The Cy Young Awards are the top annual award specifically for pitchers in Major League Baseball. Two are given out, one each for the National League and American League. It's named after Hall of Famer Cy Young, who played primarily with franchises based in Cleveland and Boston. He also had a very brief tenure as a manager.
The 2021 Major League Baseball was a historic one for pitchers. Pitching statistics were largely better than average across the board. Meanwhile, offensive numbers were often trending in the opposite direction. Voters have made their thoughts known on who stood out.
Corbin Burnes earns Cy Young Award for the National League
Corbin Burnes of the Milwaukee Brewers has won the NL Cy Young Award, reports the Beloit Daily News. Burnes has become a fan-favorite in Wisconsin. With a following that could well include citizens from every municipality in the state.
Burnes quickly made headlines during the early part of the 2021 season by racking up historic strikeout numbers and eventually being dubbed as the ace of the vaunted Brewers pitching staff. His teammate, Brandon Woodruff, had previously been considered the team's number one starter.
As a team, the Brewers had a solid regular season. Quickly, they build a dominant lead in the National League Central Division.
However, they would have a disappointing performance in the playoffs.
The Brewers selected Burnes in the fourth round of the MLB Draft in 2016. He'd played collegiately with Saint Mary's College of California. Burnes also participated in the Cape Cod League. Previously, he played with Centennial High School, located in Bakersfield, California.
Other members of the Milwaukee Brewers receiving recognition
One of Burnes' fellow pitchers with the Brewers, Josh Hader, was recently named NL Reliever of the Year, marking that Hader received the award three out of four seasons. The only season he didn't in that stretch was 2020. That year, it was won by Devin Williams - also with the Brewers.
Williams was also named the National League Rookie of the Year for the season.
Wisconsinite and former Brewers player Craig Counsell was the runner-up for the NL Manager of the Year Award. It's the third time he's landed in second place for the honor in four years, notes MLB.com, matching Hader's pattern.
Two Brewers were finalists for Gold Glove Awards. One was Kolten Wong, in the category for second basemen. The other was Jackie Bradley Jr., who was among the center fielders.
Two members of the Brewers made the shortlist for the Silver Slugger Awards. Omar Narvaez did so for catchers as did Willy Adames for shortstops.
