The Case Against Mariano.

Exhibit A in the case against Mariano Rivera for Cy Young is this Mike Vaccaro column. If you vote for Mariano Rivera, then you're agreeing with Mike Vaccaro. See my point?

Anyway, let's see if Vaccaro can make his case:

"It isn't just ridiculous, it's shameful. It's dreadful. It's woeful. And don't think for one second that the fact that Mariano Rivera plays for the New York Yankees wasn't held against him in certain quarters. So that makes it spiteful, too."

Journalistic tendencies for hyperbole aside, I doubt that very much. In my opinion, Mariano Rivera is one of the most universally popular and respected players on the planet. Even in the "certain quarters" where New York Yankees are despised and associated with arrogance and greed, Mariano Rivera is the graceful anti-Yankee.


"That's the crazy part: Colon wasn't even the best starting pitcher in the American League this year; Johann [sic] Santana was."

On my ballot, the battle for first place was between Colon and Santana. I leaned towards Colon simply for the win-loss record.

Is my opinion ridiculous, shameful, dreadful, woeful? No.

Santana's superior ERA and innings pitched simply weren't pronounced enough to sway me. I don't care too much about strikeouts. If strikeouts really matter, then Randy Johnson should have been a candidate.

Even if Colon's 21 wins are largely a product of luck and circumstance, I'm willing to grant the Cy Young Award to Mr. Lucky.


Let's flip Vaccaro's argument on its head: Was Mariano the best reliever in the American League in 2005?

I think he was, but you're also voting for a reliever who blew 4 saves out of 47. Excellent, but not extraordinary compared to the elite relievers in the AL in 2005 or compared to the historically great seasons by relief pitchers.

Mariano wasn't first in the league in saves, he was third.

Mariano pitched 78 innings, which is a lot for a reliever, but it's nowhere near Colon's 220+.

Yeah, I absolutely think 223 innings at 3.48 ERA is more valuable than 78 innings at 1.38 ERA. That's why I automatically put relievers at a disadvantage when I'm analyzing the Cy Young candidates.


So, Was Mariano really snubbed? George King basically disproves his own claim:

"The last AL reliever to win the Cy Young was Dennis Eckersley in 1992. Not even the White Sox's Bobby Thigpen's record 57 saves in 1990 was good enough for the voters who selected Oakland's Bob Welch for his 27-6 ledger and 2.95 ERA.

It was the highest Rivera has finished in the Cy Young voting."

Mariano came in second. It's a great honor for a great year. It's not a snub.