Awards for relievers?

[Michael Echan]

Jayson Stark has an interesting idea in his latest Rumblings column: creating a Cy Young-level award for relief pitchers. His argument is valid (IMO): relievers rarely get any votes their way for the Cy Young and next to nothing for the MVP, the Rolaids Relief Award is based primarily on saves and relief pitching has become such an important part of the game.

I think it's a good idea, but only if it is not limited to just closers. If closers get little recognition for hardware, then set-up men must never even be thought of. I guess the biggest question(s) revolve around eligibility and by what measures to gauge who is the best relievers in either league. Thoughts?

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&page=rumblings010122

PS - I also liked his suggestion for a possible name for this "award:" the Jerome Holtzman Award, after the man who created the save as a statistic.

 

[spnited]

Just what we need...another useless award that some multi-millionaire can get another $1 mill bonus for winning.

Why not just give everybody a trophy for participating, like little league.

 

[slappy4428]

relievers rarely get any votes their way for the Cy Young and next to nothing for the MVP

Willie Hernandez would beg to differ.

 

[bigpern23]

While we're at it, whiy don't we just create an award solely for the best DH since they rarely figure into the MVP races?Maybe an award for the best utility infielder?

 

[crusoes]

Hence the use of "rarely," Slappy. He didn't say "Never."

 

[Football_Bat]

There's already the Rolaids Relief award for closers. How about the Summer's Eve Setup award?

I absolutely loathe "hold" as a statistic, by the way.

 

[Batman]

relievers rarely get any votes their way for the Cy Young and next to nothing for the MVP

Willie Hernandez would beg to differ.

So would Bruce Sutter, Steve Bedrosian, Mark Davis, Eric Gagne, Sparky Lyle, Rollie Fingers and Dennis Eckersley.
They get votes. They just don't get as many as the guys who throw 200 innings a year.

 

[WaylonJennings]

It's actually not a bad idea.

 

[dooley_womack1]

There's already the Rolaids Relief award for closers. How about the Summer's Eve Setup award?

I absolutely loathe "hold" as a statistic, by the way.

So do offensive linemen.

 

[Herbert Anchovy]

Moron agents are already using saves per inning pitched around arbitration time, whatever meaning that statistic actually bears.

 

[Football_Bat]

Moron agents are already using saves per inning pitched around arbitration time, whatever meaning that statistic actually bears.

That number cuts both ways, though. Saves x IP = wear and tear. The list of long-lasting relievers in my mind with a high number is short: Rivera.

 

[Herbert Anchovy]

A guy shouldn't be rewarded because he either doesn't have the stamina to be a starting pitcher or doesn't have the stamina to get nine outs every 10 days.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

To me, the relievers already have the Rolaids Award. Yeah, it's statistical, but it's been around for 30-plus years already. It doesn't quite have the tradition of the other sportswriter-voted on awards, but that's also because the specialist reliever has only been around for 40 years or so.

And to me, middle relievers shouldn't be rewarded if they're not good enough to close.

 

[Trey Beamon]

What award would Aaron Heilman win?

 

[Michael Echan]

It's actually not a bad idea.

THANK YOU!

 

[spnited]

What award would Aaron Heilman win?

A pile of dog ****?

 

[Michael Echan]

To me, the relievers already have the Rolaids Award. Yeah, it's statistical, but it's been around for 30-plus years already. It doesn't quite have the tradition of the other sportswriter-voted on awards, but that's also because the specialist reliever has only been around for 40 years or so.

And to me, middle relievers shouldn't be rewarded if they're not good enough to close.

Not necessarily. Rivera had a fantastic '96 season, but wasn't a closer...yet. Remember that quite a few closers start out as middle men, so they aren't there necessarily because they don't have the chops to close.

As far as the Rolaids Relief thing, it comes off to me as some kind of cheap prize you'd find at the bottom of a Cracker Jack box. Change the name of it and honor someone deserving of that kind of veneration (Holtzman? Gossage? Eckersley? Rivera after he retires?), incorporate some sort of parameters that would make it somewhat fair and have the BBWAA vote on it. So what if it gives the players' agents another thing to justify a bigger contract? Like Stark said, a relief pitcher isn't like a DH or utility infielder; both leagues have them and it's pretty easy to tell the good from the bad and the great from the good.

The NBA has the Sixth Man Award, an award given to a guy who has something that keeps him from being a full-time starter, but still plays a pivotal role on his team. Some of the guys who won this award: Kevin McHale, Bill Walton, John Starks (admitted NY market bias) and Manu Ginobili. As far as I know, this has become a pretty good idea, so why not use it in baseball?