy Young for his first-half performance. True, there is a lot of baseball left and the pitching stats could look very different in three months. But Halladay has been as stingy as the best and more durable than anyone thus far. He’s having one of his best years, and for a 12-year pitcher with an impressive resume, that’s no small accomplishment. Without a doubt, the award is his to lose.