C.C. Sabathia Does NOT "Know How To Win" Better Than Felix Hernandez

[BaltimoreTerp]

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/marinersblog/2012831061_numbers_dont_support_contentio.html

Came across this blog post by longtime Hartford Courant baseball writer Dom Amore, who covers the Yankees. Amore's a good guy and knows his stuff. But I think he's wrong in his contention that Felix Hernandez should be dropped from Cy Young consideration because he doesn't "know how to win" when the chips are down.

On the other hand, Amore lauds C.C. Sabathia of the Yankees for this ability in the following blog passage:

"Sabathia doesn't have 19 wins by accident. He has them because he holds leads, finds ways on nights when he doesn't have it, such as in Chicago last weekend, and goes deep into games, deep enough to allow his team to bypass shaky middle relievers and get right to the closer."

No argument there. But by the same token, Hernandez also goes deep into games. Heck, he'd be leading the league in complete games if the Mariners weren't protecting his arm and pulling him early. He already leads the league in innings pitched, despite the limits the M's have put on him -- which tells you he goes at least as deep as Sabathia does. In fact, no other pitcher in the AL has as many quality starts as Hernandez does, so that's telling as well.

But let's get to the meat of Amore's argument. That Sabathia has shown he knows how to win better than Hernnadez has.

The numbers, quite simply, do not back this up...

I wonder how many voters will actually read this article?

[Can_of_corn]

I wonder how many voters will actually read this article?

Considering the winners from last season, I think the BBWAA is improving in this regard. Felix may not win, but I am sure he will garner more votes then he would have say 10 years ago.

[Don Quixote]

Excellent breakdown. I hope this circulates a great deal more.

[Don Quixote]

"Sabathia has made just three starts all season in which his team has scored three runs or fewer, winning one of those, 2-1, while losing two others."

Make that four, and three others.

[Palmoripken]

Well Hernandez doesn't have the offense that Sabathia does. I think Felix would be a lot better than 11-10 and closer to C.C's 19-5 if he played for the Yanks. As for the he doesn't go deep in to games. Sabathia averages just under 7 innings per start while Felix averages 7.3. Seriously sportswriters should do their homework, I know I always do when I do mine.

[isestrex]

Wins are as associated with the Cy Young award as hitting is to the Gold Glove.

IMO, they should all be scrapped and re-done.

[scOtt]

He didn't tonight, that's for sure!

[BaltimoreTerp]

Wins are as associated with the Cy Young award as hitting is to the Gold Glove.

And about as valuable :wedge:

[O's are Legends]

King Felix takes a complete game loss where he allows 1 run (Bautista's 50th hr) on 2 hits. His record now sits at 12-12.

Unless the Mariners start coming up with some runs, Felix Hernandez could end up being the first starting pitcher to win the Cy Young award with a losing record.

[PaulFolk]

Unless the Mariners start coming up with some runs' date=' Felix Hernandez [b']will not[/b] win the Cy Young award.

Fixed that for you.

If Hernandez has a losing record, he won't get the Cy Young. Too many voters will shift their votes to Sabathia.

[BaltimoreTerp]

Fixed that for you.

If Hernandez has a losing record, he won't get the Cy Young. Too many voters will shift their votes to Sabathia.

And anyone who admits it will be absolutely destroyed by the online and increasingly the traditional media. That's something that's going to become an interesting wrinkle as the "old-school" writers continue to age and both get set deeper in their ways and also drop in number, and the younger generation grows in both sides of the media world.