AL Cy Young

Consistently outpitching opponents doesn't necessarily make one the best pitcher in the league, though. See Bartolo Colon (21 wins, 3.48 ERA), circa 2004. Or Dice-K (18 wins, 1.32 WHIP), circa 2008.

 

Good idea, using the 2005 Cy Young winner to prove that pitchers who win the most games shouldn't win the Cy Young. (It was 2005 when Colon went 21-8.)

 

That's the year Rivera (1.38 ERA, 37 saves) got second and Santana (16-7, 2.87 ERA, 238 Ks -- or 81 more than Colon -- with walks being a wash) got third. Either of those two would've been a more worthy Cy Young winner than Colon.

 

But they didn't win, because Colon won 21 games.

 

And the voters were correctly slammed for it, something it seems they have learned from.

 

When?

 

When were they slammed or when did they learn? Maybe the learning was just wishful thinking on my part, but the Colon selection was a joke.

 

Rivera has a lower ERA this year as well as a better WHIP and fewer walks per 9 innings than he did in 2005 when he cam in second in the AL Cy Young race.

He'll likely finish with fewer saves (he had 43 in 2005) and innings pitched, but then those are out of his control.

Why aren't you promoting him for the Cy Young when by your standards, he's having a better year this year?

 

Colon wasn't as bad a pick as you think. He had most wins by three. No one stood out in IP. Johan had a great ERA and lots of Ks, but only 16 wins. No starting pitcher except for Johan had a superior ERA to Colon. All the top winners were not strikeout guys. Rivera had a really good year but not the supernatural closer season that is needed to take Cy Young.

 

Probably because he knows there is no way in hell a closer gets the award in a year with so many strong starting pitcher candidates. There is no closer I trust more than Rivera, but you can make a strong case that he hasn't even been the best closer in the AL this season.

Rafael Soriano has 38 saves in 40 opportunities with a 1.79 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 44 strikeouts in 50 1/3 innings pitched.

Joakim Soria has 35 saves in 37 opportunities with a 1.87 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 55 strikeouts in 53 innings pitched.

Rivera has only 25 saves in 27 opportunties with a 1.18 ERA, 0.72 WHIP and 38 strikeouts in 45 2/3 innings pitched.

Soriano and Soria both are well ahead in saves, each having blown exactly as many as Rivera (two). Both have pitched more innings. Both have more strikeouts. Rivera has the lowest ERA, but with so few innings, that category tends to fluctuate a lot more with relief pitchers than with starters.

You could argue just based on the ERA that Rivera has been the best closer in the AL this season, but it is far from clear-cut. If he isn't even clearly the best reliever in the league, how the heck do you consider him for the Cy Young?

 

Santana was a much better pitcher than Colon that year. It wasn't even close. He was just another example of people who over-rate victories as a pitching statistic.

 

There's a closer every year who does what Soriano and Soria are doing. It's great, but not special enough for a Cy Young.

And yes, Santana was the better pitcher. But Colon was probably second best, and the difference of five wins was enough to give him the award. Also, there was some voter fatigue from Santana winning it the previous year.