Most questionable MLB award winners of all time

Justin Verlander's now wife, supermodel Kate Upton, took to Twitter to criticize the writers after Porcello won the AL Cy Young over her man. She had a strong argument, considering Verlander exceeded Porcello in ERA (3.04 to 3.15), strikeouts (254 to 189) and WAR (7.2 to 4.8). He actually got six more first-place votes than Porcello, but the Red Sox pitcher claimed the award by five points.

Braun had a strong claim over Matt Kemp for the MVP just based on the stats, but soon after winning MVP the Milwaukee outfielder tested positive for PEDs. Dodgers fans were up in arms about the controversy, but Braun was able to get the positive test thrown out on appeal. Braun was later suspended for PEDs in 2013 and admitted to using during his MVP season.

Analytics and understanding  baseball stats have come a long way in the last 13 years, and in no way is that clearer than in the 2005 Cy Young voting. Angels ace Bartolo Colon went 21-8 with a 3.48 ERA in 222.2 innings with 157 strikeouts to win Cy Young. However, Johan Santana of the Twins was far more deserving. The lefty was penalized for winning five fewer games, but he had a far superior 2.87 ERA and 238 strikeouts in 231.2 innings.

Clemens was robbed of some awards in his career, but the 2004 NL Cy Young wasn't one of them. The Astros ace beat out Randy Johnson after posting a 2.98 ERA and 218 strikeouts in 214.1 innings. However, The Big Unit had a better year with a 2.60 ERA and 290 strikeouts in 245.2 innings, finishing with 3.0 more wins above replacement.

Often players on winning teams get a huge lift over players on losing teams, but Mark McGwire's stats in the memorable 1998 home run chase far exceeded those of Sosa. McGwire hit .299/.470/.752 compared to Sosa's .308/.377/.647, beating the Cubs outfielder by nearly 200 points in OPS and 1.0 win above replacement. Sosa garnered 30 of the 32 first place MVP votes.

Gonzalez had a great 1996 season but had no business winning the AL MVP. He edged Alex Rodriguez of the Mariners by three points after hitting .314-47-144 with a 1.011 OPS. Rodriguez hit .358-36-123 with a 1.045 while playing a tougher position (shortstop). Added is the fact that Gonzalez played a mediocre right field and appeared in only 102 games in the field. A-Rod's WAR was 9.4 compared to Gonzalez's 3.8.

Big Mo Vaughn would win the AL MVP voting by only eight points over Albert Belle, yet it's clear who had the better starts. Belle hit .317-50-26 with a 1.091 OPS, compared to Vaughn's .300-29-126 and .963 OPS. The Cleveland outfielder finished with a WAR nearly three wins higher than that of Vaughn.

McDowell easily won the Cy Young Award, yet a strong argument could be made that the three competitors behind him in the voting had better years. McDowell led the league with 22 wins, but Randy Johnson, Kevin Appier and Jimmy Key all finished with better ERAs, more strikeouts and much higher WAR.

It's difficult for a relief pitcher to win the Cy Young these days, much less an MVP, but Eckersley managed to do both in 1992. He had a great year as Oakland's closer but threw only 80 innings, compared to 260.2 from Jack McDowell, 246.2 from Roger Clemens and 241 from Mike Mussina. Several hitters also had a strong claim in the MVP voting such as Kirby Puckett, who finished with a 7.1 WAR compared to Eckersley's 2.9.

Alomar's excellent career was kicked off with an AL Rookie of the Year in 1990 after hitting .290-9-66 with a .744 OPS for the Indians. It was a fine rookie year, but third-place finisher Kevin Appier was more deserving of the award. The Royals starter went 12-8 with a 2.76 ERA in 185.2 innings, giving him a 5.3 WAR compared to Alomar's 2.4.

When wins were still all the rage, Welch benefited and won the Cy Young over Roger Clemens in 1990. Aside from wins, the comparison between the two pitchers wasn't close. Welch went 27-6 with a 2.95 ERA and 127 strikeouts in 238 innings. Clemens was 21-6 with a 1.93 ERA and 209 strikeouts in 228.1 innings for a 10.5 WAR, compared to Welch's 3.0.

Bedrosian won the Cy Young out of the bullpen in 1987. He had a fine year as the Phillies closer, but it's difficult to make an argument that he was a better pitcher than starters Rick Sutcliffe, Orel Hershiser and Nolan Ryan, among others. Bedrosian finished with a 2.83 ERA and 40 saves in 89 innings, while second-place finisher Sutcliffe had a 3.68 ERA and 174 strikeouts in 237.1 innings over 34 starts.

To take nothing away from Mattingly's outstanding 1985, he wasn't even the most valuable player on his team. Fellow Yankee Rickey Henderson hit .314/.419/.516 with 146 runs scored and 80 stolen bases but failed to get even one first-place vote. Mattingly hit .324/.371/.567 at first base, a much easier defensive position. Henderson's WAR was 9.9, compared to Mattingly's 6.5.

Sutcliffe was given all 24 first place votes in 1984 after going 16-1 with a 2.69 ERA in 150.1 innings over 20 starts for the Cubs. It was Dwight Gooden who deserved the award, however, as he had a 2.60 ERA over 31 starts in 218 innings with 276 strikeouts. 

There was a long list of pitchers who deserved to win the Cy Young over Vuckovich, but the Brewers starter easily won after going 18-6 with a 3.34 ERA in 30 starts over 223.2 innings. The pitcher most deserving of the award was Blue Jays pitcher Dave Stieb, who led all AL pitchers with a 7.7 WAR after going 17-14 with a 3.25 ERA in 288.1 innings. He threw a whopping 19 complete games, compared to Vuckovich's nine.

Baylor had a fine year in 1979 but not one deserving of the MVP over Ken Singleton, George Brett and Fred Lynn. He finished with a 3.7 WAR after hitting .296-36-139 with 22 steals and a .901 OPS. The other hitters finished with far better OPS, led by Lynn, who led the league in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage on a 91-win Red Sox team.

Lyle won the Cy Young out of the Yankees bullpen over the more deserving Jim Palmer and Nolan Ryan. The Yankees closer went 13-5 with a 2.17 ERA and 26 saves over 137 innings. Meanwhile, Palmer was 20-11 with a 2.91 ERA in 319 innings, and Ryan was 19-16 with a 2.77 ERA in 299 innings.

McCormick won the NL Cy Young in what wasn't even a close vote, yet Jim Bunning was clearly the better pitcher. McCormick finished with a 4.4 WAR after going 22-10 with a 2.85 ERA and 150 strikeouts over 262.1 innings. Bunning got only one first-place vote despite posting a far superior 2.29 ERA in 40 starts over 302.1 innings with 253 strikeouts.

The speedy Wills led the league with 104 stolen bases in 1962, but that was no reason to give him the MVP nod over Willie Mays. Wills won by seven points despite hitting .299-6-48 with a .720 OPS. Mays' numbers blew Wills' season out of the water, hitting .304-49-141 with a .999 OPS. Reds star Frank Robinson was also deserving of consideration, hitting .342-39-136 with a 1.045 OPS.

Pirates Dick Groat and Don Hoak led the MVP voting, but Willie Mays was the most deserving of the NL MVP in 1960. Groat hit .325-2-50 with a .766 OPS and 6.2 WAR to easily win the award. However, Mays had a 9.5 WAR after hitting .319-29-103 with 25 steals and a .936 OPS, albeit for a Giants squad that won only 79 games.

Berra won the MVP in 1955 but wasn't even the most valuable player on his own team. The Hall of Fame catcher hit .272-27-108 with an .819 OPS and 4.5 WAR. Trailing in fifth place in the voting, Mickey Mantle hit .306-37-99 with a 1.042 OPS and 9.6 WAR for the Yankees. Tigers star Al Kaline also deserved more consideration after hitting .340-27-102 with a .967 OPS.

Konstanty won the MVP easily as the Phillies' best bullpen arm, appearing in 74 games and going 16-7 with a 2.66 ERA and 22 saves in 152 innings. The offense of Stan Musial and Eddie Stanky was far more deserving of consideration, however. Stan the Man hit .346-28-109 with a 1.034 OPS for the Cardinals, while Stanky hit .300-8-51 with an .872 OPS for the Giants, and both hitters easily exceeded Konstanty's 4.4 WAR.

DiMaggio deserved most of the accolades he received during his Hall of Fame career with the Yankees, but there's no way he should have won the 1947 AL MVP over Ted Williams. He edged Williams by only one point in the voting after hitting .315-20-97 with a .913 OPS and 4.8 WAR. Williams had a historic season, finishing with a 9.9 WAR after hitting .343-32-114 with a 1.133 OPS, winning the Triple Crown for an 83-win Red Sox squad.

Marion beat out Bill Nicholson by one point to win the 1944 MVP, but he wasn't nearly the most valuable player on the Cardinals. While Marion hit .267-6-53 with a .686 OPS at shortstop for the Cardinals, fourth-place finisher Stan Musial hit .347-12-94 with a .990 OPS and a WAR that was more than four wins higher (8.8).

Lombardi won the batting title for the fourth-place Reds, hitting .342-19-95 with an outstanding 5.7 WAR. However, the second through fourth place finishers in NL MVP voting all finished with a WAR above 8.0, led by Giants star Mel Ott. Ott hit .311-36-111 with an OPS that was more than 100 points higher.

Cochrane won the MVP in 1934, but he wasn't the best player on the Tigers...or the second best...or even the third best. The catcher finished with a 4.0 WAR after hitting .320-2-75 with an .840 OPS. Teammate Charlie Gehringer was second despite hitting .356-11-127 with a .967 OPS for an 8.4 WAR. Hall of Fame name Schoolboy Rowe had a 7.1 WAR as the Tigers ace, going 24-8 with a 3.45 ERA in 266 innings. Then there was Hank Greenberg, who had a 6.2 WAR after hitting .339-26-139 with a 1.005 OPS. Yet, it was a Yankee who probably deserved to win the award most. Lou Gehrig hit .362-49-166 with a 1.172 OPS, easily winning the Triple Crown.

Peckinpaugh just barely beat out Al Simmons for the MVP but finished with a 2.6 WAR compared to Simmons' 6.6. Peckinpaugh, of the Senators, hit .294-4-64 with a .746 vs. Simmons' .387-24-129 and a 1.018 OPS for the Philadelphia Athletics.