AL Cy Young Talk in June

We're coming up on the halfway point of the 2008 MLB Season. Which means you're going to have to endure countless meaningless mid-season lists put together by amateurs who have nothing better to talk about. So without further ado...

AL Cy Young

1. Joe Saunders (LAA), 11-3, 3.03 ERA, 49 K's, 101 IP
The obvious question - can Saunders keep it up? I don't see why not. It's not like he's been fooling hitters with nasty stuff, or blowing anything past them. He's just a solid pitcher who attacks the strike zone and pitches to contact. Plus, he's got arguably the best defense in baseball behind him. He may not even break 100 K's this year, but he's got a real shot at 20 W's.

2. Justin Duchscherer (OAK), 8-4, 1.99 ERA, 51 K's, 77 IP
Duchsch is another guy who came out of virtually nowhere. He was best known for his exceptional work out of the Oakland bullpen, and received the occasional spot start. But an 8-4 record with an ERA below 2 suggests he's more than a spot-starter. Is he legit?

3. Cliff Lee (CLE), 10-1, 2.45 ERA, 79 K's, 95.2 IP
Everyone knows about Cliff Lee, after he put together a 5-0 April with a 0.96 ERA. But things are slowing down a bit ERA-wise, posting a 4.18 ERA in June. Still, he's sporting an impressive 2.45 ERA, and the 10-1 record doesn't leave a whole lot to be desired. I just can't get past Lee's earlier seasons where he was anywhere from mediocre to terrible.

4. Roy Halladay (TOR), 8-6, 2.90 ERA, 93 K's, 114.2 IP
This dude is a workhorse. The record is solid, nothing great - but it's the IP that make Halladay so valuable for the Blue Jays. In fact, all you really need to know is that he's on pace for 10 complete games this year.

5. Felix Hernandez (SEA), 6-5, 2.87 ERA, 91 K's, 103.1 IP
The record isn't all that great, but it's not his fault the Mariners have no offense. Everything else about King Felix looks great - the 2.87 ERA, and 91 K's. He's had some lingering health issues, though, including a collision at the plate today.

6. Ervin Santana (LAA), 9-3, 3.17 ERA, 91 K's, 102.1 IP
Ervin's finally tapped into some of that magic, the magic that had fans and scouts drooling over the young righthander. Despite struggling for a couple years, Santana has done more than hold his own in the Angels rotation. Can he keep it up? He's got nasty stuff, so I say he does.

7. Shaun Marcum (TOR), 5-4, 2.65 ERA, 86 K's, 98.2 IP
Another "out-of-nowhere" guy, Marcum is arguably the best pitcher on the Blue Jay's staff in 2008. The record isn't all that great, but if he can keep his ERA around where it is and continue to strike guys out at his current rate, he should see upwards of 14 or 15 wins if the Jays can get their bats going.

8. John Danks (CHW), 4-4, 2.80 ERA, 66 K's, 86.2 IP
Here's another guy that won't win the Cy Young because of his record. But the ERA is great, and the K's are solid. Above all, though, I need to mention that the Rangers had him. And traded him. Just like they did with Chris Young to the Padres, and Edinson Volquez to the Reds. And, yet, the Texas rotation is led by Vincente Padilla. (In fact, Danks probably belongs in the "honorable mentions" below, but I couldn't help but take a cheap shot at the Rangers.)

For one reason or another, these guys don't make the Cy Young list - mostly because of missed time due to injury. Still, they deserve notice: Scott Kazmir (6-3, 2.03 ERA, 68 K's, 62 IP), C.C. Sabathia (5-8, 4.06 ERA, 107 K's, 106.1 IP), John Lackey (4-1, 1.73 ERA, 39 K's, 52 IP), Rich Harden (4-0, 2.44 ERA, 72 K's, 59 IP)

Putting together these lists takes more time and effort than I thought, so I'll leave the MVP, Rookie of the Year, and Closer awards, as well as all the NL awards, for another time.