The 2019 season ended in disappointment for the Los Angeles Dodgers, but Hyun-Jin Ryu could be in line to win multiple awards in the coming weeks. Ryu was named a finalist for National League Outstanding Pitcher of the Year in voting for the 2019 Players Choice Awards.
So too were Atlanta Braves rookie Mike Soroka and New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom. deGrom won the award last season, along with Cy Young.
Ryu was previously voted by his peers as a finalist for NL Comeback Player of the Year, and he additionally is in the running for a Cy Young Award. Winner of the NL Outstanding Pitcher Award will receive a $20,000 grant from the MLB Players Trust to direct to charities of his choice.
Ryu led the Majors in several categories for much of the season and went 10-1 with a 1.93 ERA in the first half. He was named the NL’s starter in the All-Star Game, which was a first for the Dodgers since Zack Greinke in 2015.
That honor also made Ryu the first Korean born pitcher to start in the Midsummer Classic, and he joined Hideo Nomo (1995) and Fernando Valenzuela (1981) as international pitchers who have held the distinction for the Dodgers.
Ryu experienced some regression in the second half but still finished 14-5 with a 2.32 ERA, 179 ERA+, 3.10 FIP and 1.01 WHIP in 29 starts to earn his first career ERA crown. Ryu then held the Washington Nationals to two runs on four hits in five innings of Game 3 of the NL Division Series.
Though, by that point voting for NL Outstanding Pitcher and other Players Choice Awards had long concluded. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts touted Ryu as being more than deserving of winning Cy Young but expressed concern a perceived East Coast bias would work against him.
For his part, Ryu said while he would be appreciative to win the Cy Young Award, he felt deGrom was deserving of repeating. The right-hander went 11-8 with a 2.43 ERA, 2.67 FIP and 0.97 WHIP in 32 starts.
