Every NL Cy Young winner since 2000

Standing 6’10’’ and left-handed, Johnson was imposing on the mound. He was also erratic when his career began and didn’t become a viable MLB starter until he was 26. Johnson won his first Cy Young in 1995 with the Seattle Mariners when he was in his age-31 season, and then won another at 35 with the Diamondbacks in 1999. That means, in 2000, he won his second Cy Young in a row.

Then, in 2001, “The Big Unit” won a third Cy in a row. The 2001 season was iconic for the Diamondbacks, as the team, only a few years into existence, won the World Series. His 2.49 ERA led the majors, but so did his 2.13 FIP. Also, Johnson struck out a whopping 372 batters, which also led MLB.

At 38, Johnson won his last Cy Young. He pitched until he was 45, but this was his last bit of hardware. His 24-5 record surely got him some votes, but he also led the majors with eight complete games and 334 strikeouts. When all was said and done, the Hall of Famer would retire second in career strikeouts to Nolan Ryan.

Gagne is the only relief pitcher in either league in the new millennium to win the Cy Young. Some voters just love a closer, and they love saves, a solid but flawed statistic. Now, Gagne was a shutdown closer, posting a 1.20 ERA and putting up 55 saves. However, in 77 games, he pitched all of 82.1 innings. He was a true one-inning pitcher. Meanwhile, Jason Schmidt was out there leading the National League in ERA and WHIP in over 200.0 innings. The Dodger beat the Giant, but it should have been the other way around.

For one of the best pitchers of all time, Clemens had an itinerant career. In 2004, at 41, Clemens joined his fourth team, the Houston Astros. Back then, the Astros were still in the National League, and so Clemens won the NL Cy Young, his seventh Cy. His 2.98 ERA and 218 strikeouts were good, but his 18-4 record probably helped with some old-school voters. Interestingly, the guy who arguably should have won is another legend, the aforementioned Randy Johnson, but he had a 16-14 record, which didn’t work for some voters.

Carpenter was a below-average pitcher for the Blue Jays, joined the Cardinals in 2004 at 29, and suddenly became a third-time all-star who finished in the top three in Cy Young voting thrice as well. His win came in 2005 when he work-horsed his way to a whopping seven complete games while posting a 21-5 record. Now, weirdly, this is a year Clemens would have been the best choice, but Carpenter was a reasonable call.

For three years, Webb was arguably the best pitcher in baseball. Famed for his sinker that made him an elite groundball pitcher, Webb won the Cy Young in 2006 with the Diamondbacks and was the runner-up the next two seasons. His 3.18 FIP and 0.6 home runs allowed per nine innings both led the NL, and Arizona’s ballpark was infamously hitter-friendly at the time. Sadly, in 2009, Webb suffered a shoulder injury that led to two rotator cuff surgeries over the next few years, and he never pitched in MLB again.

Carpenter, Webb, and Peavy. We got a real run of “Oh yeah, that guy!” winners in the middle of the 2000s. Peavy was a solid pitcher, but 2007 was the only time he finished anywhere in the Cy voting, much less first. Pitching for the Padres, Peavy won the Pitching Triple Crown, leading the NL in wins, ERA, and strikeouts. He also led MLB in FIP and WHIP, so he is a worthy winner in an outlier campaign.

Now, here’s a guy people remember, though this is a bit of a cult status situation. With his long hair, unusual pitching motion, and the fact he pitched his home games in San Francisco, Lincecum was a striking figure. Also, a strikeout machine. In 2008, he led MLB in strikeouts with 265 and also in FIP, making him an easy call to win.

Then, in 2009, Lincecum went ahead and doubled up on Cy Young victories. This time around, it was more of the same. He “only” had 261 strikeouts but dropped his 17 wild pitches to 11 (he wasn’t always the most controlled pitcher), and his FIP dipped from 2.62 to 2.34, though that only led the NL, not MLB. Lincecum would make two more All-Star Games and seemed like he was headed to the Hall, but then he just kind of lost it. For five seasons, he was a mediocre-to-bad pitcher and was out of baseball by the time he was 33.

Halladay won a Cy Young with the Blue Jays, and while he finished in the top five in voting a few times after that with the team, he didn’t win a second one in the AL. Then, he moved to the NL by joining the Phillies and immediately won his second Cy. Mostly, “Doc” generated value by pitching well (2.44 ERA) but also pitching a ton. Halladay had a whopping nine complete games, including four shutouts. Sadly, Halladay died in a plane crash when he was 40 and was posthumously elected into the Hall of Fame.

It took a few seasons, but the vaunted prospect Kershaw became Cy Young winner Kershaw in 2011. He had 21 wins, but he led MLB with a 2.28 ERA and led the NL in strikeouts and WHIP. Kershaw also won a Gold Glove, but that’s not about fielding.

Dickey is definitely the most unexpected winner on this list, coming out of nowhere to win with the Mets in 2012. After years of lackluster pitching, Dickey decided to learn a knuckleball. It all came together for one season. He had a 2.73 ERA and led the National League in strikeouts. Yes, a knuckleballer won the Cy Young. This was Dickey’s only all-star season and the only time getting Cy Young votes. Although, he would pitch another five years, including into his forties. The knuckleball is easier on the arm.

The Dodgers legend finished second to Dickey but got back on top in 2013. He really got after it, leading MLB with a 1.83 ERA. Now, he had a 2.39 FIP, which did not lead the NL, but that is still quite impressive. Nobody’s complaining about a guy winning the Cy Young with a 1.83 ERA over 33 starts.

Somehow, Kershaw improved upon his 2013 season the next year. He dropped his ERA to 1.77 and his FIP to 1.81. Kershaw also led the majors in WHIP and strikeouts per nine innings. In fact, the pitcher was so good he won both the Cy Young and the NL MVP, the only National League pitcher to do that in the new millennium.

Kershaw could have easily won a fourth Cy Young in 2015 – and arguably should have – but instead, Arrieta won it. The Cubs pitcher winner was a fair choice. His 22-6 record helped, but he also had a 1.77 ERA and led MLB with three shutouts. He had a few good years with Chicago, but this was clearly his best campaign.

Scherzer already had a Cy Young with the Tigers, but by 2016, he was with the Washington Nationals. Fewer voters cared about 20 wins by this point, but maybe that helped Scherzer. His 2.96 ERA and 3.24 FIP were good, if unremarkable. However, his 284 strikeouts that led MLB were impressive, and he led MLB in WHIP as well. It wasn’t a great year for pitchers in the NL, making Scherzer a fine choice.

Scherzer won his second NL Cy Young and third Cy total the next year. This time, he only led the National League in strikeouts and WHIP, but those were the pitchers “Mad Max” was competing with. Plus, his ERA dropped to 2.51. The future Hall of Famer likely won’t win another Cy Young, but he did rack up a few more top-three finishes.

DeGrom was a shortstop in college and didn’t become a pitcher until his junior season. The Mets drafted him in the ninth round, and he didn’t debut in MLB until his age-26 season. Then, he won Rookie of the Year. Fortunately, deGrom hit the majors at a time when win-loss record didn’t matter a ton to Cy Young voters. He was only 10-9 in 2018, but his pitching was fantastic. The righty had a 1.70 ERA! He had a 1.98 FIP! Both led the majors.

Back-to-back wins! This time, deGrom had an 11-8 record but a 2.43 ERA. He led the National League in strikeouts while barely allowing any walks and homers. Unfortunately, deGrom has struggled with his health since then, which might keep the pitcher out of the Hall of Fame.

This was the COVID-19 season, so Bauer won the Cy Young with the Reds over 73.0 innings. He led MLB with TWO complete games. Bauer’s 1.73 ERA was impressive, to be sure, but the 2021 season would be Bauer’s last in MLB. He went from being a vexing eccentric to a truly problematic figure, making him a baseball pariah.

Burnes is one of those stories of a pitcher who struggled when he hit the majors, retooled, and emerged as an ace. In 2019, he had an 8.82 ERA. By 2021, the Brewers pitcher had a 2.43 ERA. Not only that, he led the majors with a 1.63 FIP and a 12.6 strikeout rate. Burnes hasn’t been this good since but has still been an all-star-level pitcher.

Alcantara is the modern conception of the workhorse pitcher, a rare thing these days. He led MLB with 228.2 innings pitched and six complete games at a time when complete games happen once in a blue moon. Not only that, but the Marlins hurler had a 2.28 ERA. While Alcantara is not a big strikeout pitcher, perhaps that helps him rack up all those innings.