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).
| Name | Tm | Record | BB/9 | K/9 | WHIP | WAR | FIP | SIERA |
| Bert Blyleven | POR | 11-11, 4.30 | 2.4 | 7.6 | 1.27 | 2.7 | 4.43 | 3.81 |
| Bill Byrd | BAL | 14-3, 3.33 | 2.3 | 4.5 | 1.20 | 3.2 | 4.25 | 4.87 |
| Gerrit Cole | LAA | 16-9, 4.16 | 3.3 | 6.1 | 1.34 | 4.0 | 4.14 | 4.64 |
| Lefty Grove | SFS | 14-7, 3.46 | 4.8 | 9.2 | 1.34 | 3.9 | 4.08 | 3.96 |
| Ron Guidry | NYY | 8-12, 4.35 | 2.7 | 9.0 | 1.25 | 4.2 | 3.85 | 3.36 |
| Walter Johnson | POR | 14-5, 3.50 | 3.9 | 7.0 | 1.19 | 4.7 | 3.75 | 4.41 |
| Frank Knauss | BRK | 12-6, 3.41 | 3.4 | 7.2 | 1.21 | 3.3 | 4.06 | 4.19 |
| Pat Malone | CLE | 17-8, 3.84 | 2.8 | 7.7 | 1.27 | 5.0 | 3.64 | 3.82 |
| Christy Mathewson | NYG | 17-8, 3.50 | 4.2 | 7.7 | 1.40 | 4.4 | 4.02 | 4.29 |
| Tricky Nichols | CAG | 15-9, 4.14 | 3.6 | 6.3 | 1.38 | 3.0 | 4.46 | 4.65 |
| Stubby Overmire | HOU/ MEM | 10-7, 3.43 | 2.8 | 3.9 | 1.36 | 3.1 | 4.03 | 5.28 |
| Alejandro Peña | BBB | 12-9, 3.79 | 2.5 | 6.3 | 1.31 | 5.1 | 3.52 | 4.34 |
| Andy Pettitte | KCM/ BBB | 15-5, 3.20 | 2.3 | 5.1 | 1.18 | 4.6 | 3.77 | 4.65 |
| Eddie Plank | SFS | 12-7, 3.87 | 3.4 | 7.1 | 1.41 | 4.5 | 3.47 | 4.32 |
| Charlie Root | SFS/ DET | 10-6, 3.53 | 2.4 | 6.9 | 1.35 | 3.3 | 4.26 | 3.93 |
| Red Ruffing | NYY | 14-9, 4.05 | 3.4 | 8.1 | 1.35 | 3.3 | 4.26 | 3.92 |
| Jack Taylor | HOD | 15-9, 3.42 | 2.3 | 5.8 | 1.14 | 2.9 | 4.46 | 4.42 |
| Cy Young | CLE | 11-10, 4.36 | 1.7 | 4.2 | 1.23 | 5.0 | 3.72 | 4.88 |
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.