It happens every year around this time. Everybody – from the Commissioner of Baseball, through the International Baseball Writers Association (IBBWA), through local broadcasters, beat writers, and clubhouse attendants – select their favorites for a plethora of baseball awards. But if you are a Major League Baseball player, regardless of the position you play, there is no greater award than one that comes from your peers.

On Thursday morning, Dodgers right-hander Max Scherzer received such an award when he was named the National League’s Outstanding Pitcher, which is voted on by players across the league through the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA).

“To be selected by the players as the best pitcher – you face these guys – that just shows you they have a level of respect for you,” Scherzer said in a video. “They recognize you as the best. So that really does mean a lot to me, to be recognized by my peers.”

The Dodgers acquired the 37-year-old St. Louis, MO native and first-round draft pick in 2006 by the Arizona Diamondbacks out of the University of Missouri in Columbia from the Washington Nationals along with infielder Trea Turner on July 30, 2021, in exchange for Dodgers top-ranked catching prospect Keibert Ruiz, top-ranked right-handed pitching prospect Josiah Gray, right-hander Gerardo Carrillo, and outfielder Donovan Casey.

Scherzer finished the 2021 season with a combined record of 15-4 with a Cy-Young-worthy 2.46 ERA over his 30 starts – 19 with the Nationals and 11 with the Dodgers. He struck out 236 while walking only 36 in his combined 179.1 innings pitched in 2021 – 111.0 with the Nats and 68.1 with the Dodgers. He led all of baseball with an incredible WHIP of 0.86.

What makes this award even more remarkable is that this is the third time he has won it (to go along with his three Cy Young Awards), having done so in the American League with the Detroit Tigers in 2013 and in the National League in 2017 with the Washington Nationals.

Well done, Max!

Play Ball!

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