Cliff Lee- Your AL Cy Young winner

Lee was the deserving runaway winner.

Halladay can pitch for me anytime.

If anyone was going to take a first-place vote from Lee, I would have expected it to be Frankie Rodriguez.

 

K-Rod racked up the saves and deserves kudos for that. But if we're picking closers in their 2008 form, he's probably about my fourth pick - from the AL.

 

Fifth-best closer in his league, this year.

He didn't even deserve to be in the running.

 

Well said, Buck.

 

And while we're ranking closers, the ones I like more than K-Rod are Rivera, Nathan and Soria. Who else are you throwing in - Papelbon? I could see that.

 

Yep, he's the fifth.

Papelbon: 77/8 K/BB, 2.34 ERA, 0.952 WHIP.
K-Rod: 77/34 K/BB, 2.24 ERA, 1.288 WHIP.

 

Let me clarify: I don't disagree on where Rodriguez should rank among closers. I was talking about how I thought the vote would go. (And he did finish third.)

The first three on that list are correct -- Soria had an absolutely tremendous year. And while Papelbon's numbers weren't as good as the top three, I'd take him over K-Rod to protect a lead in the ninth.

 

Facts I'm sure all Mets fans are thrilled with if they do in fact sign him to big money long term

 

Is Cliff still a head case like he was in high school and college?

 

I trust Papelbon more, too, but I can see the argument that Rodriguez was more productive this season. He had more saves (62-41) and he converted a slightly higher percentage of his save chances (89.9 percent-89.1 percent). He also had a lower ERA.

 

He's a little quirky. I think he calmed down a lot when his son got sick. He still talks a lot of shit to idiots like Pierzynski, but I think he's less of a head case.

 

He doesn't deserve that money; few closers do. But considering who the Mets have closing now, I'll be glad to take Rodriguez.