Jayson Stark's Most Over-rated/Under-rated list

Who would have been a more deserving Cy Young winner in '05? Santana or Rivera? After those rough couple of games against the Sox, Rivera put together one of his best seasons ever:

7-4, 1.38 ERA, 43-for-47 saves, 80 Ks, 50H/18BB in 78 1/3 innings (0.87 WHIP)

I know voters have a disdain for handing the Cy Young to relievers, but he's one of the top 5 relievers ever. Doesn't the guy deserve something like a "Lifetime Achievement" version of the award? I'm sure similar scenarios have occured before. I strongly feel that Rivera's '05 season is grossly under-rated.

 

That's just pure Yankee-hatin' right there. Give the man his due.

 

The way you express your opinions so authoritatively cracks me up.
If it's baseball, you just render a decision and then move on as if the baseball god has spoken.

 

You know, if I didn't have Jones' quote down in my sig, I'd totally use that.

(And besides, I'm right. The CYA should not be used as a lifetime achievement and Santana was better than anyone else in the AL in 2005.)

 

Santana with his 2.61 ERA, 238 Ks, 180 hits/45 walks in 231 innings (0.92 WHIP).

 

Anyway, Rivera's lifetime achievement award will be a spot in Cooperstown. He was top 3 in CYA voting four times (and top 10 in MVP voting twice), 400+ saves, a career 2.35 ERA, most dominant closer for a decade, greatest postseason closer ever, and on and on.

He doesn't need a CYA to cement his legacy.

 

I think Rivera's overrated.

 

I think you're over-rated. (Yes, I really am a 10 year-old)

 

The year he should have gotten it was '96, when he was used when needed, not as a "closer". I've never seen a pitcher be as valuable with 100 or so innings.

 

You think voters hate giving the Cy Young to a closer? Try convincing them to consider a middle reliever.

"Yeah, but he had 27 holds."

 

No closer has ever done more for his team than Rivera did that year. Who did more for Deroit last year, Zumaya or Jones?

 

Granted.

All I'm saying is that a middle reliever really has no shot at the Cy Young. There's usually a reason he's not a starter or closer (inconsistency, inexperience, etc.) that voters aren't willing to overlook.

In Rivera's case it was inexperience. And I think that first season looks better now than it did at the time.