Ubaldo Jimenez had a historically great pitching season for the Rockies in 2010. Problem is, he picked a lousy year to do it if he wanted to win the Cy Young. Roy Halladay of the Philadelphia Phillies was simply sublime in his first season in the Senior Circuit and fully deserved the award he was unanimously given today by the electorate of the Baseball Writers Association of America. How sublime?
Well, Halladay did throw a perfect game during the regular season and only the second postseason no-hitter in his playoff debut. His 2.44 ERA was good for third in the NL (and his 2.92 xFIP was best in baseball), plus he had a 7.30 K/BB ratio (219 Ks, 30 BBs), second only to fellow cyborg Cliff Lee, and he did it while throwing 250.2 innings, 15 more than anyone else in baseball. Of Halladay's 21 victories, nine were of the complete game variety and four of those nine were shut-outs. In other words, Halladay deserved the heck out of this award.
That isn't to diminish the considerable achievements of Jimenez, Adam Wainwright, Josh Johnson (who might have been the best pitcher on a rate basis), and Tim Hudson. All had seasons that would have made them Cy favorites in previous years, but in the Year of the Pitcher it was Halladay who rose to the top.
Halladay received all 32 first place votes, finishing with the maximum 224 points, while Wainwright got 28 of the 32 second place ballots to secure the runner-up postion with 122 points. Jimenez got the other four second place votes and was named on all 32 ballots to receive 90 points. Hudson was fourth with 39 points (20 ballots) and Johnson secured fifth with 34 points (19 ballots)
Here is how the Purple Row staff voted about a month ago (as well as more information about the stellar 2010 campaigns of each candidate). The results from the actual balloting are very similar, with Wainwright and Jimenez switching places and Hudson sneaking in front of Johnson.
Full voting results after the jump
2010 NL Cy Young Award Voting
|
|
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
5th |
Points |
|
Roy Halladay, |
32 |
|
|
|
|
224 |
|
Adam Wainwright, |
|
28 |
3 |
|
1 |
122 |
|
|
|
4 |
19 |
8 |
1 |
90 |
|
Tim Hudson, |
|
|
3 |
13 |
4 |
39 |
|
Josh |
|
|
5 |
5 |
9 |
34 |
|
Roy Oswalt, |
|
|
1 |
3 |
5 |
14 |
|
Brian Wilson, |
|
|
|
1 |
5 |
7 |
|
Heath |
|
|
1 |
|
1 |
4 |
|
Mat Latos, San Diego Padres |
|
|
|
1 |
2 |
4 |
|
Brett Myers, Houston Astros |
|
|
|
1 |
|
2 |
|
Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants |
|
|
|
|
2 |
2 |
|
Bronson Arroyo, Cincinnati Reds |
|
|
|
|
1 |
1 |
|
Matt Cain, San Francisco Giants |
|
|
|
|
1 |
1 |
Three Giants made NL Cy ballots, with the leader being closer Brian Wilson, who took seventh. San Diego closer Heath Bell was the only other reliever to receive consideration.
Stay tuned for the AL/NL Manager of the Year Awards tomorrow and the AL Cy Young Award on Thursday.