<a href='http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=1660942' target='_blank'>Link</a>

Thoughts?

this pisses me off. I don't think a reliever should get it. if you're winning by 2 runs going into the ninth you are expected to not blow the game. in other words, if you give up 2 runs in an inning your ERA is 18.00, so if you stop the other team from tying the game, it's not a cy young worthy accomplishment.

I'd like to know how many saves Gagne had that were either more than 1 inning or with men on base when he entered the game.

Overall he wasn't perfect because he had 3 losses.

no reliver should ever win this award, but i think it was partially due to the fact that there was no real standout starting pitcher this year in the NL, it still sucks though

Absolutely not. Gagne had the best season of any closer in baseball history. The Cy Young goes to the best pitcher, and personally I think relievers should win the award more often. It wasn't even close this year, Gagne should have been near unanimous.

I would have voted for Schmidt or Prior, and I hate GAGne, but he still had an amazing year.

I would have voted for Schmidt or Prior, and I hate GAGne, but he still had an amazing year.

Gagne only pitched 82 innings, most of those being innings where he only needed 3 outs and not give up more than one run, just to get a save. The save rule is so cheap. You need to be up by 3 runs or pitch 3 innings to get a save. I'm not saying what he did wasn't extremely amazing, but don't you think guys like schmidt or prior could do the same thing if they were closers (gagne was a bad SP)? By stating that question, i don't want to take anything away from Gagne.

25 years ago, closers would throw more than 100 innings in a season. I wonder -and this is just speculation- how well he would do if he threw 25 more innings.

A pitcher who throws one inning every 2 games. In 12 of his 77 games played he threw more than one inning. In 4 of his 77 games played he threw less than one inning. He recieved a save, a win or a no-decision in 4 of the games in which he gave up at least one run.

flyingswoosh Wrote:I'm not saying what he did wasn't extremely amazing, but don't you think guys like schmidt or prior could do the same thing if they were closers (gagne was a bad SP)?

Probably. John Smoltz was a great starting pitcher, but he's an even better closer.

GDawgs88 Wrote:

flyingswoosh Wrote:I'm not saying what he did wasn't extremely amazing, but don't you think guys like schmidt or prior could do the same thing if they were closers (gagne was a bad SP)?&nbsp;

Probably. John Smoltz was a great starting pitcher, but he's an even better closer.

A perfect example. So why don't teams take some of these guys and turn them into closers? Because a great starter is more valuable than a great closer, that's one big reason why closers shouldn't be able to win cy young.

GDawgs88 Wrote:

flyingswoosh Wrote:I'm not saying what he did wasn't extremely amazing, but don't you think guys like schmidt or prior could do the same thing if they were closers (gagne was a bad SP)?&nbsp;

Probably. John Smoltz was a great starting pitcher, but he's an even better closer.

now that i think about it, that's not a great comparison. Smoltz was a cy young award winner as a starter, so it's hard to say he's a better closer than starter.