Cy Young Profile: David Cone, 1994

Pitcher, Kansas City Royals

Age:  31 (Sept. 10)

2^nd season with Royals

Bats – Left, Throws – Right

Height: 6’1”    Weight: 180

Prior to 1994:

A native of Kansas City, Cone played quarterback on his high school football team and also excelled at basketball. Since the school had no baseball team, he developed his pitching prowess during summers in the Ban Johnson League. In 1981 the hometown Royals selected him in the amateur draft. Cone signed for $17,500 and was assigned to the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League where he pitched 67 innings and was 6-4 with a 2.55 ERA and 45 strikeouts. He was with two Class A teams in 1982 and went a combined 16-3 with a 2.08 ERA and 144 strikeouts over 177 innings pitched. A torn ACL cost him the 1983 season and he had problems with his control when he came back with the Memphis Chicks of the Class AA Southern League in 1984. He compiled an 8-12 record with a 4.28 ERA and walked 114 batters in 178.2 innings pitched. Cone still moved up to Omaha of the Class AAA American Association in 1985 where he was 9-15 with a 4.65 ERA and walked 93 batters and struck out 115 while pitching 158.2 innings. Shifted to the bullpen with Omaha in 1986 Cone was called up briefly by the Royals during the season before returning to Class AAA where he appeared in a total of 39 games and produced an 8-4 record with 14 saves and a 2.79 ERA. Called back up to Kansas City he appeared in a total of 11 major league games as a reliever and had no decisions while striking out 21 batters over 22.2 major league innings. In 1987 he was traded to the New York Mets in the spring where he gained a spot in the starting rotation and compiled a 5-6 record with a 3.71 ERA and 68 strikeouts over 99.1 innings. His season was interrupted when he broke a finger while attempting to bunt. He broke out in 1988 with a 20-3 record and 2.22 ERA with 213 strikeouts for the division-winning Mets and was an All-Star for the first time and finished third in NL Cy Young Award voting. Less dominating in 1989, Cone’s record slipped to 14-8 with a 3.52 ERA and 190 strikeouts. Adding a split-finger fastball to his array of pitches that included a fastball, curve, and change-up, Cone topped the NL in strikeouts in 1990 (233) and ’91 (241) while posting records of 14-10 with a 3.23 ERA and 14-14 with a 3.29 ERA respectively. The 1991 strikeout total included 19 in one game at Philadelphia. Allegations of bad behavior began to dog Cone during this period and he was traded to Toronto during the 1992 season. The Blue Jays topped the AL East and went on to win the World Series and Cone’s overall record was 17-10 with a 2.81 ERA and 261 strikeouts. A free agent in the offseason he signed a three-year $18 million contract with the Royals. He was 11-14 with a weak offensive club in 1993, producing a 3.33 ERA and 191 strikeouts. 

1994 Season Summary

Appeared in 23 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]

Pitching

Games – 23

Games Started – 23

Complete Games – 4 [11, tied with seven others]

Wins – 16 [2, tied with Mike Mussina]

Losses – 5

PCT - .762 [4, tied with Mike Mussina]

Saves – 0

Shutouts – 3 [2, tied with four others]

Innings Pitched – 171.2 [9]

Hits – 130

Runs – 60

Earned Runs – 56

Home Runs – 15

Bases on Balls – 54

Strikeouts – 132 [6]

ERA – 2.94 [3]

Hit Batters – 7 [5, tied with four others]

Balks – 1 [11, tied with many others]

Wild Pitches – 5

Most strikeouts, game – 12 (in 8 IP) at Detroit 7/23

10+ strikeout games – 2

Fewest hits allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 1 (in 9 IP) at California 5/22

Fielding

Chances – 41

Put Outs – 20

Assists – 18

Errors – 3

DP – 3

Pct. - .927

Awards & Honors:

AL Cy Young Award: BBWAA

All-Star

9^th in AL MVP voting (40 points, 10% share)

AL Cy Young voting:

David Cone, KC: 108 pts. – 15 of 28 first place votes, 77% share

Jimmy Key, NYY: 96 pts. – 10 first place votes, 69% share

Randy Johnson, Sea.: 24 pts. – 2 first place votes, 17% share

Mike Mussina, Balt.: 23 pts. – 1 first place vote, 16% share

Lee Smith, Balt.: 1 pt. – 1% share

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Royals went 64-51 to finish third in the AL Central Division, 4 games behind the first place Chicago White Sox, at the point in August that a players’ strike prematurely shut down the season and eliminated the postseason. The pitching staff led the league in saves (38). 9.5 games out on July 23, the Royals put together a 14-game winning streak to pull into contention before the season prematurely ended.

Aftermath of ‘94:

Immediately following the settlement of the players’ strike in 1995, the Royals traded Cone back to Toronto where he was 9-6 with a 3.38 ERA in July when the last-place Blue Jays dealt him to the New York Yankees. He went 9-2 with a 3.82 ERA the rest of the way as the Yanks made it to the postseason. Cone was sidelined for four months in 1996 due to treatment for an aneurysm in his right shoulder. He returned in September and was 7-2 with a 2.88 ERA in 11 starts. He went on to win a game in the World Series triumph over Atlanta. Cone started strongly in 1997 and was an All-Star selection. A shoulder problem that required offseason surgery hindered him the rest of the way and he ended up with a 12-6 record, a 2.82 ERA, and 222 strikeouts. Adjusting to becoming more of a finesse pitcher in 1998 he compiled a 20-7 tally with a 3.55 ERA and 209 strikeouts. A strong start in 1999 was highlighted by a perfect game against Montreal in July. His velocity dropped off in the season’s second half and Cone finished at 12-9 with a 3.44 ERA and 177 strikeouts. Re-signed for one year and $8 million in 2000, he suffered through a dreadful 4-14 campaign with a 6.91 ERA. He signed with the Boston Red Sox in 2001 and was 9-7 with a 4.31 ERA. Cone sat out the 2002 season and returned to the Mets at age 40 in 2003. He retired in May after producing a 1-3 record and 6.50 ERA over 18 innings pitched. Overall for his major league career Cone was 194-126 with a 3.46 ERA and 2668 strikeouts. He pitched 448.1 of his 2898.2 innings with the Royals and went 27-19 with a 3.29 ERA and 344 strikeouts. He was a five-time All-Star (once with KC) and produced an 8-3 record with 94 strikeouts in 21 postseason games. 

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Cy Young Profiles feature pitchers who were recipients of the Cy Young Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (1956 to present). The award was presented to a single major league winner from its inception through 1966 and from 1967 on to one recipient from each major league.