Cy Young

From Stat Geek Baseball's, the Best Ever Book.

Yes, Cy Young would have won a whole lot of his own awards. He was the best pitcher at the turn of the century and many think the best pitcher in the game. And it's hard to quibble, although some of his exploits need to be put into some historic context. Cy Young won 511 games and pitched over 400 innings five times. It's that durability, as well as skill, that pushes Young toward the top. His ERA of 2.63 when adjusted for the age and park ranks #17 on the career list. He wasn't as precise as Maddux and didn't strike out as many batters as hurlers whose careers would start after the turn of the century, but those were the sole items where some could criticize him.

Only one season in a span of 19 years from 1891 to 1909 did Cy Young fail to win 15 games, including over 30 wins in four separate seasons. There were six seasons with an ERA south of the pitcher's Mendoza line of 2.00. What all that adds up to is the 2nd Best Pitching Career in baseball history within the baseballevaluation universe, plus an annual award given to the best pitchers in the American and National Leagues. It's good to give out props where they're deserved, as the awards remind us of Cy Young each fall.

Geez, wonder what he would think of pitch counts and two hundred inning seasons considered as overuse. Perhaps just progress, perhaps not.