Cy Young Win Proves Jacob deGrom Is One of the Best Pitchers of His Generation

Jacob deGrom won his second consecutive National League Cy Young Award on Wednesday and in doing so the Mets' ace solidified his place as one of the best pitchers of his generation.

Just like 2018, the vote in favor of deGrom wasn't even close. In both years he took home 29 of the 30 first-place votes, dominating the competition like he often does on the mound. He has become just the 11th pitcher to win a Cy Young Award in consecutive seasons.

In 2019, deGrom finished with a record of 11-8, with a 2.43 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and 255 strikeouts against 44 walks in 204 innings pitched. His fWar of 7.0 was second only to Gerrit Cole in all of baseball and his FIP of 2.67 ranked third behind Max Scherzer and Cole. He also started five more games than Scherzer, who most expected to be his closest competition.

While deGrom's numbers in 2019 were fantastic, it's worth noting he was even more dominant in 2018. Last season he was 10-9 with a 1.70 ERA, a 0.91 WHIP and 269 strikeouts against 46 walks in 217 innings. His fWAR in 2018 was an absurd 9.0 and his FIP checked in at 1.99.

Obviously, those who have followed baseball over the six years deGrom has been in the majors know how great he is. He's been a dominant presence on the mound almost since the day he debuted in 2014. But now the 31-year-old is finally getting the recognition he deserves.

Along with Justin Verlander, Clayton Kershaw, and Max Scherzer, deGrom belongs in the conversation of best pitcher in the past 10 years. The other three guys all probably have a better claim to that title, but deGrom is definitely gaining ground. Verlander now has two Cy Young Awards, but was also the 2011 AL MVP and has been as dominant as anyone. Meanwhile, Scherzer has three Cy Young Awards (with one in each league) and Kershaw has three Cy Young Awards, was the NL MVP in 2014, and has turned in some of the most dominant seasons on the mound of the last 50 years.

If deGrom can turn in a third phenomenal season in a row in 2020, he'll have a legitimate argument as the best pitcher in baseball and the best of his generation. As of today, he's already in the discussion.