Although Kershaw only garnered two first place votes, he is the first Dodger pitcher to finish in the top two spots on the Cy Young ballet since Sandy Koufax won consecutive Cy Young Awards in 1965 and 1966. Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports.com and Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com both voted Kershaw 1st.

R.A. Dickey wins the NL Cy Young Award, just the fifth time ever for a NY Met. Photo: Anthony Gruppuso-US PREWIRE

R.A. Dickey is the third Mets pitcher to win the award and the first knuckleballer to take the coveted distinction. Dickey, 38, captured the attention of baseball fans everywhere this past season as he seemingly came out of nowhere to pitch a truly remarkable season. He finished the year with a 20-6 record, a 2.73 ERA, and a league leading 230 strikeouts. Clayton Kershaw was only one strikeout behind him with 229. Dickey also pitched 5 complete games (an easier task for a knuckleballer for sure), 3 shutouts, and he led the NL with 233 2/3 innings pitched. He was third in the league in rWAR with 5.6 and sixth in fWAR with 4.5.

Clayton Kershaw, the runner-up, led the league in ERA (2.53) and WHIP (1.023). Since the Dodger offense was frustratingly anemic this season, Kershaw finished with a record of 14-9. Yet he led the NL in rWAR (6.2) and fWAR (5.5).

What was really a head scratcher was that two voters, Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune and Alvin Valdez from Hoy didn’t even place Kershaw in the top five spots on their ballot. Unbelievable.

Wins. That meaningless Win-Loss record statistic is what cost Kershaw the Cy Young Award. He is clearly the superior pitcher to Dickey or any other hurler in the league. Yet his teammates inability to score runs and win games behind him cost Clayton his deserved second consecutive Cy Young Award.

I’m in no way downgrading the fantastic season that Dickey had. He pitched superbly. Yet, Clayton

Clayton Kershaw has to settle for second place. Photo: Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

Kershaw’s curveball a.k.a “Public Enemy #1″ is more beautiful than any “Angry Knuckleball” thrown by Dickey. Kershaw managed to pitch another Cy Young worthy season despite numerous health implications like a bout of the Opening Day flu, plantar fasciitis, and a season threatening hip impingement. He never threw in the towel, even when the Dodgers had fallen so far behind the Giants in the West that it was apparent that they would not be able to overcome their foes in 2012. In fact Kershaw even pitched in the final game of the season against the Giants, one in which the Dodgers had already been eliminated from playoff contention. In Kershaw’s last twelve starts he posted a 1.55 ERA, and he only allowed 16 runs during that span.

David Price of the Tampa Bay Rays won the American League Cy Young Award. Tomorrow the M.V.P. Awards will be announced for both leagues. The American League pits Rookie of the Year Mike Trout up against Miguel Cabrera in a highly debated contest.

Even though Kershaw wasn’t able to win back-to-back Cy Young Awards, he has many more years ahead of pitching dominance. Perhaps in the future the BBWAA can look past the W-L column and delve deeper into the statistics which reflect the true value of a pitcher or player. As Dodger fans, Kershaw is #1 on our Blue ballot.

Sept. 28, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) throws a pitch during the game against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE

This is the first time that the BBWAA has released the names for the top vote getters before the actual results are revealed. I can imagine a future televised announcement akin to the unveiling of the Academy Award nominations. The Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year awards will be announced on Monday (November 12)  for both leagues, then the Manager of the Year Awards will be presented on Tuesday (November 13). The Cy Young awards will be on Wednesday (November 14), and the Most Valuable Player awards will be on Thursday (November 15). The winners will be announced live on the MLB Network starting Monday, and each award will encompass a one-hour long show at 6 pm ET. For more information you can check out the BBWAA website.

The finalists are:

American League Rookie of the Year

Yoenis Cespedes, Yu Darvish, Mike Trout

National League Rookie of the Year

Todd Frazier, Bryce Harper, Wade Miley

American League Manager of the Year

Bob Melvin, Buck Showalter, Robin Ventura

National League Manager of the Year

Dusty Baker, Bruce Bochy, Davey Johnson

American League Cy Young

David Price, Justin Verlander, Jered Weaver

National League Cy Young

R.A. Dickey, Gio Gonzalez, Clayton Kershaw

American League Most Valuable Player

Adrian Beltre, Miguel Cabrera, Robinson Cano, Josh Hamilton, Mike Trout

National League Most Valuable Player

Ryan Braun, Chase Headley, Andrew McCutchen, Yadier Molina, Buster Posey

You can read my argument for Clayton Kershaw winning a consecutive Cy Young award, yet R.A. Dickey and his triumphant year of the knuckleball may get in Kersh’s way. Our Lasorda’s Lair poll yielded these results:

Who do you think will win the NL Cy Young Award for 2012?

• ·         Clayton Kershaw (60%, 33 Votes)
• ·         R.A. Dickey (38%, 21 Votes)
• ·         Gio Gonzalez (2%, 1 Votes)
• ·         Johnny Cueto (0%, 0 Votes)
• ·         Craig Kimbrel (0%, 0 Votes)
• ·         Other (0%, 0 Votes)

Total Voters: 55

Although R.A. Dickey had a standout year for New York, Clayton Kershaw is clearly the superior pitcher. Due to lack of run support from his

R.A. Dickey could take home the coveted prize over Kersh. Photo: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

teammates in 2012, Kershaw finished the season with a respectable 14-9 record. Kersh was the best in the league in ERA (2.53) and WHIP (1.02). He struck out just one less batter than R.A. Dickey on the season with 229. Remember, Kersh missed some innings due to his hip impingement. He also battled a bout with the flu on Opening Day and plantar fasciitis through most of the season.

R.A. Dickey just turned 38-years old, and this may very well be his last look at a possible Cy Young award. He finished the 2012 season with a 2.73 ERA, 230 Ks, 1.05 WHIP, and a 20-6 record.

A.J. Ellis, Kershaw’s battery mate, summed up the NL Cy Young award race perfectly on Twitter tonight:

[blackbirdpie url="https://twitter.com/AJEllis17/status/266360833888620544"]