Although Felix Herenandez won the AL Cy Young award, other pitchers were much more deserving

By Matt Barnthouse
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On Nov. 18, Major League Baseball announced that Seattle Mariners pitcher Felix Hérnandez had won the American League Cy Young award, the award that goes to the best pitcher in each league. I was furious. How could a player who only went 13-12 win the Cy Young award?

Hérnandez earned a run average was a league leading 2.27 ERA, but you can’t give a player a Cy Young award to someone who only won half the time. He may have played for the worst team in the American League, but that is no excuse for going 13-12. Take a look at the 2009 AL Cy Young winner, Zack Greinke. He played for the Kansas City Royals, one of the worst teams in the AL, and despite playing for an awful team, not only did he go 16-8, he also had a 2.16 earned run average. That right there justifies a Cy Young winner on a losing team.

The relatively new statistics system called Sabermetrics may have played a factor into the voters decision. The system is supposed to show how valuable a player is to their team. Hérnandez led all pitchers in all the categories. Though Sabermetric statistics may prove valuable to a team, they should not factor into voting. The system is nothing more than a novelty. The only things that should factor the votes are wins, earned run average, walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP), strikeouts, and batting average.

Giving the 2009 AL Cy Young award to Hérnandez is like giving the NFL MVP award to Tennessee Titans’ running back Chris Johnson; although he may have run for 2,000 yards last season, the Titans were still a losing team. Peyton Manning received the award because he not only had amazing stats, but he also led his team to a 14-2 record. I can name three pitchers more deserving of the prestigious award.

New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia deserves it for not only for having a 21-7 record, but also for only having a 3.18 earned run average while pitching in the home run haven of Yankee Stadium. Sabathia dominated the American League with great stats and an amazing record. Hérnandez cannot say the same for himself.

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher David Price is also a far more deserving candidate for the award. He posted a remarkable 2.72 earned run average, while going 19-6 in the AL East, arguably the toughest division in baseball. Winning in the AL East is a remarkable accomplishment in itself. Going 19-6 is outright remarkable. David Price should have won the Cy Young award hands down.

Oakland Athletics pitcher Trevor Cahill had a much better season than Hérnandez. He had an 18-8 record, and an earned run average of 2.97. He dominated batters in 2010, holding those who faced him to a measly .220 batting average. His energy led a below average and losing Athletics to victory whenever he took the mound, something Hérnandez failed to do.

Overall, I cannot blame the voters for voting for Hérnandez, as he was the underdog pick, but he in no way played well enough to sport this prestigious award.