2023 Ben McDonald Award candidates

There was no 20-game winner during the 2023 season but there are three previous Ben McDonald Award winners among this year's contenders, including the reigning award winner.

The McDonald Award recognizes the league's top pitcher and is voted upon by the DMBL's 20 owners. Each ballot has six players, with a point system of 10-7-5-3-2-1.

Relievers are also eligible for the McDonald though none have ever won the award. The following list of way too many candidates -- in no particular order -- was derived from browsing the league's Top 10 pitching leaders page and taking into account the ESPN Cy Young Predictor (which, admittedly, is old-fashioned given its emphasis on ERA, wins, strikeouts, innings, and saves).

Justin Verlander, Marietta

It's no surprise that the Cy Young Predictor likes Verlander for the McDonald. He won the ERA title (1.98) and led the DMBL in wins (18-4).

While his 224 strikeouts across 213 1/3 innings didn't crack the Top 10, those numbers were in keeping with his exceptional consistent season. Verlander tied for 2nd in quality starts (25/33) and tied for 4th in QS% (.758). He also matched Livingston's Dylan Cease for 3rd in OPS against (.566), was 2nd to Manoah in extra base hit rate (.046), and finished 10th in K/BB (5.9). Surprisingly, Verlander also ranked outside the Top 10 in WHIP but still had a more than respectable 1.03.

The 2012 McDonald Award winner when he was with Hillsborough, Verlander in 2024 will aim to become the 7th player in league history to reach 200 victories in his age-41 season.

Alek Manoah, Rockland

The 2022 No. 1 overall pick led the league with 26 quality starts (one more than Verlander and Ohtani) and .813 QS%. His 13-9 record for the 73-89 Racers might not look like much but he fashioned a sterling 2.03 ERA (2nd) with 5 CG (1st) and 3 Shutouts (T1st). He struck out 199 across 221 2/3 innings (T4th).

The dearth of wins and strikeouts hurts Manoah in the Cy Young Predictor, finishing 9th, so he'll have to lean on his SABRmetric stats and more obscure categories to sway voters. The 25-year-old ranked 5th in WHIP (0.92), 4th in H/9 (6.1) and tied for 3rd in R/9 (8.6). He led the league in OPS (.509), 1.72 Component ERA (1.72), RC ERA (1.96), and extra base hit rate (.043).

Shohei Ohtani, Poovey Farms

The Japanese import had a breakout year on the mound, with a remarkable 280 Ks (3rd) in 220 1/3 IP (8th) - a significant jump from the 205K and 189 2/3 IP in 2022. He finished 5th in the ERA race (2.52) and tied with Verlander for 2nd in QS (25). A 15-7 record was also an improvement of his 12-12 mark in 2022.

Ohtani's rather average 1.13 WHIP is likely a result of some wildness; his 69 walks ranked 10th in DMBL. Still, the Cy Young Predictor likes him for 5th.

Jacob deGrom, Livingston

The reigning McDonald Award winner at times overwhelmed DMBL hitters, leading the league in strikeouts (331) by a wide margin (Spencer Strider was 2nd with 292), as well as 5 other categories: 14.1 K/9, OBP (.231), R/9 (8.1), 11.8 K/BB, and 0.87 WHIP. He ranked 7th in BA (.198) and H/9 (6.7). But when hitters did manage to put the bat on the ball against deGrom, it traveled far: his 46 HR allowed was 2nd most in the league behind only Philly's Josiah Gray (51).

Another knock on deGrom's candidacy may be that his 15-11 record and 3.31 ERA in 212 IP are good but not exactly elite, nor are his 20 quality starts (.606). He added 2 shutouts and 3 CG. The Cy Young Predictor isn't all that impressed either, slotting deGrom in at 11th, ahead of teammate Dylan Cease and behind Zac Gallen of Arkansas.

The 35-year-old will miss the 2024 DMBL season so it's anyone's guess whether this is his last shot at another McDonald.

Spencer Strider, Hillsborough

Strider had one of the best performances by a No. 1 overall pick in recent memory. His 292 strikeouts were within a dozen of Hideo Nomo's rookie record of 304 in 1996. He ranked 7th in ERA (.266). While his 13-7 mark and 191 2/3 IP are unremarkable, Strider finished in the top 10 across categories like batting, OBP and SLG against, and was among just 9 pitchers with a sub-1.00 WHIP (0.99).

But he was a rookie so there was room for improvement, like his pedestrian 16 quality starts (.500), not exactly a top tier number among DMBL starters though it shouldn't hurt his Listach Award chances as much. The Cy Young Predictor bears that out with a 15th-place finish for Strider.

Brandon Woodruff, Tucson

Woodruff led one of the league's top rotations in wins (16-5) but usually trailed other King Snakes in other meaningful categories. He ranked 6th in ERA (2.62) but 3rd on the team. Despite that, the Cy Young Predictor likes Woodruff to finish 3rd, bunched up behind Bard and ahead of teammate Max Scherzer. 

In the per 9 IP categories, Woodruff does well, ranking 3rd in H/9 (6.0) and 2nd in H/9 (8.4), and top 10 in the BA, OBP and SLG categories. He also sported a 0.91 WHIP, tied for 3rd in the league with Livingston's Ross Stripling. Woodruff finished 2nd across RC/27 ERA (2.5), RC ERA (2.33) and Component ERA (1.95).

Gerrit Cole, Livingston

.The 2019 McDonald winner had the best win percentage (.810, 17-4) among 4 pitchers who tied for 2nd in the league with 17 wins (teammate Mitch Keller, Zack Gallen of Arkansas, and Martin Perez, who was dealt from Newark to Arkansas in a deadline deal). He ranked 8th in strikeouts (244) but didn't quite reach 200 IP (197), which is probably why the Cy Young Predictor likes him to finish 6th. Surprisingly, you won't find Cole among the Top 10 of many more categories beyond K/9 (11.1, T9th). His 3.65 ERA and 1.14 WHIP are solid but are they McDonald worthy? FWIW, Cole enjoyed the best run support of any starter (5.7).

Aaron Nola, Vancouver

Another former McDonald Award winner (2021). Nola continued to rack up the innings for the Iron Fist, leading the league with 236 1/3, behind 4 CG, along with 280 strikeouts (tied with Ohtani for 3rd overall). Only Logan Webb of Philly (951) faced more batters during 2023 than Nola (937) and only Livingston's Ross Stripling (0.9) walked fewer per 9 (1.1), helping Nola to rank 6th in R/9 (8.8).

The 14-11 mark doesn't exactly help his cause with the Cy Young Predictor, which sees Nola finishing 17th. And while Nola's 3.08 ERA is respectable and just outside the Top 10 (Nestor Cortes of Allentown ranked 10th at 2.84), his 0.94 WHIP was 7th best in DMBL.

Max Scherzer, Tucson

Despite putting together a likely Hall of Fame career the Ben McDonald Award has always eluded Scherzer but he's often found support on the ballot. Could this be his year? The 39-year-old has started to miss time due to injury but stellar numbers when he was on the mound, ranking 3rd in ERA (2.26), 2nd in WHIP (.90), and a league-best .875 win % though his win total on the low side (14-2). He was 2nd in QS% (.808, 21/26) though he missed time so it's the counting number categories where Scherzer might fall short, such as 175 IP and 204 strikeouts, which are far from the top 10.

Had he managed a full complement of 33 starts perhaps 2023 could have been different for Scherzer. What's the Cy Young Predictor think? It has Scherzer finishing 4th, behind Woodruff and ahead of Ohtani.

Kevin Gausman, Tucson

Gausman might have as much competition from his teammates (Scherzer and Woodruff) as other starters. He finished 4th in the ERA race (2.42) as well as in K/BB (7.1), behind Scherzer (8.5), and his 22 quality starts and .710 QS% were good for 10th in DMBL. Where Gausman didn't rank in the Top 10, he put up solid numbers: 14-9, 1.02 WHIP, and 221 K in 197 1/3 IP. For that, the Cy Young Predictor slots him to finish 8th.

Zac Gallen, Arkansas

The 99-win Golden Falcons had league's best pitching staff (3.06 ERA) but whether. they have one starter who stood out is an open question. Former Philly ace Zac Gallen was among 4 starters who tied for 2nd in the DMBL in wins (17-9). While he didn't have the strikeout totals of others (192K in 205 IP), his 2.77 ERA and 0.97 WHIP both ranked 8th in the league. Gallen would finish 10th per the Cy Young Predictor.

Sandy Alcantara, Arkansas

The other Golden Falcon in the McDonald discussion is Sandy Alcantara. He hurled 4 CG and 2 shutouts, compiling a 15-8 mark over 222 2/3 IP (3rd in DMBL). His 24 QS tied for 4th and .750 QS% was 5th best in the league while his 2.91 ERA was just outside the Top 10. Despite that, the Cy Young Predictor slots Alcantara at 13th, maybe a combination of his win total and Ks. The 1.11 WHIP doesn't play into the predictor but it's not exactly elite.

Shane Bieber, Blue Ridge/Erie

Bieber (14-10, 2.92 ERA) is one of those players who might fall through the cracks because he split time between Blue Ridge (9-8, 3.19) and Erie (5-2, 2.36 ERA) so you'll only find his cumulative stats if he shows up among league leaders. Overall, he ranked 8th in both QS (23) and QS% (.742) but otherwise didn't find himself among the Top 10 in pitching categories but his ERA was just outside the top 10 and despite a 1.15 WHIP. he could still find some down-ballot support. Still, the Cy Young Predictor puts him 16th.

Edward Cabrera, Erie

A rookie usually has to have an overpowering season to win the McDonald Award. Cabrera likely won't win over traditionalists with his 14-8 mark. His chances will ride on voters who will look past those traditional stats and focus on his ancillary numbers. The 25-year-old Dominican led the league in BA (.156) and H/9 (4.9), ranked 6th in WHIP (0.93). He matched Gallen with 9.3 R/9 (9th) and finished 9th in OBP (.260). He also had a more-than-respectable 20 QS and .625 QS%.

Otherwise, the Cy Young Predictor is unimpressed, leaving Cabrera 20th probably due to a rather low -- by McDonald Award standards -- 183 2/3 IP and 173 Ks. Also, his 72 walks tied for 9th most in DMBL. Maybe Cabrera supporters will get behind him for the Listach.

Relievers don't usually contend for McDonald Awards but just to add some variety to your choices, here's a few:

Daniel Bard, Sardine City

A reliever has never won the McDonald Award but the Cy Young Predictor's emphasis on saves puts Bard a distant 2nd in the results thanks to his DMBL-leading 35 saves plus 6-3 record in 84 IP. His .875 Sv% was 3rd-best in the league (35/40). He also sported a 1.59 ERA and 0.92 WHIP.

Jimmy Herget, Hopatcong

Herget tied Bard for the DMBL lead with 35 saves, accomplished in 42 opportunities for an .833 Sv%. Despite his 100 IP out of the pen and almost the same strikeout total as Bard, Herget didn't finish nearly as high in the Cy Young Predictor (14th!) because of his losing record (6-8).  He managed a 2.52 ERA and 1.01 WHIP.

You want a real dark horse? How about Livingston RP Nick Sandlin. He wasn't the closer for the Lords of Swing so he only recorded 6 saves yet his 12-4 mark out of the pen led all relievers, with a .750 win % that was 5th in DMBL. He ranked 3rd in Inherited Runners Scored (0.105, 4/38) and compiled a 1.78 ERA and 1.08 WHIP across 96.3 IP in 78 appearances.

Honorable mentions or more?

Two other Livingston starters are interesting candidates who might get down-ballot support, or might get ignored. Mitch Keller ranked 2nd in wins (17-6) yet didn't find himself among league leaders in many other categories beyond win percentage (.739, 6th) and average run support (5.0). The 19/32 QS and .594 QS% were solid, matching teammate Ross Stripling (10-9, 3.18 ERA), another interesting candidate. His 3.28 ERA was respectable but he also didn't register 200 IP (195 IP, 172 K) and his 1.22 WHIP is ghastly for any serious McDonald hopeful yet the Cy Young Predictor likes him for 7th.

Dylan Cease (14-7) had the better ERA (2.97) and WHIP (1.01), both just outside the Top 10, plus a more impressive 224 Ks in 203 IP, to go with a 2.97 ERA. 1.01 WHIP. He outdid both Keller and Stripling in quality starts (20/33) and QS% (.606) but where he really might make his case was more obscure categories like H/9, where he ranked 2nd (5.7), and Component ERA (2.21), where he tied Stripling for 5th overall. He was also among the DMBL's Top 3 in BA, SLG and OPS against. Despite that, he finds himself finishing 12th per the Cy Young Predictor.

Stripling had a meager win total (10) yet tied for 3rd in the league in WHIP (0.91) with Woodruff and 5th in K/BB (6.9), 3rd in H/9 (8.6). He led all pitchers in BB/9 (0.9).

Allentown's Nestor Cortes had the best ERA of any lefty, finishing 10th in the league (2.84) as well as 10th in WHIP (1.00). He also was among the league leaders in BA (6th), OBP (7th), OPS (7th), H/9 (6th), R/9 (7th), usually right there with Strider. If voters think his win total is a little light (13-6), they probably won't think much of his innings total (174 1/3) and Ks (166). Still, he compiled 19/29 QS (.655) but the Cy Young Predictor doesn't even like him to finish in the top 20.

Over in Hoboken, their pair of stalwarts, Clayton Kershaw and Pablo Lopez, logged 221 2/3 and 220 2/3 IP, respectively. Lopez finished tied for 6th in wins (16-10) with Marietta's Luis Severino (16-8 despite a 4.61 ERA) and El Paso's Jeff Springs (16-12).