AL Cy Young Award in Review

It was just announced that Zack Greinke has won the 2009 AL Cy Young award. Let's take a look at each of the players receiving votes, and how their seasons went.

Voting (first place)

Greinke: 134 (25)
Felix Hernandez: 80 (2)
Justin Verlander: 14 (1)
C.C. Sabathia: 13
Roy Halladay: 11

Zack Greinke
Zack posted an extremely dominant season, starting out 6-0 and never looking back. He finished the season with 16 wins (the least of any Cy Young award winner ever), a 2.16 era, 6 complete games, 3 shutouts, 242 strikeouts, and a 1.07 whip. A dominant season by any stretch, and most likely there would have been no doubt about this if he had played in a major market, or for a contending team.

Felix Hernandez
King Felix probably would have won a Cy Young with this season just about any other year. 19-5 with a 2.49 era, 217 strikeouts, a 1.14 whip, 2 complete games, 1 shutout on a 3rd place team. And he's still only 23 years old. I know it doesn't seem like it since he's been in the majors for parts of 5 years already.

Justin Verlander
Verlander had what may have been his best season so far, finishing with a 17-5 record and anchoring the Tigers' pitching staff to within one game of the playoffs. Some of the other eye-popping numbers: 269 strikeouts, a 3.45 era, 1.18 whip, and 3 complete games in 240 innings pitched. He improved nearly every key stat a pitcher can improve in a single season, seeing a lower walk total, higher strikeouts, and lower era.

C.C. Sabathia
Sabathia had a very good year, proving that a good pitcher can still go to the Big Apple and own the place. A World Championship in year 1, Sabathia anchored the depleted Yankee rotation with a 19-8 record, a 3.37 era, 1.15 whip, and 197 strikeouts in 230 innings pitched this year. Another player who might have won a Cy Young in a different year, the Yankees will more than get their money's worth out of Sabathia.

Roy Halladay
Every year, it seems Halladay ends up in this discussion. This is the 4th straight year that Halladay has received votes for this award. Subjected to a summer of trade rumors, Halladay still went 17-10 with a 2.79 era, 1.13 whip, a league-leading 9 complete games and 4 shutouts, and 208 strikeouts in 239 innings for the Blue Jays. I'm not sure where he pitches come the beginning of April, but it's safe to say at this point that Roy is going to take the ball, and keep his team in the game at all times.

This is the 4th straight Cy Young winner to come from the AL Central division (Johan Santana, CC Sabathia, Cliff Lee). Hopefully this won't be the 4th one to leave the division in the years afterward.

My Award Winners for 2009

AL MVP - Joe Mauer (C - MIN)

 Joe Mauer didn't play in 24 games (almost a month worth), and still did this:

• led the majors in batting average (.365)
• led the majors in on-base percentage (.444)
• led the AL in slugging (.587)
• finished second in the majors in OPS (1.031), behind Albert Pujols
• hit 28 homers, drove in 96 runs, and had 191 hits
• pieced together a pitching staff decimated by injuries and inconsistency
• helped lead his team to a division title

No way Minnesota gets where they did without him.

AL Cy Young - Zack Greinke (SP - KC)

Yes, he pitched for a bad team. But the award isn't given to the best pitcher on a good team.
Zack Greinke:

• led the majors in ERA (2.16)
• led the AL in WHIP (1.07)
• second in the AL in strikeouts (242)
• Tied for third in the AL in wins (16)
• second in the AL in complete games (6) and shutouts (3)
• has 26 quality starts (out of 33)
  
• could have had more wins potentially - in his 8 losses he got 15 runs of support, including being on the losing end of a 1-0 and a 2-0 loss.

A truly dominant pitcher throughout the year, in spite of his team's struggles.


AL Rookie of the Year - Andrew Bailey (RP - OAK)
Andrew was an afterthought in the A's bullpen at the start of this year, and came out with some very dominant numbers. He took over the closer role early on in the season, and never gave it up.

• 1.84 ERA
• 26 saves
• 91 strikeouts in 83 innings

Yes, I'm biased towards the A's. But I don't think that Gordon Beckham coming up until June gives him a better shot at this award.

NL MVP - Albert Pujols (1B - STL)

Do I need to even explain this one?

• 1st in NL in OBP (.443)
• 1st in Majors in Slugging Percentage (.658)
• 1st in Majors in OPS (1.101)
• 1st in Majors in Runs (124)
• 1st in Majors in Total Bases (374)
• 1st in Majors in Homers (47)
• 2nd in Majors in RBI (135)

And he led his team to the playoffs. Without any particular backing in the lineup until the arrival of Matt Holliday. We're all going to look back in 20 years and marvel at how much better Albert Pujols was than every other player in this generation.

NL Cy Young - Tim Lincecum (SP - SF)

I actually saw Lincecum pitch against Philadelphia on August 1st. He was dominant that night, striking out 8 and scattering 7 hits in a 2-0 win.

• Led the majors in strikeouts (261)
• 3rd in the majors in ERA (2.48)
  
• 4th in the majors in WHIP (1.05)
• 1st in NL in Complete Games (4) and Shutouts (2)
• 23 quality starts (out of 32)
  
• Got a no-decision or a loss in 10 of those quality starts

He appears to me that in spite of his team, he pitched ridiculously well.

NL Rookie of the Year - Andrew McCutchen (OF - PIT)
When I first started writing this, I had Chris Coghlan down as my rookie of the year. But after looking at McCutchen's stats, I was surprised at how much better they appeared than Coghlan's.

• 12 homers (Coghlan 9)
• 22 steals (Coghlan 8)
• 54 rbi (Coghlan 47)

And those are with a month less. (Coghlan was called up early in May, McCutchen in June). Coghlan definitely outhit McCutchen overall (Coghlan - .321, McCutchen - .286). It's very close, and I think that McCutchen had a slightly better rookie season. But honestly, either choice would be a good one.