Cy Vuck?
Is Pete Vuckovich the worst Cy Young Award winner in history? Recently, I posted an article about the 1987 NL Cy Young winner Steve Bedrosian, outlining his infamous selection. However, Vuckovich might end up claiming the worst-ever prize, thanks to the Factor12 Rating.
The Milwaukee Brewers right-hander was voted the 1982 AL Cy Young Award by the BBWAA. At first glance, this is an obvious case of selecting the pitcher with the most wins, and/or best win-loss record.
|
Pitchers |
Tm |
Pnts |
W |
L |
SV |
IP |
ERA |
WHIP |
BB |
SO |
| Pete Vuckovich | MIL |
87 |
18 |
6 |
0 |
223.67 |
3.34 |
1.50 |
102 |
105 |
| Jim Palmer | BAL |
59 |
15 |
5 |
1 |
227.00 |
3.13 |
1.14 |
63 |
103 |
| D.Quisenberry | KCR |
40 |
9 |
7 |
35 |
136.67 |
2.57 |
1.01 |
12 |
46 |
| Dave Stieb | TOR |
36 |
17 |
14 |
0 |
288.33 |
3.25 |
1.20 |
75 |
141 |
| Rick Sutcliffe | CLE |
14 |
14 |
8 |
1 |
216.00 |
2.96 |
1.26 |
98 |
142 |
Clearly, there was no obvious choice. Vuckovich compiled an 18-6 record, while allowing a ridiculously high 1.50 WHIP, and only +3 S0-BB (105-102). In hindsight, this is simply laughable and embarrassing for the BBWAA electorate.
Here’s the Factor12 Rating breakdown of the 1982 AL Cy Young vote:
|
Pitchers |
AGE |
F12 |
RANK |
| Pete Vuckovich |
29 |
23.958 |
112 |
| Jim Palmer |
36 |
25.765 |
44 |
| D.Quisenberry |
29 |
25.808 |
41 |
| Dave Stieb |
24 |
26.809 |
18 |
| Rick Sutcliffe |
26 |
25.780 |
42 |
As shown below, Vuckovich finished below average (2.000) in 8 out of 12 pitching categories. Most notably, the 1982 AL Cy Young winner finished 112 out of 376 pitchers during the season, with a below average 23.958 F12 Rating.
|
IP |
SO-BB |
FIP |
WHIP |
HR/9 |
BB/9 |
|
3.220 |
1.053 |
1.936 |
1.890 |
2.351 |
1.740 |
|
SO/9 |
MBOP |
OBA |
OOBA |
OSLG |
ERA |
|
1.824 |
1.932 |
1.949 |
1.910 |
2.008 |
2.145 |
The highest ranked AL pitcher in 1982, according to F12 Rating, was Len Barker of the Cleveland Indians. Barker posted a 27.349 F12, good for 12th overall.
Pete Vuckovich can thank tremendous run support from “Harvey’s Wall Bangers”, and an overvalued statistic (Wins) by baseball “experts”.
