Chicago Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks was named the winner of the 2016 Players Choice Award for National League Outstanding Pitcher. He was selected by NL players over Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw and Max Scherzer of the Washington Nationals.
Hendricks, who is also a finalist for the NL Cy Young, went 16-8 with a 2.13 ERA, 188 ERA+ and 0.98 WHIP in 31 games (30 starts). He was particularly dominant at Wrigley Field, going 9-2 with a 1.32 ERA. Hendricks led the Majors in overall ERA.
He surpassed Jake Arrieta as the Cubs’ right-handed counterpart to ace Jon Lester, who is a Cy Young finalist with Hendricks and Scherzer.
While Players Choice Awards are based on regular-season performance, Hendricks was strong in the playoffs.
He made seven starts and went 1-1 with a 2.38 ERA. Included in that was Hendricks allowing just one run to the Dodgers in 12.2 innings in two outings during the NL Championship Series. He was nearly perfect in the clinching-Game 6, holding Los Angeles to just a pair of hits in 7.1 frames.
Due to missing 75 days while on the disabled list to recover from a mild disc herniation, Kershaw’s MLB-record streak of consecutive finishes in top-three voting for Cy Young was snapped at five.
Kershaw went 12-4 with a 1.69 ERA, 230 ERA+, 1.80 FIP, 0.73 WHIP, three complete games and averaged 10.4 strikeouts per nine innings. He finished the season with 172 strikeouts to just 11 walks. Kershaw won the NL Outstanding Pitcher Award in 2013 and 2014.
Scherzer, one of three pitchers to win 20 games this season, led the Majors with 284 strikeouts. He tied for the NL lead with 34 starts, and led the NL with 228.1 innings pitched. Scherzer sported a 2.96 ERA and 0.97 WHIP.
He faced the Dodgers twice in the NL Division Series, going 0-1 with a 3.75 ERA over 12 innings pitched.
