Los Angeles Angels ace Jered Weaver is 15-2, and he leads the American League in ERA, WHIP, opponents’ batting average and various other categories.
In the minds of many, this makes him the automatic favorite to win the AL Cy Young award this season.
Those who have been keeping up with my weekly AL Cy Young rankings will know that I disagree.
Weaver’s been good, but assorted advanced stats suggest that Justin Verlander has been better. His Cy Young candidacy is further bolstered by the fact that he’s been a bigger workhorse than any pitcher in either league.
But the gap between Weaver and Verlander has never been huge. Truth be told, there are five leading candidates for the Cy Young at this moment in time, and any one of them could claim the top spot in the rankings in a given week.
To see where Weaver, Verlander and all the rest rank this week, just keep on reading.
Note: All stats are as of the start of play on Tuesday, August 14, and they come from Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.