Doc Gooden was Robbed Twice by the BBWAA

That mystifying MVP Vote is only half of the larceny

As some readers know, I wrote a book about some of the most ‘baffling’ MVP votes in the game’s history. The slights, snubs, grudges, and (supposed) conspiracies that mark the annual ballot process as must-watch theater for fans, media, and players alike.

As all of you know, Dwight Gooden in 1985 fashioned perhaps the best pitching season since the Deadball era. For his efforts, he was voted the NL CY Young award while finishing a desultory fourth on the MVP ballot, behind Willie McGee, Dave Parker, and Pedro Guerrero. It was a snub so mystifying it warranted a chapter in the book: Few players have ever been more valuable to their teams as Dwight Gooden was to the 1985 Mets. Doc should have an MVP plaque in his trophy case.

He should also have a second Cy Young Award.

While not as egregious a snub as his MVP misfortunes, the BBWAA got it wrong in 1984 when awarding Rick Sutcliffe the Cy Young trophy over a certain record-setting rookie plying his trade in Flushing, Queens.

Washed-out by the blinding glare of his legendary 1985 campaign, Gooden’s 1984 season remains one of the great debuts in MLB history. He took ROY honors, of course, but deserved much more. The slender 19-year old led his league in strikeouts (276 — still the rookie record), WHIP (1.073), FIP (an extraordinary 1.69), H/9, HR/9, and K/9 (11.4 — a MLB record at the time). He padded his resume with 17 wins (third), a 2.60 ERA (second), 137 ERA+ (second), and 218 IP (a total no teenager would ever be allowed to approach in today’s game). He led all NL pitchers in WAR (5.5), though that solid-but-not-extraordinary total seems to undersell his contributions: In Gooden’s final nine starts of 1984, he went 8–1, 1.07 ERA, holding opponents to a .411 OPS. He completed five of those nine starts, and went eight innings in three others. His lone loss came in a 16-K game where he surrendered one earned run (walking none). Over those nine starts, Gooden pitched 76 innings, striking out 105 and walking 13

For his efforts, the Mets rookie placed second on the 1984 Cy Young ballot as Cubs ace Rick Sutcliffe swept the vote solely on the strength of his 16–1 record. Yes, 16–1 is a shiny penny, and yes, Sutcliffe was excellent for the Cubs over 150 innings (the big right-hander arrived via mid-June trade). But that record is a little misleading. He got “wins” in starts where he gave up five and six runs, and escaped with no-decisions in two other starts where he surrendered five runs. That 16–1 could easily be 12–5, and 12–5 isn’t getting Sutcliffe anywhere near the top of the Cy Young ballot. The breaks went Sutcliffe’s way, but he trailed Gooden — by significant margins — in every significant pitching category (and those 150 IP are by far the fewest for any Cy-recognized starter). His isn’t among the very worst Cy Young nods in history… but Gooden was the clear choice.

Doc Gooden has made news recently, and the news hasn’t been good. Thirty years after the end of his athletic prime, he continues a wrenching, life-long battle with substance abuse and addiction. Here’s hoping recovery isn’t yet out of reach for Gooden — and here’s noting that he deserves to be remembered for more than one legendary season.

Jeremy Lehrman is the author of Baseball’s Most Baffling MVP Ballots. For more baseball, click here.