2008 AL Cy Young Race: Lee, Rodriguez Lead the Pack

The 2008 American League Cy Young Race is quickly shaping up as we move into the final weeks of the 2008 Major League Baseball season. There has been some stellar pitching in the AL this year, and the AL Cy Young winner will undoubtedly deserve the prestigious award. Let's take a look at a few of the favorites to win the AL Cy Young in the 2008 baseball season.

Cliff Lee, Cleveland Indians. How dominant has Lee been this season? Through 26 games started, he has accumulated a stellar 19-2 W-L record with a 2.43 ERA. His strikeout-to-walk ratio is also very good (145-50). It is truly hard to believe that this guy actually spent time in AAA last season for a non-injury related pitching problem.

I cannot emphasize how much Lee has contributed to his team this year, then to attempt to put it in perspective for you. Lee has pitched better than two pitchers who were supposed to lead the Indians (CC Sabathia and Fausto Carmona). His 19-2 is truly phenomenal when you consider just how bad the Indians have been this season (64-67 record). If he is not the spot on favorite for the prestigious award this year, I'm not sure what more he has to do.

Francisco "K-Rod"� Rodriguez, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Perhaps just as impressive as Cliff Lee is Francisco "K-Rod"� Rodriguez, who has been absolutely lights out as the Angels' closer. In 61 games pitched, he has accumulated 50 saves, along with a 2-2 W/L record and a 2.60 ERA. His accomplishments this season have truly been unbelievable, as he is currently chasing Bobby Thigpen for the all-time saves lead.

K-Rod is a dominant strikeout machine, as witnessed by his 62 strikeouts in 55 innings pitched. The stat that stands out about K-Rod is his incredible 16 walks allowed, demonstrating his stellar control of the plate and his overall dominance over hitters. If it wasn't for Cliff Lee's reemergence, K-Rod would be the favorite to take home the 2008 AL Cy Young. We will have to see how the chips fall for him over the rest of the season, but he looks poised to do it.

The Longshot Cy Young Possibility:
Roy Halladay, Toronto Blue Jays: 16-9 record with a 2.69 ERA for the league-average Jays. He's never really been that much of a strikeout pitcher, but he has 175 in 204 innings this year.