Reigning National League Cy Young award winner Roy Halladay has to be considered the early favourite to pick up the award once again in 2011. The 33 year old right-hander is the ace of arguable the best starting rotation in baseball and I expect Halladay to feed off of the rest of the rotation as the experienced staff will push one another day in and day out. You can pencil Halladay in for seven plus innings each time out and over 20 wins once again this year. No pitcher in baseball understands the art of pitching like Halladay and it is safe to say that no one in the game today prepares for each start with such assiduousness.
In the American League the early Cy Young favorite to me is right-hander Justin Verlander of the Tigers. The 28 year old has won 19 and 18 games respectively the last two seasons while averaging 232 innings and 244 strikeouts. The 2011 could mark his first twenty win season of his career, he has become a pitcher the last few years be mixing his pitches and not trying to simple overpower every hitter. The big question will be if the bullpen and the offense help him out this year but I expect him to kick his game up to the next level as he appears to be coming into his own.
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