Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw was voted one of three finalists for the 2017 Players Choice National League Outstanding Pitcher Award. He’s joined by Max Scherzer of the Washington Nationals, and Arizona Diamondbacks righty Zack Greinke.
Kershaw was also a finalist for the award last season, which went to the Cubs’ Kyle Hendricks. This season, Kershaw went 18-4 with a 2.31 ERA, 3.07 FIP and 0.95 WHIP in 27 starts. He paced NL pitchers and tied for the overall lead in wins, led the NL in ERA and ERA+ (180), and was second in the league in WHIP.
Like in 2016, he missed time due to a back injury. Though his stint on the disabled list was only five weeks due to a lower back strain, while last year Kershaw missed 10 weeks while recovering from a herniated disc.
Comparatively, Scherzer went 16-6 with a 2.51 ERA, 2.90 FIP and 0.90 WHIP in 31 starts. He led the NL with two complete games and with a 7.7 pitchers WAR (Baseball-Reference).
Greinke finished the year 17-7 with a 3.20 ERA, 3.31 FIP and 1.07 WHIP. Among the three finalists he made the most starts, with 32. Greinke otherwise paled in comparison to Kershaw and Scherzer.
The trio also figures to be among the finalists for the 2017 NL Cy Young Award. For Kershaw, it would be his fourth time taking home the hardware.
The winner for NL Outstanding Pitcher and other Players Choice Awards will be announced Wednesday, Nov. 8, at 5:00 p.m. PT on MLB Network.
