The 5-Hole, CBJ News and Notes – 10/21/08
October 21, 2008About Those Hands…
October 21, 2008For Cliff Lee, hopefully this is only the beginning. The salad and bread before the main course is served. Lee already won the AL’s comeback player of the year award, and this weekend he picked up two more honors. Lee was voted Most Outstanding Pitcher by the player’s association as well as AL Pitcher of the Year by The Sporting News. These awards are nice, but the big one looms.
Lee is considered by most to be the favorite to bring home the AL’s Cy Young award. The only other serious threat to take the award is Anaheim’s closer Francisco Rodriguez – he of the $15 million per year contract demands. Of course, Toronto’s Roy Halladay may get a few nods, but it will be tough for him to rack up more votes than a rival starting pitcher. Complete game machine, he may be, but Halladay trails in key metrics like wins, losses and ERA. However, we would be more than willing to listen to opposing arguments if anyone honestly believes that Lee is unworthy!
There has been some talk over the last few weeks that the Tribe should look to lock up Lee for a few more years; especially given the chance that we would be sans ace upon any departure. But the little man on the other shoulder (most likely wearing red, carrying a pitchfork) reminds us all that we did the same thing with players like Jake Westbrook and Travis Hafner – and look where that got us!
But regardless of what happened this past season with the team, at least we can all take pride in having the Cy Young recipient for what would then be back-to-back seasons. Twenty-win seasons do not come all that often in these parts. Now let’s just hope we can build off of this next year, instead of using it as a slump buster.
10 Comments
Bill James has Cliff narrowly beating out KRod for the Cy Young. KRod gets 12 bonus extra points for making the post-season. The formula is at the bottom of the page.
But props to Lee for making this season watchable. Guys was LIGHTS OUT!!! What a season.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/features/cy
Wow…that also has Timmy Lincecum taking the NL, which would be awesome given that kid’s talents on what is an otherwise dreadful team
Well if saves is a category in that little chart, where is the blown saves category? That’d be like counting all a pitchers K’s but not the BB’s.
That’s how Jo Bo was ninth last season 🙂
Lisol-
Idk that’s a valid question. I guess it costs you 2.5 points because you don’t get credit for the save, which kind of equals out because the relievers aren’t getting the same points for number of innings pitched or the opportunity for as many K’s? I’m guessing there is a reason they recieve a certain amount of points for the different critera, as Bill James tends to calculate things pretty accurately.
And the relievers don’t get shutout points either.
Perhaps I’m just grapsing at straws cause I know how mad I would be if a closer won the Cy Young over Lee. Anyone with any sense knows that a high Saves count is just as much a function of your team being in close games going into the end of the game, which is also a function (in the Angels case) of having poor offense, but good pitching and defense. Not to mention over-reliance on one person in the ninth inning. If K-Rod was as good as pitcher as everyone is making him out to be he would have been put in more pressure situations, as opposed to just having to pitch to three guys with a lead.
The most glaring stat that I can mention is BB’s allowed. K-Rod has 34 allowed in 67 IP ( and change). Lee has allowed 34 BB in 223.3 IP. I feel that right there blows away any contention between the two pitchers. There was a yahoo sports column a while back with some other key situational stats, but unfortunately it looks like it was taken down.
The most glaring stat may be the following:
2.
As in two years in a row the Tribe may have to trade away the reigning Cy Young winner because the team doesn’t meet expectations, and he’s in a contract year.
I hope to god this doesn’t happen, but the way things go in the Land of Cleve, I wouldn’t be shocked.
I’m torn on giving him a new contract. my heart says to do it, but my head says no because the last time we gave him a contract extension we had to send him down to the minors the very next season.
anyway, i think cliff’s got it all locked up, i would be shocked if krod got it