FWIW, Mark Zuckerman had a CY vote this year, here's his ballot and reasoning:
1. Jacob deGrom: The most consistently dominant pitcher in the league throughout the entire season. Led the NL in strikeouts and WAR while finishing second in ERA and WHIP and third in innings pitched. What also separated him from the pack was his volume of dominant starts. He allowed two or fewer runs while pitching seven or more innings 17 times this season, three more times than anyone else in the NL.
2. Hyun-Jin Ryu: Led the league in ERA and fewest walks per nine innings. Ranked third in WHIP. Ranked second behind deGrom with 14 starts in which he allowed two or fewer runs over seven or more innings.
3. Jack Flaherty: Led the league in WHIP (0.968) while finishing fourth in ERA (2.75). Was the best pitcher in the NL during the second half of the season, posting a miniscule 0.91 ERA and 0.775 WHIP over his final 15 starts. Allowed zero or one run in 17 starts over the entire season, most in the league.
4. Stephen Strasburg: Led the league in wins (18) and innings (209), second in WAR and strikeouts. Made all 33 starts, 22 of those quality starts (third-most in the NL).
5. Max Scherzer: Was on track to potentially win at the All-Star break, but made only eight starts in the second half and posted a 4.81 ERA in those starts. His rate stats (ERA, WHIP, strikeouts per nine innings) all were Cy Young-worthy, but his counting stats suffered as a result of his injuries.
