I've been hoping all year I could use that headline, and now I can: Eric Gagné of Montreal has easily captured the National League Cy Young Award, doubling the point total of second-place finisher Jason Schmidt. Normally I abhor giving relievers the award for best pitcher when they usually throw less than half the innings starters do, but I can't complain about this choice. Gagné's mind-boggling line looks like this: 2-3, 1.20 ERA, 55 saves in 55 chances, 82 IP, 37 H, 20 BB, 137 K. My question: is this not the best season ever posted by a reliever? And where does it stack up among the best pitching seasons of all time? Félicitations, Eric!
Eckersley 1990:
73 1/3 innings
0.61 ERA
41 Hits
73 Ks
4 BBs
2 HR
73 1/3 innings
0.61 ERA
41 Hits
73 Ks
4 BBs
2 HR
Gagne's 2003 and Eckersley's 1990 were both beyond great. Wetteland's 1993 was something, too: 85 IP, 58H, 23W, 113K, 43 saves, 1.37 ERA. Wetteland achieved these somewhat less overwhelming stats in a less favorable context than Gagne and Eckersley.
Hijack: mlb announced that between 5 and 7 per cent of players tested positive for steroids. As a result, there will be mandatory testing next year with (lax) penalties for violators, who will be identified.
Hijack: mlb announced that between 5 and 7 per cent of players tested positive for steroids. As a result, there will be mandatory testing next year with (lax) penalties for violators, who will be identified.
http://economics.about.com
Mike Marshall, 1974
*208 1/3 innings*
*106 games*
2.42 ERA
15-12
21 SV
I'd like to see either of those guys throw 200+ innings in 100+ games!
Mike Marshall, 1974
*208 1/3 innings*
*106 games*
2.42 ERA
15-12
21 SV
I'd like to see either of those guys throw 200+ innings in 100+ games!
I wonder about this. Why don't managers ever use a dominating reliever that way? Obviously you wouldn't use him if it wasn't a close game, but if I had Gagne, Smoltz, Wagner or Rivera I'd want them in virtually every close game. Why not use them in the last two innings or even the last three in a close game? I know you don't want to overuse your pitchers, but what is so wrong with using a really good reliever for 150 innings a season? That's still much less than a regular starter. I know whenever the Jays face the Yankees, I dread going to the ninth behind, because I know we're going to have to go through Rivera. I would feel even worse if they brought him in earlier. It seems to make sense to me.
I haven't checked this carefully, but I assume Eichhorn in 1986 had the Jays' best reliever season ever (157 IP, 1.72 ERA). It stands up with any of the seasons cited above, to say the least.
Mark Eichhorn--what a 1986! We will never see a relief pitcher get those amount of innings again!
Even though we had an outstanding closer in Tom Henke, and an excellent set-up/closer in Duane Ward, Eichhorn's 1986 was the best Jays season as a reliever (in my humble opinion).
Fourteen wins, an ERA under 2.00, and almost enough innings for the ERA title are inconceivable in today's game. Also, we cannot forget that Eichhorn missed two weeks in June with an injured foot, and was a bit tentative upon his return.
Unfortunately, he did not hold runners well and when he worked on improving this skills, his delivery was never as outstanding. Nevertheless, he had a good career.
His comeback in Syracuse a couple of years back was fun to watch--he did pretty well and was an excellent role model for his teammates!
Eichhorn may not have been Gagne, but he was a fine player nevertheless.
Even though we had an outstanding closer in Tom Henke, and an excellent set-up/closer in Duane Ward, Eichhorn's 1986 was the best Jays season as a reliever (in my humble opinion).
Fourteen wins, an ERA under 2.00, and almost enough innings for the ERA title are inconceivable in today's game. Also, we cannot forget that Eichhorn missed two weeks in June with an injured foot, and was a bit tentative upon his return.
Unfortunately, he did not hold runners well and when he worked on improving this skills, his delivery was never as outstanding. Nevertheless, he had a good career.
His comeback in Syracuse a couple of years back was fun to watch--he did pretty well and was an excellent role model for his teammates!
Eichhorn may not have been Gagne, but he was a fine player nevertheless.
One of the problems for Eichhorn's 1986 was the relatively large number of low-leverage innings he had, but 14 wins and 10 saves are pretty impressive, to say nothing of 166 Ks in 157 innings.
Jimy offered to let him throw five innings in the season finale so he could win the ERA title; Eichhorn turned him down. A class act.
Jimy offered to let him throw five innings in the season finale so he could win the ERA title; Eichhorn turned him down. A class act.
Congratulations to Gagne, whose superlative season deserves the honour. I agree with Richard Griffin, who says the Cy will be easier than winning the Lou Marsh award as Canada's Athlete of the Year.
The '03 Lou Marsh? Consider as Canadians that not George Knudson, Moe Norman, the Homenuik boys, Jim Nelford or Dave Barr ever came close to what Weir has done this year. Gagne's season should be good enough for Cy but not for Lou.
He's right; the little lefty will be a tougher apponent than Prior and Schmidt. Shades of Larry Walker, whose .366 and 49 HR was second best in the year of Jacques Villeneuve.
The '03 Lou Marsh? Consider as Canadians that not George Knudson, Moe Norman, the Homenuik boys, Jim Nelford or Dave Barr ever came close to what Weir has done this year. Gagne's season should be good enough for Cy but not for Lou.
He's right; the little lefty will be a tougher apponent than Prior and Schmidt. Shades of Larry Walker, whose .366 and 49 HR was second best in the year of Jacques Villeneuve.
Shades of Larry Walker, whose .366 and 49 HR was second best in the year of Jacques Villeneuve.
If Walker had to lose, it should've been to Villeneuve's car.
If Walker had to lose, it should've been to Villeneuve's car.
Griffin just couldn't resist another inaccurate shot at JP, ripping him for taking Prokopec over Gagne in the Quantrill deal. In today's Sun, JP is quoted as saying they never even discussed Gagne, as he wanted a starter and both clubs considered Gagne a reliever.
I love the story of how Eichhorn changed his delivery and became the pitcher he was in the big leagues. A once injured AAA pitcher going nowhere, someone had the great idea to see what he could do throwing sidearm/under hand. The rest is history.
I always wonder why baseball doesn't try this more often. Find a minor league pitcher going nowhere - there must be a point in a ball players career when he comes to that realization - and have him try something new. Find someone with a good head, an understanding of the game and some natural ability and see if he can do something without throwing the ball through a brick wall. I tried throwing a couple of times a la Eich. Damn that puppy moved, although at about 60 mph.
I always wonder why baseball doesn't try this more often. Find a minor league pitcher going nowhere - there must be a point in a ball players career when he comes to that realization - and have him try something new. Find someone with a good head, an understanding of the game and some natural ability and see if he can do something without throwing the ball through a brick wall. I tried throwing a couple of times a la Eich. Damn that puppy moved, although at about 60 mph.
My recollection is that Ike was used in important situations in 1986. He was Jimy's only reliable reliever other than Henke.
A reliever season that Bill James gives more Win Shares to than any of the above is Willie Hernandez of 1984 (140 IP, 1.92 ERA). I'd forgotten he threw that many innings. Hernandez won both the Cy and the MVP. (Two years later, Ike, with more innings and a lower ERA, got no MVP votes and just two 3rd-place Cy Young votes.)
Disclaimer: I'm not convinced James' Win Shares system is definitive for relievers; e.g. he includes saves in the calculation, though in a limited way that might be helpful on average.
A reliever season that Bill James gives more Win Shares to than any of the above is Willie Hernandez of 1984 (140 IP, 1.92 ERA). I'd forgotten he threw that many innings. Hernandez won both the Cy and the MVP. (Two years later, Ike, with more innings and a lower ERA, got no MVP votes and just two 3rd-place Cy Young votes.)
Disclaimer: I'm not convinced James' Win Shares system is definitive for relievers; e.g. he includes saves in the calculation, though in a limited way that might be helpful on average.
Stephen, James's use of wins and saves is intended to capture both a small "clutch pitching" aspect, and more importantly tries to make the necessary adjustments for leverage. I don't think it does that well, but it may be better than no adjustment at all as you say.
I just noticed that the online 2003 Win Shares site, which appears to be claiming to be using the same calculation as James, has Gagne at 25 win shares, which is one more than James lists for Willie Hernandez in his book (24). James lists Eichhorn, Marshall and Wetteland at 21 and Eck at 19, for what it's worth.