httpss://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60vHSPHLvuU
Kate, no writer should be fired for failing to vote for your fiance, Justin Verlander, for the American League Cy Young Award.
With all due respect to the Baseball Writers Association of America – of which I am a proud member – the omission of Verlander from the ballot by both Tampa Bay voters is indeed an indication that we can do a better job choosing the voters for our awards.
The sad part is, we are doing a better job; the BBWAA increased its voting pool by more than 30 members this year, adding MLB.com writers and a few more national writers as well.
The Tampa Bay voters, Bill Chastain of MLB.com and Fred Goodall of the Associated Press, cannot be held solely responsible for Verlander’s second-place finish, despite what Upton said in her epic Twitter rant Wednesday night.
Verlander would have needed third-place votes or better from both to overcome Porcello – and seven other writers placed him fourth or fifth.
Goodall, one of several AP writers who vote for BBWAA awards, does not solely cover baseball; he reports on a variety of sports in the Tampa Bay area.
The annual scramble to fill spots defeats the BBWAA’s goal of geographic diversity, with two writers unique to each market voting for the awards.