Results of the National League Cy Young balloting came as no surprise to many since "Tiny" Tim Lincecum had the most dominant 2008.
His blazing two-seam fastball and last-second whamdinger of a snapping curve has allowed the sub 6 footer to have no need to Tiptoe Through the Tulips, but to stomp on opposing batters.
His .221 opponents batting average and two complete games are an even greater testament to his monster year than his 18 wins or 2.62 ERA.
But one year does not make a legacy.
Seemingly lost in the accolades to the phenom are the accomplishments of Arizona Diamondbacks hurler Brandon Webb, who in 2008 cemented himself as the most consistently dominant force in the National League since Randy Johnson's wondrous run at the turn of the millennium.
The 29-year-old Webb won the award in 2006 after posting a 16-8 record in a year where no one in baseball won 20 games and then went on to place second in Cy Young balloting in 2007 and 2008. This past year, his 22 wins were the most in the league since Dontrelle Willis in 2005 and by the way, he led the majors with 360 ground outs.
No other pitcher even placed in the balloting in each of the last three seasons.
Not Carlos Zambrano, who predicted he would win Cy's prize in 2007, nor Jake Peavy who actually won it last year.
No one except Brandon Webb.
While he wasn't going against the likes of C.C. Sabathia and Johan Santana in years past, what has set him apart from the rest is simply consistency and the will to win. The Arizona Diamondbacks only won 76 games in 2006—and Brandon Webb accounted for 21 percent of the wins.
In 2008, he gave the D'backs 27 percent of their wins. He has led the league in wins the last three years while going an astounding 56-25.
Watching Webb over the course of his career and especially this past season, one of the most striking things about his game is how he has pitched in the moment. When the game was on the line, more often than not he stepped it up to keep his team in the game. Opponents only batted .077 with the bases loaded and .211 with runners in scoring position in 2008.
This is a guy who is a stubborn Ebenezer on the mound. This three-year run also witnessed a 42 inning scoreless streak in 2007—the equivalent of more than four complete games without a run. And he didn't win the Cy.
Of course it is the majors' most dominant sinker that has allowed him to be so consistently successful and even after winning the Cy Young award in 2006, he felt the need to keep working on his change-up which has become the second best pitch in his arsenal. His easy and carefree motion that provides the innate ability to make that sinker enter a black hole inches from the plate also makes him less susceptible to injury.
Until Lincecum or any other pretender can string two or more dominant years together, they are simply one-hit wonders.
Surprisingly, the Diamondbacks did not sign him to a contract extension past 2010 when they had the chance before the 2007 season. They inexplicably pulled an extension off the table and his agent said that after finishing second yet again this year, his price will undoubtedly rise.
But maybe just what Brandon Webb needs in order to be recognized as the most consistently dominating pitcher in the game today is for him to cash in and show his stuff every five days in Chicago or New York.
Webb doesn't throw hard, is not flashy and his fastball isn't smoking. Basically, he isn't the type of pitcher that baseball lore exalts.
He just dominates and wins.
And he has been the best pitcher in the game.
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about 1 month ago
I think Webb probably has the best sinker I've ever seen. The tilt and how late it drops... how on earth can hitters tell it apart from his fastball until it's way too late?
from about 1 month ago
I totally agree and thanks for the comment. And, that is why it makes his change-up so successful.
about 1 month ago
Several points I'd like to make.
You write: "Until Lincecum or any other pretender can string two or more dominant years together, they are simply one-hit wonders." Are you already writing Lincecum off as a one-hit wonder? You're argument is that because a bunch of AP sports writers have chosen Webb as a finalist or winner of the NL CY Young three straight years, he's the only truly "dominant" pitcher in the NL, possibly all of baseball ("And he has been the best pitcher in the game.")?
Don't buy it. Some of the guys you mentioned have been every bit as consistent as Webb (Santana, Peavy). There's C.C. Sabathia, remember he was pitching in the AL with a DH and posted a 3.22 and 3.21 ERA in 2006 and 2007, and Roy Halladay.
Granted your argument delves over three years, but who doubts the abilities of Cole Hamels, Dice-K, Scott Kazmir and Dan Haren?
Webb is a real good pitcher, just don't take CY Young secondary and tertiary voting too seriously.
from about 1 month ago
I can't disagree with you.
But I was trying to sublty communicate that because he isn't a power pitcher like Peavy, Santana or Kerry Wood, he can be consistently consistent due to the less potential for injury. I don't really want to jinx Lincecum but I do wonder a bit if he, like Wood, might be a future arm surgery victim. How long can "The Freak continue to put that kind of strain on a 170 pound body/arm?
about 1 month ago
Lincecum doesn't have a legacy because he just finished his 2nd year in the majors.
Granted, he had an ERA of 4.00ish last year, but he was a rookie.
I agree with your points about Webb, though, he's a special pitcher as well, even if the competition in the national league hasn't been stellar over the last few years.
from about 1 month ago
Go Bears, that is right on.
Again, I am a fan of both of those guys...and I hope Lincecum keeps doing what he can do...but he's a small guy that can throw real hard...how many of those guys aren't DL denizens after a couple of years?
And, if he loses 5 mph can he still pitch?
about 1 month ago
You place way too much emphasis on a stat that only half depends on a pitcher's performance.
about 1 month ago
If you mean wins, that is true for a middle of the road guys with a 4.00-plus ERA...not a guy hovering around 3.00. Most teams in baseball can score two more more runs in a game.
And, my point is he digs deep to keep his team in the lead....I understand what your saying but you can't get to 22 wins if the rest of your stats are in the tank.....
If your not talking about wins....what are you talking about?
about 1 month ago
John, good article and analysis!!
Any comments on the Rays season this year?? Think thay have a chance at ever getting back to the series with the Yanks and RedSox in their division?
about 1 month ago
They have a chance -- until their young guns reach free agency and as long as Percival can hang on....
As always, once a team has shown they can win -- and it remains in tact -- injury is the primary impediment to their decline. So, if they can stay healthy, they have a great chance of triumphing again. But they did show the ability to overcome injuries last year, so that shows a lot of heart. In today's game toughness and the will to win is a quality that can't be over stated.
But, as I mentioned above in regards to injuries, one of the main reasons the Sox didn't defeat them in the ALCS were their injury woes. With a healthy Bog Papi and Mike Lowell do they lose? Maybe, maybe not.
The Yanks? Their current team hasn't shown an ability to win anything. They are all pocketbook and no heart.
I really like the Rays...my brother happens to live in Tampa and so I follow them with fervor......he might have asked the same question.
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