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5 pitchers on right path to their 1st Cy Young

Tom Szczerbowski / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Major League Baseball will announce the winners of the Cy Young award in both the American and National League on Wednesday evening, with Chris Sale, Corey Kluber, and Luis Severino up for contention in the AL, while Washington teammates Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg compete against Clayton Kershaw in the NL.

All six had incredible seasons and are deserving of their nominations, but right behind them are the next batch of young star pitchers making names for themselves.

Here are five of the brightest young hurlers in the game, who are each on the right path to winning a Cy Young of their own in the not-too-distant future.

Marcus Stroman, Blue Jays

(Photo courtesy: Action Images)

GS IP W-L ERA WHIP FIP SO
33 201 13-9 3.09 1.31 3.90 164

After a 2016 campaign that raised the question of whether Stroman was indeed the Toronto Blue Jays' ace, he proved his case this past season as one of the AL's best pitchers despite playing on a struggling Toronto team. The 26-year-old surpassed the 200-inning mark for a second consecutive year, won his first Gold Glove, and lowered his ERA by a whopping 1.28.

Aaron Nola, Phillies

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

GS IP W-L ERA WHIP FIP SO
27 168 12-11 3.54 1.21 3.27 184

2017 was the best season of Nola's career. He recorded career highs in wins (12), ERA (3.54), starts (27), innings pitched (168), strikeouts (184), and WHIP (1.21) - all while playing for the 66-96 Philadelphia Phillies. One wonders what he might be able to accomplish on a better team.

Michael Fulmer, Tigers

(Photo courtesy: Action Images)

GS IP W-L ERA WHIP FIP SO
25 164.2 10-12 3.83 1.15 3.67 114

With Justin Verlander gone and the Detroit Tigers in rebuild mode, Fulmer will presumably be the team's No. 1 in 2018. The 2016 AL Rookie of the Year and one-time All-Star has two great seasons under his belt already, and could be the next Cy Young winner in Detroit, a city that's been home to two - Verlander and Scherzer - since 2011.

Carlos Martinez, Cardinals

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

GS IP W-L ERA WHIP FIP SO
32 205 12-11 3.64 1.22 3.91 217

Martinez is a horse. The St. Louis Cardinals' ace was tied with Clayton Richard of the San Diego Padres for the most batters faced in the NL this past season, and he's tossed 579 innings and kept his ERA under 3.64 over the past three years. He also struck out a career-high 217 batters in 2017, and his two complete-game shutouts led the NL.

Luis Severino, Yankees

(Photo courtesy: Action Images)

GS IP W-L ERA WHIP FIP SO
31 193.1 14-6 2.98 1.04 3.08 230

Yes, Severino is officially in contention for a Cy Young on Wednesday, but he likely won't stand a chance against Kluber and Sale. But, the award looks like a strong possibility in the future for the 23-year-old Dominican, whose electric stuff helped him post a career-high strikeout rate of 10.7 per nine and earned him his first All-Star appearance. Severino isn't eligible for free agency until 2023, and should give the Yankees a serious threat atop their rotation for years to come.

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