Sinker Swami

Despite pitching his worst game of the year on election day, sinker swami Brandon Webb held off a logjam of allegedly comparable candidates to win the 2006 NL Cy Young Award. 

Diamondhacks didnt predict any winner, but we're delighted with the outcome, having written and written that the unassuming Webb and Astro Roy Oswalt were the most deserving candidates.

The leading vote getters were:

For all the yammering about how inseparable Webb and Carpenter appeared, it's worth noting how decisively Webb won the battle of starters, with 15 first place votes to Carpenter's pair. Carpenter, relentlessly ballyhooed as one of two clear frontrunners, finished third, exactly where he belonged. We were disappointed, however, that Hoffman outpolled Oswalt, most likely one of the league's two best starters.

A representative ballot, constructed from the above modes looks like this:

First place: Webb(15)

Second: Carpenter(16)

Third: Hoffman(8)

What prevented that order from reflecting the official outcome were twelve rogue voters, who bestowed first place ballots for San Diego's closer. Maybe they confused the Cy with a lifetime acheivement award, or were too lazy to ferret out distinctions within the tight pack of more valuable starters?  Whatever their reasons, if any, to elevate a 63IP pitcher who wasnt even the best reliever on his own team(see Cla Meredith) over a trio of starting horses averaging 225IP, Hoffman jumped all the way to CY runner-up on the basis of these dozen dopes - and actually came embarassingly close to winning the trophy.

Just one look at the voting disparity between Trevor and Billy Wagner, who shared distinguished but hardly distinguishable seasons, illustrates what a sham Hoffman's second place showing is. Each closer blew five saves with comparable ERA. Hoffman converted his extra opportunities(5) but Wagner threw 14% more innings - they're basically the same pitcher. So, if you're claiming Hoffman's 63IP of 2.00ERA is worth more than 220IP of 3.00 ERA, doesnt intellectual consistency(if not common sense) compel you to also vote for Wagner second or third? Yet bozos who picked Hoffman barely gave Wagner the time of day. They wrote a bunch of starters in behind Hoffman, essentially ignoring Trevor's virtual twin.