Cy Young Award Winners (1986 - 1999) - Who Really Deserved to Win?

PART THREE - Revising CYA History (1986 - 1999) - Lessons Learned:  

(1) Never, Ever Vote for a Reliever 

(2) Bob Welch Lost When He Should Have Won & Won When He Should Have Lost 

(3) Teddy Higuera, Mark Gubicza, Ed Whitson, Kevin Appier & Jose Rijo Should Have Won One CYA 

(4) Kevin Brown Should Have Won Two CYA's - Instead of None 

(5) Orel Hershiser Should Have Won Two CYA's - Instead of Just One 

(6) Roger Clemens Should Have Won Six CYA's - Instead of Just Five 

(7) Maddux, Glavine & Smoltz Were Slightly Overrated - But Still Great

Who Should Have Won (1986 - 1999)?  The Wins Above Replacement Leader (If Different Than The Winner) is Shown for Each Year - Therein Lies the Answer:

1986 (AL) - Roger Clemens (8.9) - Ted Higuera (9.4)
1986 (NL) - Mike Scott (8.4)

1987 (AL) - Roger Clemens (9.4)
1987 (NL) - Steve Bedrosian (2.5) - Bob Welch (7.1)

1988 (AL) - Frank Viola (7.7) - Tie:  Mark Gubicza (7.7) 
1988 (NL) - Orel Hershiser (7.2)

1989 (AL) - Bret Saberhagen (9.7)
1989 (NL) - Mark Davis (4.5) - Orel Hershiser (7.0)*

(*Back-to-back seasons with highest NL WAR among pitchers for the underrated Hershiser.)

1990 (AL) - Bob Welch (3.0) - Roger Clemens (10.6)*
1990 (NL) - Doug Drabek (4.2) - Ed Whitson (7.0)**

(*Perhaps the biggest travesty in the history of postseason awards - Compare Welch's numbers to Clemens' - At first glance, it looks like Welsh had the better season.  Further glances would tell any reasonable voter quite the contrary was true.)  

                   Win-Loss - Welch - 27-6  Clemens 21-6 
                      ERA         Welch - 2.95   Clemens - 1.93 (Over 1 run/9 innings lower!)
                      Shutouts   Welch - 2        Clemens - 4
        Games Started       Welch - 35      Clemens - 31
     Complete Games      Welch - 2        Clemens - 7
        Innings Pitched      Welch - 238    Clemens - 228.1
         Strikeouts              Welch - 127    Clemens - 209
              ERA+                Welch - 125    Clemens - 211
 
(**Yes, this is the same wild-eyed Ed Whitson whose previous claim to fame was going ballistic in an '84 shirt-ripping brawl in Atlanta - not only tangling with Braves players - but some of their bellicose fans, as well.)

1991 (AL) - Roger Clemens (7.9)
1991 (NL) - Tom Glavine (8.5)

1992 (AL) - Dennis Eckersley (2.9) - Roger Clemens (8.8)
1992 (NL) - Greg Maddux (9.2)

1993 (AL) - Jack McDowell (4.3) - Kevin Appier (9.2)
1993 (NL) - Greg Maddux (5.8) - Jose Rijo (9.3)

1994 (AL) - David Cone (6.8) 
1994 (NL) - Greg Maddux (8.5)

1995 (AL) - Randy Johnson (8.6)
1995 (NL) - Greg Madux (9.7)

1996 (AL) - Pat Hentgen (8.5)
1996 (NL) - John Smoltz (7.3) - Kevin Brown (8.0)

1997 (AL) - Roger Clemens (11.9)
1997 (NL) - Pedro Martinez (9.0)

1998 (AL) - Roger Clemens (8.1)
1998 (NL) - Tom Glavine (6.1) - Kevin Brown (8.6)

1999 (AL) - Pedro Martinez (9.7)
1999 (NL) - Randy Johnson (9.2)