NL Cy Young: Holy close vote, Batman

Agreed. It still wouldn't have changed the outcome, but Lincecum, Carpenter and Wainwright were as clear as could be as the top three choices. Nobody else should have been on any of the ballots. Carpenter was much better than Vazquez and Haren, who fell apart in the second half again.

 

Lincecum, Carpenter, Wainwright.

There was no one else.

 

So who voted Vazquez 2nd? Atlanta voter or San Francisco voter trying to game the system?

 

It's all marketing. A way to keep MLB in the news during the initial weeks of off-season.

Carpenter got robbed. I can perhaps understand, though not agree, someone might pick Lincecum over Carpenter. But, there's no way in hell, 12 people should have picked Wainwright over Carpenter.

 

I know they take a lot of crap around here, and deservedly so, but Deadspin had a great headline when the bust news broke (I'm paraphrasing): "Tim Lincecum nailed in least surprising bust ever."

 

That was the part that surprised me, Wainwright getting the most first-place votes. That said, you are assuming all of those first-place votes would have gone to Carpenter. Lincecum got 12 second-place votes, so he still might have won even if Wainwright didn't get a single first-place vote.

 

Will Carroll of Baseball Prospectus and Keith Law of ESPN.com did not include Carpenter on their ballots.

 

So maybe I'm just not that tuned in, but I thought it was always two voters from each team city.

 

I think people, right or wrong, are enamored with strikeout totals/rates these days.

That probably factored into picking Wainwright. I mean, it had to; most of Carpenter's other numbers are vastly superior.

 

Good to see guys taking it so seriously, too ...

Will Carroll