For the second year in a row, the writers got it right. The Baseball Writers’ Association of America is known to be comprised of a lot of grizzled old veterans who shun sabermetrics. Just look no further than Derek Jeter winning a Gold Glove for proof. But they got it right with Felix Hernandez.
The Mariners ace made history by becoming the pitcher with the fewest wins (in a full season) to capture the Cy Young award. King Felix, who signed a big, long-term contract extension last offseason, won the award despite a record of 13-12.
Furthermore, it wasn’t even close. Hernandez got 21 of the 28 first-place votes and 167 points in all, winning by more than 50 points over second-place finisher David Price of the Rays.
In many previous seasons, the pitcher with the most wins got the award almost by default. Perhaps the problem is that the award is not “pitcher of the year” or “most valuable pitcher,” but is instead named after the guy with the most wins ever. He is also the one with the most losses ever, too, by the way.
The pitcher with the most wins in the AL in 2010 was the Yankees’ CC Sabathia, who went 21-7. He finished third in the voting.
By winning, Hernandez received an automatic $1 million raise in salary next year to $11 million. He also earned annual $500,000 raises after that to $19 million in 2012, $20 million in 2013 and $20.5 million in 2014.
So let’s take a look at why King Felix won this award, most likely angering the Joe Morgans of the world and making Yankees fans irate.