Given to the best pitcher in the league each year, here are your contenders for the Brock Rutherford Award this season.

This includes every starter with at least 15 wins, as well as the top 5 in WAR, ERA, FIP (a measurement that tries to eliminate the impact of fielding on pitching stats), and SIERA (a measurement that tries to eliminate factors out of control of the pitcher).

NameTmRecordBB/9K/9WHIPWARFIPSIERA
Bert BlylevenPOR11-11, 4.302.47.61.272.74.433.81
Bill ByrdBAL14-3, 3.332.34.51.203.24.254.87
Gerrit ColeLAA16-9, 4.163.36.11.344.04.144.64
Lefty GroveSFS14-7, 3.464.89.21.343.94.083.96
Ron GuidryNYY8-12, 4.352.79.01.254.23.853.36
Walter JohnsonPOR14-5, 3.503.97.01.194.73.754.41
Frank KnaussBRK12-6, 3.413.47.21.213.34.064.19
Pat MaloneCLE17-8, 3.842.87.71.275.03.643.82
Christy MathewsonNYG17-8, 3.504.27.71.404.44.024.29
Tricky NicholsCAG15-9, 4.143.66.31.383.04.464.65
Stubby OvermireHOU/
MEM
10-7, 3.432.83.91.363.14.035.28
Alejandro PeñaBBB12-9, 3.792.56.31.315.13.524.34
Andy PettitteKCM/
BBB
15-5, 3.202.35.11.184.63.774.65
Eddie PlankSFS12-7, 3.873.47.11.414.53.474.32
Charlie RootSFS/
DET
10-6, 3.532.46.91.353.34.263.93
Red RuffingNYY14-9, 4.053.48.11.353.34.263.92
Jack TaylorHOD15-9, 3.422.35.81.142.94.464.42
Cy YoungCLE11-10, 4.361.74.21.235.03.724.88

OK, I get it. That’s a lot of numbers. And, SIERA always complicates things, since it is precisely designed to show who is pitching far better than the other numbers would show.

Christy Mathewson and Pat Malone were the league’s only 17 game winners. Andy Pettitte won the ERA crown and carried Birmingham into the playoffs after being acquired from Kansas City. Charlie Root and Jack Taylor (followed by Pettitte) allowed the fewest baserunners.

So let’s call this Pettitte, Mathewson, Malone from the perspective of the traditional stats.

FIP likes Malone (3rd in the league, but Pettitte isn’t far behind). If you then turn to SIERA, Malone is 3rd and Root 5th in the metric, with Matty a bit further behind.

I think evaluating pitchers remains the most elusive of quarry, and at such times, the known terrain is the safest. Call it Pettitte, Malone, Matty, with Andy Pettitte‘s clear contribution to a playoff drive sealing the inaugural Brock Rutherford Award for the lefty.