Los Angeles Dodgers: 3 Bold predictions for Clayton Kershaw in 2020

3. Walker Buehler has the better season, but it is closer than you think

The debate going on with Dodger fans right now is who the true ace of the team is, Walker Buehler or Clayton Kershaw. This debate essentially began when it became clear that the Los Angeles Dodgers were looking to start Kershaw on Opening Day, something that some fans think should go to Buehler.

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In terms of the future, the answer is absolutely Buehler. He is much younger and has shown some elite stuff. The highs of Buehler, right now, are absolutely higher than Kershaw as well, as Buehler could throw a nine-inning shutout with 15 strikeouts.

However, while Buehler had the edge in FanGraphs WAR and FIP, Kershaw still finished with a better ERA, a better Baseball-Reference WAR and even finished one spot higher in the Cy Young voting. Kershaw deserves the Opening Day nod, even if Buehler does have a better year.

I think this year is going to serve as Walker Buehler’s coming out party. We saw how dominant he was in the postseason and throughout last season he would constantly have starts where he would just baffle opposing hitters. The problem was that when Buehler had a bad start, it was often really bad.

He is naturally going to cut down on those awful starts with more experience and as a result, he is going to finish as a Cy Young finalist. I still think he is a year or two away from actually winning the award.

Kershaw will be right behind him, though. With an ERA around 2.80 and the narrative of a revitalized Kershaw, he will finish fourth or fifth in Cy Young voting, proving yet again that his tank is not empty.