Consecutive Cy Young Awards Shortlist
Pedro Martínez (1999-2000)
Anyone who has written anything I have written knows that I believe Pedro Martinez is the greatest pitcher of all time. Sure, he doesn’t have the 300 wins and began to fizzle out at around the age of 34. He does, however, own the greatest single-season of any starter in the history of baseball.
That season, Pedro went 23-4 with a 2.07 ERA; he also struck out 313 batters while posting a 1.39 FIP. That 1.39 FIP, by the way, is the lowest FIP posted in the history of baseball. The next guy, Dwight Gooden, posted a 1.69 FIP in 1984.
Now, this is important to note because, as you probably know, FIP is essentially a pitchers ERA without taking his fielders into consideration. It’s a true indicator of a pitcher’s performance by taking in to account only what he can control. In this regard, there was nobody better than Pedro.
Surprisingly, by most statistical measures, Martinez’s 2000 season was even better. That year, Martinez posted a 1.74 ERA while striking out 284 batters. His FIP, however, increased to 2.17. Stellar, but not 1999.
In 2015, Pedro Martinez was voted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot with 91.1% of the vote.