Chicago Cubs: How is Jake Arrieta being overlooked for the NL Cy Young?

Mandatory Credit: Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports

18 and Counting

With the emergence of Sabermetrics, the traditional stats of pitching don’t get the same respect that they used to. Many are still used within the metrics, but not by themselves but to form a bigger metric in which to measure. One stat that seems to have fallen by the wayside is the win. In defense of this, good pitchers have pitched for bad teams and not had a record that would impress voters. But in recent seasons that has been overlooked as they’ve realized it can be misleading.

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While I believe that applies to a pitcher that’s 8-14 but has a 2.45 ERA–but how can we misconstrue 18-6 with a 2.03? We shouldn’t be able to, but somehow Arrieta’s 18 wins don’t seem to be impressive enough. Greinke is 15-3 himself, no slouch in his record at all. But the Dodgers were expected to be a good team. These Cubs? Improved, yes. But not many could foresee them with this record–a record that would have them in first place almost everywhere but the Central divisions.

Arrieta has dropped back-to-back decisions only once this season. That was back in May when the Cubs scored him a total of two runs in losses to the Brewers and Cardinals. One run per game. Arrieta didn’t pitch great in either, allowing four runs in five innings and five plus respectively. But he needed to be perfect with an offense that at the time was quite inept. Not a situation that Greinke has had to face often this season.