Cy Young Profile: Max Scherzer, 2016

Pitcher, Washington Nationals

Age:  32 (July 27)

2^nd season with Nationals

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’3”    Weight: 210 

Prior to 2016:

A Missouri native, Scherzer starred at Parkway Central High School, where he received all-conference recognition as a pitcher and outfielder and was the team’s co-captain as a senior. Selected by the hometown St. Louis Cardinals in the 2003 amateur draft, Scherzer chose to attend the University of Missouri instead of turning professional. As a sophomore in 2005, he led the Big 12 Conference in ERA (1.86) and strikeouts (131). He also was part of a combined no-hitter against Texas Tech on April 1 and was named Big 12 Pitcher of the Year. Drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2006, Scherzer signed and was assigned to the Visalia Oaks of the advanced Class A California League in 2007 where he went 2-0 with an 0.53 ERA before being promoted to the Mobile BayBears of the Class AA Southern League where he posted a 4-4 record with a 4.64 ERA and 76 strikeouts in 73.2 innings pitched. Advancing to the Tucson Sidewinders of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League in 2008, he was 1-1 with a 2.72 ERA when he was called up by the Diamondbacks in late April. Scherzer got off to an impressive major league start where in a relief outing against Houston, he was perfect for 4.1 innings, retiring all 13 batters that he faced, striking out 7. He ended up appearing in 16 games, 7 of them starts, and while producing only an 0-4 tally, he had a 3.05 ERA and 66 strikeouts over 56 innings. He was in Arizona’s starting rotation for all of 2009, going 9-11 for a last-place club with a 4.12 ERA and 174 strikeouts. In the offseason he was traded to the Detroit Tigers as part of a three-team deal and was 12-11 in 2010, with a 3.50 ERA and 184 strikeouts while accumulating 195.2 innings. Scherzer’s ERA rose to 4.43 in 2011, but he still produced a winning record of 15-9 for the division-winning Tigers along with 174 strikeouts. In his first taste of postseason action, he picked up a win against the Yankees in the ALDS but struggled against Texas in the ALCS, won by the Rangers. In 2012 Scherzer compiled a 16-7 tally with a 3.74 ERA and 231 strikeouts while pitching 187.2 innings. Detroit won the AL pennant and Scherzer picked up a win over the Yankees in the ALCS but could not prevent the Tigers from being swept by the Giants in the World Series. By 2013 “Mad Max” had established himself as a top-of-the-line starting power pitcher with command of a fastball, slider, and changeup. Off to a 13-1 first half in 2013, Scherzer finished at 21-3 with a 2.90 ERA and 240 strikeouts in 214.1 innings pitched for the division-winning Tigers. He received his first Cy Young Award as a result. Following a somewhat slow start in 2014, he put together another outstanding season with an 18-5 record, 3.15 ERA, and 252 strikeouts. The Tigers again topped the AL Central but lost to Baltimore in the ALDS, with Scherzer losing the opening game. A free agent in the offseason, he signed with the Nationals for seven years and $210 million. In June of 2015 he pitched a no-hitter against Pittsburgh in which he was perfect through 26 batters until hitting pinch-hitter Jose Tabata, who became the only baserunner for the Pirates before Scherzer picked up the final out. This followed a one-hit shutout at Milwaukee, giving him a stretch of just one hit and one walk allowed over the course of 18 innings, the best performance since Johnny Vander Meer of the Reds pitched back-to-back no-hitters in 1938. “Mad Max” pitched a second no-hitter in October against the New York Mets to cap a 14-12 record with a 2.79 ERA and 276 strikeouts.

2016 Season Summary

Appeared in 34 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Pitching

Games – 34

Games Started – 34 [1, tied with Madison Bumgarner]

Complete Games – 1 [8, tied with seventeen others]

Wins – 20 [1]

Losses – 7

PCT - .741 [3]

Saves – 0

Shutouts – 0

Innings Pitched – 228.1 [1]

Hits – 165

Runs – 77

Earned Runs – 75

Home Runs – 31 [1, tied with Dan Straily]

Bases on Balls – 56

Strikeouts – 284 [1]

ERA – 2.96 [8]

Hit Batters – 6

Balks – 1 [13, tied with many others]

Wild Pitches – 2

 

League-leading wins were +1 ahead of runner-up Jon Lester

League-leading innings pitched were +1.2 ahead of runner-up Madison Bumgarner

League-leading strikeouts were +31 ahead of runner-up Jose Fernandez

Midseason Snapshot: 10-6, ERA – 3.03, SO – 164 in 127.2 IP

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Most strikeouts, game – 20 (in 9 IP) vs. Detroit 5/11 (Tied MLB record)

10+ strikeout games – 13

Fewest hits allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 2 (in 8 IP) vs. Baltimore 8/25, (in 7.1 IP) vs. NY Mets 6/29, (in 7 IP) vs. Chi. Cubs 6/13

 

Batting

PA – 85, AB – 70, R – 4, H – 13, 2B – 1, 3B – 0, HR – 0, RBI – 12, BB – 2, SO – 30, SB – 0, CS – 0, AVG - .186, GDP – 1, HBP – 0, SH – 13, SF – 0

Fielding

Chances – 32

Put Outs – 12

Assists – 19

Errors – 1

DP – 1

Pct. - .969

Postseason Pitching: G – 2 (NLDS vs. LA Dodgers)

GS – 2, CG – 0, Record – 0-1, PCT – .000, SV – 0, ShO – 0, IP – 12, H – 10, R – 5, ER – 5, HR – 3, BB – 2, SO – 12, HB – 1, BLK – 0, WP – 1, ERA – 3.75

Awards & Honors:

NL Cy Young Award: BBWAA

NL Pitcher of the Year: Sporting News

All-Star

10^th in NL MVP voting (39 points, 9% share)

NL Cy Young voting (top 5):

Max Scherzer, Wash.: 192 points – 25 of 30 first place votes, 91% share

Jon Lester, ChiC.: 102 points – 1 first place vote, 49% share

Kyle Hendricks, ChiC: 85 points. – 2 first place votes, 40% share

Madison Bumgarner, SF: 46 points – 22% share

Clayton Kershaw, LAD: 30 points – 2 first place votes, 14% share

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The Nationals went 95-67 to finish first in the NL Eastern Division by 8 games over the New York Mets. The well-balanced Nationals moved into first place in the NL East during a 16-7 April and remained at, or near, the top the rest of the way, sealing the division title with a 17-12 finish. Lost NLDS to the Los Angeles Dodgers, 3 games to 2 with Scherzer losing the opening game and pitching 6 one-hit innings without getting a decision in Game 5, won by the Dodgers.

Aftermath of 2016:

Scherzer followed up with another Cy Young-winning season in 2017 in which he compiled a 16-6 record with a 2.51 ERA and league-leading 268 strikeouts. Washington returned to the pinnacle of the NL East but fell to the Cubs in the NLDS, with Scherzer pitching very well in Game 3, won by Chicago after Scherzer was relieved, and he took the loss in relief in the decisive Game 5. The outstanding pitching continued in 2018 as Scherzer started out strong on his way to an 18-7 mark with a 2.53 ERA. In addition to leading the NL in wins, he also topped the circuit in innings pitched (220.2) and strikeouts (300). He finished second in league Cy Young voting. The slow-starting Nationals won the World Series in 2019 and Scherzer contributed an 11-7 record and 2.92 ERA with 243 strikeouts despite missing a month due to a back injury. He picked up three more wins in the postseason. In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season he finished at 5-4 with a 3.74 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 67.1 innings pitched. The subject of trade rumors in 2021, he got off to an 8-4 start before the reeling Nationals dealt him along with shortstop Trea Turner to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Scherzer went 7-0 for LA to end up at a combined 15-4 with a 2.46 ERA and 236 strikeouts in 179.1 innings. He was 0-1 in the postseason as the Dodgers advanced to the NLCS before being eliminated. A free agent in the offseason, he signed with the New York Mets for three years and $130 million. Scherzer started off well with the Mets in 2022, winning his first four starts. But after reaching 5-1 in May, he went on the injured list with a muscle strain. Overall, Scherzer produced an 11-5 record with a 2.29 ERA and 173 strikeouts in 145.1 innings pitched. He started one game in the NL Wild Card series loss against San Diego and gave up seven runs in 4.2 innings. In his fourth start for the Mets in 2023 he was ejected for having a foreign substance on his hand, resulting in a ten-game suspension. With the team underachieving at the approach to the trade deadline, Scherzer was dealt to the Texas Rangers. His record at the time of the trade was 9-4 with a 4.01 ERA and 121 strikeouts in 107.2 innings.  For his major league career through August 20, 2023, Scherzer has produced a 213-107 record with a 3.14 ERA, 12 complete games, 5 shutouts, and 3344 strikeouts in 2813.1 innings. With the Nationals he was 92-47 with a 2.80 ERA, 11 complete games, 4 shutouts, and 1610 strikeouts over the course of 1229 innings. Appearing in 27 postseason games, 22 of them starts, his record has been 7-7 with a 3.58 ERA and 164 strikeouts in 133.1 innings. An eight-time All-Star, he has finished in the top 5 in league Cy Young voting eight times, winning on three occasions. One physical oddity of Scherzer’s is that his right eye is blue and his left eye is brown.

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Cy Young Profiles feature pitchers who were recipients of the Cy Young Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (1956 to present). The award was presented to a single major league winner from its inception through 1966 and from 1967 on to one recipient from each major league.