Mets ace Jacob deGrom is one of the top contenders to win the 2019 NL Cy Young. If he does, it would give him back-to-back Cy Young awards -- making him the first Met to ever accomplish that feat. Here's where things stand in the race...
Jacob deGrom, Mets
Key stats: 2.51 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 248 K's (11.3 per 9) in 197 IP (31 starts), 6.7 WAR (FanGraphs), 6.9 WAR (Baseball Reference)
Last start: Pitched 7.0 shutout innings against the Reds, allowing four hits while striking nine and walking none on Sept. 20
Next start: Sept. 25 vs. Marlins
Trending: UP, having allowed just one run over his last 21 IP spanning three starts as his ERA has dropped from 2.76 to 2.51
Max Scherzer, Nationals
Key stats: 2.81 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 233 K's (12.6 per 9) in 166.1 IP (26 starts), 6.4 WAR (FanGraphs), 6.0 WAR (Baseball Reference)
Last start: Allowed five earned runs in 6.2 innings against the Cardinals on Sept. 18
Next start: Sept. 24 vs Phillies
Trending: DOWN, as his ERA has risen from 2.30 on July 6 to 2.81 while he has failed to pitch more than 6.0 innings in any start during that span
Mike Soroka, Braves
Key stats: 2.60 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 135 strikeouts (7.1 per 9) in 169.2 IP (28 starts), 3.7 WAR (FanGraphs), 5.7 WAR (Baseball Reference)
Last start: Allowed two runs on five hits while walking none and striking out five in 5.0 innings against the Phillies on Sept. 19
Next start: Sept. 25 @ Royals
Trending: DOWN slightly after lasting just 5.0 innings against the Phillies during his most recent start
Hyun-Jin Ryu, Dodgers
Key stats: 2.41 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 156 strikeouts (8.0 per 9) in 175.2 IP (28 starts), 4.5 WAR (FanGraphs), 4.6 WAR (Baseball Reference)
Last start: Allowed three runs on six hits in 7.0 IP while walking none and striking out eight against the Rockies on Sept. 22
Next start: Sept. 28 @ Giants
Trending: DOWN slightly, as he had a strong start on Sept. 22 but still saw his ERA rise
Sonny Gray, Reds
Key stats: 2.80 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 199 strikeouts (10.5 per 9) in 170.1 IP (30 starts), 4.3 WAR (FanGraphs), 5.8 WAR (Baseball Reference)
Last start: Allowed two runs on four hits while walking three and striking out nine in 6.2 IP against the Cubs on Sept. 17
Next start: Sept. 24 vs. Brewers
Trending: EVEN, as he has remained steady while others in the race have excelled lately
Other candidates
Patrick Corbin, Nationals (3.10 ERA, 1.16 WHIP)
Jack Flaherty, Cardinals (2.96 ERA, 1.01 WHIP)
Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers (3.15 ERA, 1.07 WHIP)
Stephen Strasburg is high on the WAR leaderboards, but his 3.37 ERA is likely far off the pace needed to win the award.