Chicago Cubs Manager Joe Maddon Promotes Pitcher Jake Arrieta's Award Candidacy

While most media members and fans believe that Chicago Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta is a serious candidate for the NL Cy Young Award, manager Joe Maddon is thinking his pitcher deserves a bigger prize

While there has been plenty of debate over whether Chicago Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta should win the NL Cy Young Award, manager Joe Maddon has his eyes on a bigger prize for his ace.

That’s right. Maddon, who has led the Cubs to their first playoff berth since 2008, thinks that Arrieta is a legitimate candidate for National League MVP honors this season.

“Where we’re at right now, absolutely he’s gotta be in (the MVP) conversation, too,” Maddon told Patrick Mooney of CSN Chicago. “What he’s done in the second half is unparalleled. I can’t say I’ve never seen it; nobody’s ever seen what he’s doing right now.”

Arrieta was positively dominant against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday, throwing seven innings and allowing just one hit to the team that he will likely face in the National League wild card game next week.

Arrieta’s situation is interesting because he is not only among the top pitchers in the National League, but he’s also among the best players period. Fangraphs pegs his value at 7.1 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) this season. That number ranks him fourth in the NL behind Harper (9.7), Dodgers SP Clayton Kershaw (7.9), and Reds 1B Joey Votto (7.7).

While advanced statistics tell a positive story for Arrieta, his traditional statistics tell a similar tale. He is 21-6 on the season after his win Sunday, with 229 strikeouts and a 1.82 ERA on the season.

If Arrieta were to pull an upset and beat out Harper for the NL MVP Award, he would become the first Cubs player to win it since Sammy Sosa took home the honors in 1998.

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