Cy Young Award winners receive deserved attention. I thought I would bring some attention to the obscure pitchers who received votes for the Cy Young Award but didn’t win. These pitchers had at least one season when they were among the best in the league.
This was originally a three-week Twitter series, explaining some of the quirks in the copy to fit Twitter’s character count.
Obscure Cy Young Award contenders #21
Pitching for the Bash Brothers A’s in 1989, Mike Moore placed 3rd in AL Cy Young voting. He won 19 games, 2.61 career-best ERA. He also received a vote in 1985 when he won 17 for Seattle. In between, in 1987 he led the AL in losses with 19.
Obscure Cy Young Award contenders #20
Roger Clemens easily won the 1991 A.L. Cy Young Award but @twins right-hander Scott Erickson received 3 1st-place votes. He won 20 in his first full @MLB season. He lasted 15 years in the majors but never received another Cy Young Award vote.
Obscure Cy Young Award contenders #19
The Cincinnati Reds had 10 different pitchers receive Cy Young Award votes between 1970 and 1980. One was Wayne Granger who placed 8th in 1970 when he set the then N.L. record for saves with 35. It was his only season receiving a Cy vote.
Obscure Cy Young Award contenders #18
Among pitchers with 200+ innings who have received a Cy Young vote (579 instances), Phil Hughes had the lowest BB per nine innings season. In 2014, for the @twins, Hughes walked 17 (1 IBB) in 209.2 IP (0.7/9). He placed 7th in the AL Cy vote.
Obscure Cy Young Award contenders #17
In 2007, @Reds right-hander Aaron Harang led the N.L. only in wild pitches and placed 4th in Cy voting (16-6, 3.73). In 2006, he led the N.L. in wins (16), CG (6), Ks (216) and strangely didn’t receive one Cy Young vote.
Obscure Cy Young Award contenders #16
The Reds are one of four teams with no Cy Young Award winners (this changed in 2020 with Bauer’s win). One of five Cincy pitchers to finish 2nd was Pete Schourek in 1995. Schourek went 18-7 with a 3.22 ERA in the strike-shortened season. It was his only season receiving votes.
Obscure Cy Young Award contenders #15
In Cy Young voting history, 840 pitchers have received votes (several of those are repeats who received votes in more than one season). Only one has completed a season without allowing a home run: Wade Davis 2014, 8th place, 72 IP, 0 HR.
Obscure Cy Young Award contenders #14
With a nickname like “Wild Thing”, Mitch Williams had known control issues. Of all pitchers to receive Cy votes since 1956, Williams has the first and third-worst walks per 9 (6.3 & 5.8). Williams tied for 6th in 1991 and placed 9th in 1989.
Obscure Cy Young Award contenders #13
One starting pitcher received votes for the Cy during a season with 0 losses. Doyle Alexander was acquired by the Tigers mid-season in 1987. He made 11 starts for Detroit, went 9-0 with 3 shutouts and helped the Tigers win the division
Obscure Cy Young Award contenders #12
Danny Jackson finished 2nd in 1988 when he went 23-8, 2.73 for the @Reds. He earned 6th place in ‘94 with the Phils. Jackson’s career WAR was 17.2 – the lowest career total of any starting pitcher ever to place in the top 5 of Cy voting.
Obscure Cy Young Award contenders #11
Tim Belcher finished 6th in 1989, his only season receiving votes. More than half of his wins (15), were shutouts (league-lead 8). He spent a month mid-season in the bullpen, returned to the rotation and won his final 7 decisions, 4 shutouts.
Obscure Cy Young Award contenders #10
One pitcher in the Cy Young Award era had 35+ saves and double-digit wins in the same season. Detroit @tigers lefty John Hiller in 1973: 38 saves, 10 wins, 1.44 ERA. He finished 4th in Cy voting. He finished 7th in Cy voting 1974.
Obscure Cy Young Award contenders #9
10 times there has been only one 20-game winner in either the A.L. or N.L. and that pitcher has not won the Cy. The first was Ron Bryant. The @SFGiants lefty went 24-12 in 1973 but finished 3rd. It was his only season receiving votes
Obscure Cy Young Award contenders #8
Early Wynn won the third-ever Cy in 1959 when there was one award for all MLB. He received 13 of the 16 first-place votes. One of the other first-place votes went to Bob Shaw who was better than Wynn in WAR, ERA, WHIP, ERA+, but not wins.
Obscure Cy Young Award contenders #7
My only recall of Greg Minton is his 1978 Topps card that is a painting instead of a photo. Minton had a solid season for the Giants in 1982. He finished 6th in NL Cy voting with 30 saves, 10 wins, 1.83 ERA. His only season with a Cy vote
Obscure Cy Young Award contenders #6
The strike-shortened 1981 season had a 4-way tie at 14 wins to lead the AL, including Oakland’s Steve McCatty. McCatty had the highest WAR but Brewers closer Rollie Fingers took home the Cy and MVP. It was McCatty’s only season with Cy votes.
Obscure Cy Young Award contenders #5
If re-voted today, Oakland’s Mike Norris would have won the 1980 AL Cy. He tied Steve Stone in 1st-place votes and had better WAR, ERA, WHIP, ERA+, IP & Ks. But his 22 wins were 2nd to Stone’s 25. It was the only season Norris received votes.
Obscure Cy Young Award contenders #4
Mike Caldwell finished 2nd to Ron Guidry in 1978. Caldwell won 22 for the Brewers. He and Orel Hershiser (’88) are the only pitchers in the past 42 seasons to earn a save in a season that they won 20 games. It was Caldwell’s only season with Cy votes.
Obscure Cy Young Award contenders #3
Buzz Capra had made 6 unremarkable MLB starts before 1974 when he led the N.L. in ERA (2.28) while going 16-8 for the Braves. He finished 9th in Cy Young voting, his only season receiving votes, and retired after ’77 with a 31 W, 37 L record.
Obscure Cy Young Award contenders #2
Al Downing may be known more as the pitcher for Henry Aaron’s 715th HR than as a 17-season MLB vet who went 123-107 with a 3.22 ERA. In 1971, he led the NL w/5 shutouts, won 20 and placed 3rd in Cy Young, his only season receiving votes.
Obscure Cy Young Award contenders: #1
The Big Red Machine averaged 97.5 wins from 1970-76 but had just one 20-game winner. Jim Merritt went 20-12, 4.08 ERA in 1970 and finished 4th in Cy Young voting behind Bob Gibson. In 11 seasons (81-86), it was his only one receiving a vote.