The starting pitcher of the Cincinnati Reds, Trevor Bauer, won the 2020 National League Cy Young Award due to his phenomenal work during the COVID – 19 shortened 2020 MLB season. This is the first time ever in the long and illustrious history of the Cincinnati Reds that one of their starting pitchers has won the coveted Cy Young Award.

The Cincinnati Reds have never previously had a Cy Young winner, making them one of only four active Major League Baseball organizations without that honor, and shockingly the only MLB ball club founded prior to 1961 without a Cy Young winner.

National League Cy Young Award Voting

PITCHER 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH 5TH TOTAL
Trevor Bauer, Cincinnati Reds 27 3 – – – 201
Yu Darvish, Chicago Cubs 3 24 2 – – 123
Jacob deGrom, New York Mets – 3 23 4 – 89
Dinelson Lamet, San Diego Padres – – 5 20 2 57
Max Fried, Atlanta Braves – – – 4 7 15
Corbin Burnes, Milwaukee Brewers – – – 1 10 12
Aaron Nola, Philadelphia Phillies – – – 1 1 3
Devin Williams, Milwaukee Brewers – – – – 3 3
Kyle Hendricks, Chicago Cubs – – – – 2 2
Zac Gallen, Arizona Diamondbacks – – – – 2 2
Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers – – – – 2 2
Zack Wheeler, Philadelphia Phillies – – – – 1 1

“Votes had seven points for first place, four points for second place, three points for third place, two votes for fourth place and one point for fifth place.” Votes are acquired from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Although I do not quite qualify for that list of voters momentarily, I plan on getting there in my old age.

Cy Young Worth Numbers

Over the course of the very much different, reduced, and highly analyzed 2020 Major League Baseball season Bauer won 5 games while losing 4. He led the National League in ERA with a mark of 1.73 (ERA) over his 11 big league starts, and the crafty manipulative right hander helped lead his Cincinnati Reds to the MLB postseason for the first time since 2013. The 29 year old Bauer recorded 100 strikeouts in only 73 powerful innings.

Trevor led the major leagues with two shutouts. They came on a pair of 7 inning performances that fell on doubleheader days. That is rare these days with managers quickly accessing arms out of their bullpens early on in games especially with the shortened season and expanded rosters.

Trevor Bauer’s Major League Baseball Future     

The unorthodox and outspoken Bauer is now currently a free agent following the conclusion of the 2020 MLB season. Trevor rejected the Cincinnati Reds’ initial qualifying offer, but he has publicly stated he is open to returning to the Cincinnati Reds if the ball club offers him the contract that he feels he is worth especially after securing the National League Cy Young Award this past baseball season.

If I was in Bauer’s situation, I would play the MLB free agency market in order to lock into a great high paying long term contract as his stock will most likely never be higher than it is right now. Although the Cincinnati Reds seem to be building up to become a respectable young major league ball club, the Reds are very far away from becoming a World Series contender. I would take the additional money that a big market franchise can offer him, and one that is looking for starting pitching to put them into the thick of things come the 2021 MLB postseason.

Media Statements 

“I haven’t thought about free agency very much yet, to be honest,” replied the 2020 National League Cy Young Award winner Trevor Bauer, who is known for some abnormal as well as progressive training methods and rituals that have helped turn him into one of baseball’s best starting pitchers. “I have had a lot of stuff that I’ve been doing trying to get my offseason underway, trying to get better at baseball.” 

“The biggest deal this year is I was just healthy,” says Bauer. “I was able to go out there and compete, be on a routine.”