2013 MLB Awards: Top 5 NL Cy Young Award Contenders

While Detroit’s Max Scherzer is slowly becoming the premier front-runner for the American League Cy Young Award, the field behind him is certainly competitive and holds substantial depth.

Such can be considered the opposite case in the senior circuit, as Los Angeles’ Clayton Kershaw has put on a pitching clinic this season and has effortlessly distanced himself from the rest of the field.

The following is a list of the Top 5 pitchers who should be considered for the distinction of being named the National League’s best pitcher for the 2013 season.

Rankings are based on the individual performance of the pitcher in relation to his competition and team performance skill level, relative skill level, and his value to his team compared to those across the league.

Although only five pitchers are ranked in this respective list, that is not to discount the fact that a number of other pitchers have enjoyed much success this season, but have not quite demonstrated the criterion representative of a definitive Cy Young caliber season, particularly in a season that has witnessed the dazzling exploits of Kershaw.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are on track to garner their first winning season and postseason berth since 1992 when they took home the East Division title for the third consecutive season.

Leading the way has been Francisco Liriano who has turned in a strong season, registering 15 wins and a sub-3.00 ERA. However, Liriano missed all of April and much of May due to a broken arm, preventing him from having the body of work to compete with the rest of the pitchers on this list.

Arizona’s Patrick Corbin has been impressive in his second season in the big leagues, but has failed to reproduce his stellar first-half success and has suffered back-to-back rough outings.

At one point this season, Adam Wainwright was poised to challenge Kershaw for the Cy Young honors, but recent struggles have all but extinguished the Cardinals’ ace from serious contention. He still has the rest of September to turn his season around and may very well make an effort into Top 5 consideration.

Without further adieu, here are the Top 5 pitchers who should be considered the front-runners for the National League Cy Young Award with less than one month remaining in the 2013 season.