Good stuff Starks 
hopefully 3 of the top 4 are still sitting there after this weekend series 
Jayson Starks Ballot: 1) Halladay, 1-A) Jurrjens, 2) Cole Hamels, 3) Cliff Lee, 4) Clayton Kershaw, 5) Tommy Hanson.
NL CY YOUNG OF THE HALF-YEAR
Roy Halladay, Phillies
Roy Halladay
#34 SP
Philadelphia Phillies
Before the Jair Jurrjens Fan Club starts typing the first of its 188,000 emails that announce, "Stark is an idiot," here's the deal with this pick: What we have here is, essentially, a tie between Cy Halladay and a shooting star who's having a phenomenal season (i.e., Jurrjens). "Here's the way I'd put it," one longtime NL scout advised Half-Year in Review. "You've got 1 and 1-A, and Halladay is 1. And the reason Halladay is 1 is that he's more feared." Another scout told me basically the same thing, saying: "Halladay is a guy you can match up with the toughest teams and anybody's No. 1. Jurrjens is on a hell of a roll, but it's not the same level of dominance." But even after listening to four scouts give virtually identical arguments, I wasn't sold. This award is about performance -- not history, not reputations. And fortunately, we now live in a world overstuffed with fabulous information to help us evaluate performance. So here's what that information tells us: Jurrjens is 12-3, with an incredible ERA (1.87) more than half a run lower than Halladay's (2.44). Ten years ago, that would have been the beginning and end of this discussion. But if you look beyond those columns on the stat sheet, you find it isn't that simple. Halladay is No. 1 in the NL in wins above replacement (4.7), according to FanGraphs. Jurrjens is 12th (2.3). Halladay leads the league in FanGraphs' Fielding Independent Pitching rankings and ESPN.com's Defense Independent ERA. Jurrjens sits way behind him, at 14th and 13th, respectively. According to Baseball Info Solutions, Halladay has thrown the most "Gems" (starts of six-plus innings pitched, with a 65-plus game score) in the league, with 10. Jurrjens is tied for 20th, with five. Halladay also leads Jurrjens in WHIP, strikeout ratio, walk ratio, average game score and team won-lost record. And Halladay tops him in all those departments even though he's faced 98 more hitters, made nearly twice as many starts that lasted seven-plus innings (15-8) and thrown 416 more pitches. So you tell me which of these guys has "pitched" the best. Those numbers tell me it's Roy Halladay -- barely. But you know what I'd tell anybody who would argue otherwise? This is one debate in which there's no wrong answer.
hopefully 3 of the top 4 are still sitting there after this weekend series Jayson Starks Ballot: 1) Halladay, 1-A) Jurrjens, 2) Cole Hamels, 3) Cliff Lee, 4) Clayton Kershaw, 5) Tommy Hanson.
NL CY YOUNG OF THE HALF-YEAR
Roy Halladay, Phillies
Roy Halladay
#34 SP
Philadelphia Phillies
Before the Jair Jurrjens Fan Club starts typing the first of its 188,000 emails that announce, "Stark is an idiot," here's the deal with this pick: What we have here is, essentially, a tie between Cy Halladay and a shooting star who's having a phenomenal season (i.e., Jurrjens). "Here's the way I'd put it," one longtime NL scout advised Half-Year in Review. "You've got 1 and 1-A, and Halladay is 1. And the reason Halladay is 1 is that he's more feared." Another scout told me basically the same thing, saying: "Halladay is a guy you can match up with the toughest teams and anybody's No. 1. Jurrjens is on a hell of a roll, but it's not the same level of dominance." But even after listening to four scouts give virtually identical arguments, I wasn't sold. This award is about performance -- not history, not reputations. And fortunately, we now live in a world overstuffed with fabulous information to help us evaluate performance. So here's what that information tells us: Jurrjens is 12-3, with an incredible ERA (1.87) more than half a run lower than Halladay's (2.44). Ten years ago, that would have been the beginning and end of this discussion. But if you look beyond those columns on the stat sheet, you find it isn't that simple. Halladay is No. 1 in the NL in wins above replacement (4.7), according to FanGraphs. Jurrjens is 12th (2.3). Halladay leads the league in FanGraphs' Fielding Independent Pitching rankings and ESPN.com's Defense Independent ERA. Jurrjens sits way behind him, at 14th and 13th, respectively. According to Baseball Info Solutions, Halladay has thrown the most "Gems" (starts of six-plus innings pitched, with a 65-plus game score) in the league, with 10. Jurrjens is tied for 20th, with five. Halladay also leads Jurrjens in WHIP, strikeout ratio, walk ratio, average game score and team won-lost record. And Halladay tops him in all those departments even though he's faced 98 more hitters, made nearly twice as many starts that lasted seven-plus innings (15-8) and thrown 416 more pitches. So you tell me which of these guys has "pitched" the best. Those numbers tell me it's Roy Halladay -- barely. But you know what I'd tell anybody who would argue otherwise? This is one debate in which there's no wrong answer.
crazy the difference between how bad he was for the yanks last yr, and what he is doing for the cards now. Jose Bautista must have given him some of his "secret stuff" in the off season. No way he is less then #3. I might honestly put him at #2 behind prince just bc his team is still in contention unlike the mets.
