It’s official. Corey Kluber is the 2014 American League Cy Young Award winner with Clayton Kershaw winning his third award in the past four seasons. While Kershaw’s reign over the NL award was all but assured, the AL version was a tightly contested match between Felix Hernandez of the Mariners and Kluber. In the end, however, it was Kluber, who had the higher strike out numbers and advanced metrics (like FIP and WAR) that beat out King Felix, who threw more innings and had a ridiculously impressive 2.14 ERA. To win, Kluber received 17 first place votes compared to Hernandez’s 13 (overall, Kluber won 169 to 159 with no other player grabbing a first place vote).
Since most of the statistical arguments were laid out a month ago, we won’t repeat them here, although they can be revisited by clicking this link. Instead, this focus will be on the man himself and the historical context. To start, it is very impressive that he was able to become the greatest pitcher in the American League in just his second full season. In fact, it took the amazing ace Kershaw until his fourth season with at least twenty starts before he won his first Cy Young. While many were surprised by his season this year, Kluber has always shown glimpses of greatness from his minor league K/9 of above nine to his great season in 2013 as the Indians most consistent starter. After two straight seasons with a solid FIP (3.30 in 2013, 2.35 this season), there is a solid foundation to believe that he can continue this success. Even if not at his 2014 level, Kluber should be able to continue as the Indians ace for years to come.
On a historic level, this marks the fourth time an Indian has won the Cy Young award, each by a different pitcher. Each of the Indians award winners has been since the Cy Young award was split to both leagues in 1967, giving them four winners in twenty years, more than twice what the normal distribution per team would be. This makes sense given the incredible pitching the Indians have had over the years, although most of the greatest Indians pitchers threw before it was an award. These include Hall of Famers Bob Feller, Bob Lemon, Stan Coveleski, Addie Joss, Early Wynn and Cy Young himself who never had the opportunity. While not directly related, the current run of three Cy Young winners in the past eight seasons is fair recognition of the great pitching in franchise history.
While there was a large lay off between the first (Gaylord Perry in 1972) and second (C.C. Sabathia in 2007) winners, the past three have come in rapid succession. This feat of three different pitchers winning the Cy Young for the same franchise in a span of eight seasons has only been achieved twice before, by the Orioles from 1973 through 1980 (Jim Palmer in 1973, 1975, 1976, Mike Flanagan in 1979, Steve Stone in 1980) and the Blue Jays from 1996 through 2003 (Pat Hentgen in 1996, Roger Clemens in 1997 and Roy Halladay in 2003). One thing the Indians have had that these other teams haven’t are true super stars. While Halladay, Clemens and Palmer were greats, the others were not the type of pitchers who could command salaries such as those Cliff Lee and C.C. Sabathia have in recent seasons.
While some comparisons with Lee and Sabathia are warranted, however, others are not. Cleveland becoming the first team to trade Cy Young award winners in consecutive seasons is still fresh in the fans minds and it has fallowed some of the joy of winning the award. A repetition of history should not be a real worry if the situations are considered. First, there is the contract situation. Unlike Sabathia and Lee, who were heading into their last and next to last years, respectively, Kluber isn’t even in arbitration yet. Because he had a late Major League debut (25 instead of 20 like Sabathia or 23 like Lee), Kluber is hitting his prime much earlier in his professional career than the other two pitchers. With the late start, he won’t be arbitration eligible until 2016 and won’t have a chance at free agency until 2019.
Secondly, the Indians are in a completely different situation. In 2007, the team had been building from 2003 for a title run and had a window of just a few seasons, essentially from 2005 through 2008. When the team didn’t amaze in 2008, it was time to flip the team and Sabathia, then Lee, were the biggest assets to create a bright future. Even now, the ramifications of the Sabathia trade in 2008 are still visible as Michael Brantley, the player to be named later, is one of three finalists for the AL MVP. Starting with the destruction of the team in 2008, the Indians began another rebuilding process that has now reached its head. While this won’t guarantee that Kluber will play the rest of his days with the Tribe, it does make it likely he will stick around at least through 2017, while the majority of the roster is still under control.
Corey Kluber may never win another Cy Young award, but he will be the rock in the Indians rotation for years to come. From the Indians stand point, it means they have a pitcher the quality of Hernandez and Kershaw for a fraction of the price. For the fans, it means that the Indians will have a great chance to return to the post-season in 2015 and beyond. For Corey Kluber, hopefully his recognition as the greatest pitcher in the American League will at least bring a smile to his face.
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