Lee first to 20 wins

[HoustonGM]

Cliff Lee became the first pitcher in the bigs to reach 20 wins this season, reaching the mark with a masterpiece shutout.

Lee's got 5 starts left (maybe 6 if they stretch him), and with the way he's throwing, it'd be no surprise to see him finish up 25-2! What a season and story he's made for himself.

[daves]

Great season for Cliff despite Cleveland's overall record. Does 20 wins guarantee him the CY Young or will it go to a reliever on a winning team (LAA)?

[HoustonGM]

Great season for Cliff despite Cleveland's overall record. Does 20 wins guarantee him the CY Young or will it go to a reliever on a winning team (LAA)?

Rodriguez is going to get more support than he should because he's going to break the save record, but I'm pretty sure Lee's going to win it easily.

[gRYFYN1]

Even if Lee Shuts it down now and doesn't throw another inning the only pitcher who can come close to him is Halladay, Anyone who votes Rodriquez over either of them should have their voting privileges revoked,

[justanewguy]

Having 20 wins with such a poor team (one so poor it had to give up a couple of its stars mid-season) speaks a lot for Lee. Wins on their own don't usually show too much about a pitcher, but in this case, it says quite a bit.

He just keeps his team in the position to win games, and practically never fails to do so. The consistency is remarkable. This is the most automatic-win situation I've seen with a starting pitcher in a while.

As I've said before, I would really doubt Rodriguez will get anywhere close to the support to win this thing. The voters are smarter than that.

[HoustonGM]

As I've said before, I would really doubt Rodriguez will get anywhere close to the support to win this thing. The voters are smarter than that.

I wouldn't give them that much credit just yet. These voters are the same voters that have always loved wins, saves, and good stories over facts. Granted, Cliff Lee brings the wins and the good story...but K-Rod brings the saves, the story, AND a record..

[RedsoxRockies]

I wouldn't give them that much credit just yet. These voters are the same voters that have always loved wins, saves, and good stories over facts. Granted, Cliff Lee brings the wins and the good story...but K-Rod brings the saves, the story, AND a record..

Cliff Lee has the story. He was demoted to the minors last year, and now is the best pitcher in the majors!

[justanewguy]

I hadn't bothered to look this up before, but I did just now and it's kinda interesting. When Thigpen set the current record, he finished 4th in the 1990 AL Cy Young voting. Bob Welch (27-6, 2.95, 1.22 WHIP) won it. Clemens (21-6, 1.93, 1.08 WHIP) finished second, followed by Dave Stewart (22-11, 2.56, 1.16 WHIP). Eckersley (0.61 ERA, 0.61 WHIP, 48 SV) came in after Thigpen in 5th. Oddly enough, he probably had a more Cy Young worthy season that year than Thigpen did.

[HoustonGM]

I hadn't bothered to look this up before, but I did just now and it's kinda interesting. When Thigpen set the current record, he finished 4th in the 1990 AL Cy Young voting. Bob Welch (27-6, 2.95, 1.22 WHIP) won it. Clemens (21-6, 1.93, 1.08 WHIP) finished second, followed by Dave Stewart (22-11, 2.56, 1.16 WHIP). Eckersley (0.61 ERA, 0.61 WHIP, 48 SV) came in after Thigpen in 5th. Oddly enough, he probably had a more Cy Young worthy season that year than Thigpen did.

Yep. Eckersley in 1990 was otherworldly and yet, that wasn't the season that he won the Cy Young AND the MVP.

And Roger Clemens was really the best pitcher in the league that season. But, alas, 27 wins is damn pretty. My 1990 ballot would probably go :

Roger Clemens
Dave Stewart
Chuck Finley
Dennis Eckersley
Dave Stieb
Bob Welch

[RedsoxRockies]

Yep. Eckersley in 1990 was otherworldly and yet, that wasn't the season that he won the Cy Young AND the MVP.

And Roger Clemens was really the best pitcher in the league that season. But, alas, 27 wins is damn pretty. My 1990 ballot would probably go :

Roger Clemens
Dave Stewart
Chuck Finley
Dennis Eckersley
Dave Stieb
Bob Welch

I have a Bob welch living in my house, but obviously they are of no relation

[daves]

Cliff Lee has the story. He was demoted to the minors last year, and now is the best pitcher in the majors!

He has comeback player of the year coming to him at least.

[chuckwillard]

Don't undervalue wins, especially on a shitty team like Cleveland. Getting 20-25 wins with a team that will probably only win 70...that's 1/3 of the teams wins right there, roughly.

Impressive.

AL Cy Young for me would be:

Lee
Nathan
Rodriguez
Matsuzaka
Saunders (quietly a very good year)

[HoustonGM]

AL Cy Young for me would be:

Lee
Nathan
Rodriguez
Matsuzaka
Saunders (quietly a very good year)

Hm...did you forget Halladay?

As for Saunders, he got off to a great start, but hasn't kept it going. I'd say he's the 4th best Cy Young candidate on his own team (behind Santana, Rodriguez, and Lackey). He's progressively gotten worse all season.

There are MANY pitchers I'd place on my ballot over Saunders. In no order:

Cliff Lee, Joe Nathan, Francisco Rodriguez, Ervin Santana, John Lackey, Roy Halladay, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Mariano Rivera, Jon Papelbon, Joakim Soria, Justin Duchscherer, Scott Kazmir, Armando Galarraga, John Danks, Jon Lester, Felix Hernandez, Gavin Floyd, Jeremy Guthrie, Matt Garza, Zack Greinke, James Shields...

[chuckwillard]

I look at Lackey a little skewed because of the time he missed. Halladay has had a decent year, but not his best. Although, he's been badly let down by the offense the Blue Jays don't have.

Neither Rivera nor Papelbon have really stood out in my mind, and I'll admit to knowing little about Soria (he's a Royal, what do you expect...they aren't exactly media darlings).

Felix Hernandez is probably the most over-hyped average pitcher in history. He just hasn't been as advertised. When I think of over-hyped, he's the first name that comes to mind, followed closely by Buchholz and Liriano. Joba has been overhyped too, but aren't all Yankees?

I admit to paying more attention to Saunders, as a local product, than to others, but he's had a very good year without much recognition.

All that being said, anyone but Lee winning this would be a crime. Then again, the voters committed larceny with the award last year, so...

[HoustonGM]

I look at Lackey a little skewed because of the time he missed. Halladay has had a decent year, but not his best. Although, he's been badly let down by the offense the Blue Jays don't have.

I'm sorry, but this is really surprising me. Are you sure you're looking at the right stat line for Halladay? He's 17-9 with a 2.69 ERA in 211 innings, completing 8 games. He was 22-7 with a 3.25 ERA in 266 innings in his best season. This season is slightly better than that one so far, and even if it wasn't his best season, it's still better than anybody else in the AL this season, save Cliff Lee.

Neither Rivera nor Papelbon have really stood out in my mind, and I'll admit to knowing little about Soria (he's a Royal, what do you expect...they aren't exactly media darlings).

All 3 have been better than Francisco Rodriguez, once you look past saves.

Felix Hernandez is probably the most over-hyped average pitcher in history. He just hasn't been as advertised. When I think of over-hyped, he's the first name that comes to mind

Maybe he hasn't lived up to the hype, but to say he's an average pitcher is an understatement. He was average in 2006, his first full season. A 20 year old that can pitch 200 league average innings always has a bright future ahead of him, save injury. In 2007, he was slightly above average. A good solid starting pitcher. This year, he's been very good, if you look past wins and losses. He's near the top of the league in strikeouts, and has a 3.27 ERA, 7th in the AL. His 126 ERA+ is 10th in the AL.

The reason he's so hyped is because he's very good and is only 22. Sure, he hasn't had a Cy Young caliber season yet, but when a 22 year old can be among the top 10 or 15 pitchers in his league, he's likely got some great seasons ahead of him.

I admit to paying more attention to Saunders, as a local product, than to others, but he's had a very good year without much recognition.

I agree. I just don't think he's a top-5 pitcher this year, and while he got off to a hot start, he's been pretty average since June, which is what a reasonable projection of him would've projected and which is what his peripheral stats indicate he is.

All that being said, anyone but Lee winning this would be a crime.

Agreed.

Then again, the voters committed larceny with the award last year, so...

With the Cy Young?