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Ranking Top 10 Early AL Cy Young Candidates Heading Into 2015 MLB Season

Ranking Top 10 Early AL Cy Young Candidates Heading Into 2015 MLB Season

Kansas City Royals v Chicago White Sox
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Plenty of MLB players with star potential have a shot at winning the 2015 AL Cy Young Award. Here are the top 10 candidates to earn this prestigious award.

10. Chris Tillman

ALCS - Kansas City Royals v Baltimore Orioles - Game One
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10. Chris Tillman

ALCS - Kansas City Royals v Baltimore Orioles - Game One
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Tillman is becoming one of the better pitchers in the AL since his All-Star season in 2013. He continued his success into 2014, going 13-6 with a 3.34 ERA for the Baltimore Orioles. Tillman has the talent to put up even better numbers in 2015 and emerge as an elite pitcher.

9. Masahiro Tanaka

New York Yankees v Boston Red Sox
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9. Masahiro Tanaka

New York Yankees v Boston Red Sox
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Tanaka seemed to be on his way to being in the Cy Young discussion until an injury ended his season early. In 20 starts last year, Tanaka went 13-5 with a 2.77 ERA, tossing three complete games and one shutout. Fans will have to see how he recovers from the injury heading into next season and if he's still the same pitcher again.

8. Garrett Richards

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim v Texas Rangers
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8. Garrett Richards

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim v Texas Rangers
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Much like Tanaka, Garrett Richards also suffered a season-ending knee injury after a promising start. Richards went 13-4 in his 26 starts for the Los Angeles Angels with a 2.61 ERA and an impressive 164 strikeouts. It's a shame that a significant injury happened to such a talented player, but fans have seen them come back from things like this and return to form. Hopefully Richards can do the same.

7. Alex Cobb

Tampa Bay Rays v Cleveland Indians
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7. Alex Cobb

Tampa Bay Rays v Cleveland Indians
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Cobb has steadily improved in each of his four seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays. He appears poised for a breakout year in 2015 after posting a 2.87 ERA and 149 strikeouts last season. One of the reasons Tampa Bay traded away David Price was because the Rays knew the potential Cobb possesses to become the ace of the staff.

6. Jeff Samardzija

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim v Oakland Athletics
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6. Jeff Samardzija

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim v Oakland Athletics
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A shift from the north to the south side of Chicago should do wonders for Jeff Samardzija next season. He'll finally get to play on a winning team after suffering through a number of bad-luck losses with the Cubs in 2014. The White Sox made a huge move in the offseason to sign Samardzija, and it might pay off and help the team reach the postseason next year.

5. Yordano Ventura

World Series - San Francisco Giants v Kansas City Royals - Game Six
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5. Yordano Ventura

World Series - San Francisco Giants v Kansas City Royals - Game Six
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Ventura showed signs of greatness and flashed his potential during the Royals' magical postseason run. The 23-year-old Dominican has a flamethrower for an arm and one of the highest fastball velocities in the league. He's only going to improve as he learns the strategical side of pitching, but the talent is through the roof with Ventura.

4. David Price

ALDS Game 3: Baltimore Orioles v. Detroit Tigers
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4. David Price

ALDS Game 3: Baltimore Orioles v. Detroit Tigers
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Price continued to perform to his high standards again in 2014, accumulating a career-high 271 strikeouts on the season. He earned his fourth All-Star appearance and was traded mid-season from the Rays to the Tigers. Price now becomes the ace pitcher for Detroit after Max Scherzer signed with the Washington Nationals.

3. Chris Sale

Chicago White Sox v Detroit Tigers
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3. Chris Sale

Chicago White Sox v Detroit Tigers
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Sale keeps getting closer to the Cy Young in each of the past three seasons with the White Sox. He had a marvelous 2014 campaign, going 12-4 with an incredible 2.17 ERA and 208 K's. With Samardzija now settled in as the No. 2 starter, Chicago has a formidable 1-2 punch in its pitching rotation.

2. Corey Kluber

Cleveland Indians v Minnesota Twins
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2. Corey Kluber

Cleveland Indians v Minnesota Twins
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Kluber was unstoppable in 2014 as he won the AL Cy Young award. He won a career-high 18 games for the Cleveland Indians while striking out 269 batters and accumulating a 2.44 ERA. It was one of the best stories of the year, as Kluber came from essentially nowhere to win such a prestigious award. Let's see how he follows it up in 2015.

1. Felix Hernandez

Seattle Mariners vs. Oakland Athletics
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1. Felix Hernandez

Seattle Mariners vs. Oakland Athletics
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King Felix was the favorite to win the Cy Young for much of the season until he faltered in the latter stages and his Seattle Mariners team missed out on the playoffs. Still, Hernandez was dominant in 2014, winning 15 games with an amazing 2.14 ERA. He'll be right back in the mix next season as the favorite earn his second Cy Young award.

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