Cy Young Profile: Max Scherzer, 2013

Pitcher, Detroit Tigers

Age:  29 (July 27)

4^th season with Tigers

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’3”    Weight: 210 

Prior to 2013:

A Missouri native, Scherzer starred at Parkway Central High School, where he received all-conference recognition as a pitcher and outfielder and was the team’s co-captain as a senior. Selected by the hometown St. Louis Cardinals in the 2003 amateur draft, Scherzer chose to attend the University of Missouri instead of turning professional. As a sophomore in 2005, he led the Big 12 Conference in ERA (1.86) and strikeouts (131). He also was part of a combined no-hitter against Texas Tech on April 1 and was named Big 12 Pitcher of the Year. Drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2006, Scherzer signed and was assigned to the Visalia Oaks of the advanced Class A California League in 2007 where he went 2-0 with an 0.53 ERA before being promoted to the Mobile BayBears of the Class AA Southern League where he posted a 4-4 record with a 4.64 ERA and 76 strikeouts in 73.2 innings pitched. Advancing to the Tucson Sidewinders of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League in 2008, he was 1-1 with a 2.72 ERA when he was called up by the Diamondbacks in late April. Scherzer got off to an impressive major league start where in a relief outing against Houston, he was perfect for 4.1 innings, retiring all 13 batters that he faced, striking out 7. He ended up appearing in 16 games, 7 of them starts, and while producing only an 0-4 tally, he had a 3.05 ERA and 66 strikeouts over 56 innings. He was in Arizona’s starting rotation for all of 2009, going 9-11 for a last-place club with a 4.12 ERA and 174 strikeouts. In the offseason he was traded to the Tigers as part of a three-team deal and was 12-11 in 2010, with a 3.50 ERA and 184 strikeouts while accumulating 195.2 innings. Scherzer’s ERA rose to 4.43 in 2011, but he still produced a winning record of 15-9 for the division-winning Tigers along with 174 strikeouts. In his first taste of postseason action, he picked up a win against the Yankees in the ALDS but struggled against Texas in the ALCS, won by the Rangers. In 2012 Scherzer compiled a 16-7 tally with a 3.74 ERA and 231 strikeouts while pitching 187.2 innings. Detroit won the AL pennant and Scherzer picked up a win over the Yankees in the ALCS but could not prevent the Tigers from being swept by the Giants in the World Series. By 2013 “Mad Max” had established himself as a top-of-the-line starting power pitcher with command of a fastball, slider, and changeup.

2013 Season Summary

Appeared in 32 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]

Pitching

Games – 32

Games Started – 32 [12, tied with nine others]

Complete Games – 0

Wins – 21 [1]

Losses – 3

PCT - .875 [1]

Saves – 0

Shutouts – 0

Innings Pitched – 214.1 [5, tied with Chris Sale]

Hits – 152

Runs – 73

Earned Runs – 69

Home Runs – 18

Bases on Balls – 56

Strikeouts – 240 [2]

ERA – 2.90 [5]

Hit Batters – 4

Balks – 1 [11, tied with many others]

Wild Pitches – 6

League-leading wins were +3 ahead of runner-up Bartolo Colon

League-leading win pct was +.125 ahead of runner-up Bartolo Colon

Midseason Snapshot: 13-1, ERA – 3.19, SO – 152 in 129.2 IP

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Most strikeouts, game – 12 (in 8 IP) at Seattle 4/17, (in 7 IP) vs. KC Royals 9/15

10+ strikeout games – 8

Fewest hits allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 2 (in 8 IP) at Cleveland 5/21, (in 7 IP) at Minnesota 9/25

Batting

PA – 3, AB – 3, R – 0, H – 1, 2B – 1, 3B – 0, HR – 0, RBI – 1, BB – 0, SO – 0, SB – 0, CS – 0, AVG - .333, GDP – 0, HBP – 0, SH – 0, SF – 0

Fielding

Chances – 41

Put Outs – 17

Assists – 21

Errors – 3

DP – 0

Pct. - .927

Postseason Pitching:

G – 4, (ALDS vs. Oakland – 2 G; ALCS vs. Boston – 2 G)

GS – 3, CG – 0, Record – 2-1, PCT – .667, SV – 0, ShO – 0, IP – 22.1, H – 12, R – 7, ER – 7, HR – 1, BB – 11, SO – 34, ERA – 2.82, HB – 2, BLK – 0, WP – 2

Awards & Honors:

AL Cy Young Award: BBWAA

AL Pitcher of the Year: Sporting News

All-Star (Started for AL)

12^th in AL MVP voting (25 points, 6% share)

AL Cy Young voting (Top 5):

Max Scherzer, Det.: 203 pts. – 28 of 30 first place votes, 97% share

Yu Darvish, Tex.: 93 pts. – 44% share

Hisashi Iwakuma, Sea.: 73 pts. – 35% share

Anibal Sanchez, Det.: 46 pts. – 1 first place vote, 22% share

Chris Sale, ChiWS.: 44 pts. – 1 first place vote, 21% share

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Tigers went 93-69 to finish first in the AL Central Division by 1 game over the Cleveland Indians. The pitching staff led the league in strikeouts (1428). With outstanding hitting and starting pitching, the Tigers put together a 52-42 first half, but the club faded a bit in September, holding on to win the division by just one game. Won ALDS over the Oakland Athletics, 3 games to 2. Lost ALCS to the Boston Red Sox, 4 games to 2.

Aftermath of ‘13:

Following a somewhat slow start in 2014, Scherzer put together another outstanding season with an 18-5 record, 3.15 ERA, and 252 strikeouts. The Tigers again topped the AL Central but lost to Baltimore in the ALDS, with Scherzer losing the opening game. A free agent in the offseason, he signed with the Washington Nationals for seven years and $210 million. In June of 2015 he pitched a no-hitter against Pittsburgh in which he was perfect through 26 batters until hitting pinch-hitter Jose Tabata, who became the only baserunner for the Pirates before Scherzer picked up the final out. This followed a one-hit shutout at Milwaukee, giving him a stretch of just one hit and one walk allowed over the course of 18 innings, the best performance since Johnny Vander Meer of the Reds pitched back-to-back no-hitters in 1938. “Mad Max” pitched a second no-hitter in October against the New York Mets to cap a 14-12 record with a 2.79 ERA and 276 strikeouts. His impressive hurling continued in 2016 when he struck out a record-tying 20 batters in a complete game win against his former team, the Tigers on his way to a 20-7 tally and 2.96 ERA while leading the NL in innings pitched (228.1) and strikeouts (284). He was once again a Cy Young Award winner. The Nationals won the NL East but lost to the Dodgers in the NLDS. Scherzer followed up with another Cy Young-winning season in 2017 in which he compiled a 16-6 record with a 2.51 ERA and league-leading 268 strikeouts. Washington returned to the pinnacle of the NL East but fell to the Cubs in the NLDS, with Scherzer pitching very well in Game 3, won by Chicago after Scherzer was relieved, and he took the loss in relief in the decisive Game 5. The outstanding pitching continued in 2018 as Scherzer started out strong on his way to an 18-7 mark with a 2.53 ERA. In addition to leading the NL in wins, he also topped the circuit in innings pitched (220.2) and strikeouts (300). He finished second in league Cy Young voting. The slow-starting Nationals won the World Series in 2019 and Scherzer contributed an 11-7 record and 2.92 ERA with 243 strikeouts despite missing a month due to a back injury. He picked up three more wins in the postseason. In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season he finished at 5-4 with a 3.74 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 67.1 innings pitched. The subject of trade rumors in 2021, he got off to an 8-4 start before the reeling Nationals dealt him along with shortstop Trea Turner to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Scherzer went 7-0 for LA to end up at a combined 15-4 with a 2.46 ERA and 236 strikeouts in 179.1 innings. He was 0-1 in the postseason as the Dodgers advanced to the NLCS before being eliminated. A free agent in the offseason, he signed with the New York Mets for three years and $130 million. For his major league career through 2021, Scherzer has produced a 190-97 record with a 3.16 ERA, 12 complete games, 5 shutouts, and 3020 strikeouts in 2536.2 innings. With the Tigers he was 82-35 with a 3.52 ERA, one complete game shutout, and 1081 strikeouts over the course of 1013 innings. Appearing in 26 postseason games, 21 of them starts, his record has been 7-6 with a 3.22 ERA and 160 strikeouts in 128.2 innings. An eight-time All-Star, he has finished in the top 5 in league Cy Young voting eight times, winning on three occasions. One physical oddity of Scherzer’s is that his right eye is blue and his left eye is brown.

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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.   

MVP Profile: Miguel Cabrera, 2013

Third Baseman, Detroit Tigers

Age:  30 (April 18)

6^th season with Tigers

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’4”    Weight: 250 

Prior to 2013:

A native of Venezuela, Cabrera became a top baseball prospect as a teenager and signed with the Florida Marlins in 1999 at age 16 for $1.8 million. Initially assigned to the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League in 2000, he played shortstop and batted .260 over the course of 57 games and finished the season with Utica of the Class A New York-Pennsylvania League where he appeared in eight games and hit .250. In 2001 Cabrera was assigned to the Kane County Cougars of the Class A Midwest League where he batted .268 with 19 doubles, 4 triples, 7 home runs, and 66 RBIs and was selected as a league All-Star. Moving on to Jupiter of the advanced Class A Florida State League in 2002, Cabrera shifted from shortstop to third base and hit .274 with 43 doubles, 9 home runs, and 75 RBIs and played in the Radio Shack All-Star Futures Game. Moving up to Carolina of the Class AA Southern League in 2003, he was batting .365 with 29 doubles, 10 home runs, and 59 RBIs when he was called up to the Marlins in June. He hit a walk-off home run in his first game and had hits in five of his first six major league games on his way to hitting .268 with 12 home runs and 62 RBIs while splitting time between left field and third base. Appearing in both right and left field in 2004, Cabrera was an All-Star for the first time on his way to batting .294 with 33 home runs and 112 RBIs. Not a natural fit in the outfield, he saw action in 29 games at third base in 2005, while regularly starting in left field, but his offense remained strong as he hit .323 with 43 doubles, 33 home runs, and 116 RBIs. Playing third base full-time in 2006, Cabrera contended for the NL batting title as he hit .339 with 50 doubles, 26 home runs, and 114 RBIs. His 2007 production was .320 with 34 home runs and 119 RBIs. He also had a fine season defensively at third base. In the offseason the penurious Marlins traded Cabrera to the Tigers along with LHP Dontrelle Willis as part of a blockbuster deal. With his new club in 2008, who signed him to an eight-year, $152.3 million contract, he was moved to first base and, following a slow start, batted .292 with a league-leading 37 home runs, plus 127 RBIs. In 2009 he hit .324 with 34 home runs and 103 RBIs, but a domestic disturbance late in the season caused him to undergo treatment for alcohol abuse. The Tigers collapsed down the stretch to blow a seven-game lead in the AL Central and missed the postseason. 2010 was another outstanding season for the player nicknamed “Miggy” as he led the AL in RBIs (126) and OBP (.420) while batting .328 with 45 doubles, 38 home runs, and a .622 slugging percentage. He finished second in league MVP voting. In 2011 Cabrera led the league in batting (.344), OBP (.448), and doubles (48), while also compiling 30 home runs and 105 RBIs. This time he placed fifth in AL MVP balloting. Coming into the 2012 season Cabrera was a six-time All-Star who was well-established as one of baseball’s best hitters and was returning to third base to make room for the newly-acquired Prince Fielder at first. He proceeded to become the first Triple Crown winner in either league since 1967 by leading the AL with 44 home runs, 139 RBIs, and a .330 batting average. He also topped the circuit in slugging (.606) and total bases (377). Detroit topped the AL Central, won the pennant, but was swept in the World Series by the San Francisco Giants.

2013 Season Summary

Appeared in 148 games

3B – 145, DH – 1, PH – 1

[Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]

Batting

Plate Appearances – 652

At Bats – 555

Runs – 103 [2, tied with Chris Davis]

Hits – 193 [2, tied with Dustin Pedroia]

Doubles – 26

Triples – 1

Home Runs – 44 [2]

RBI – 137 [2]

Bases on Balls – 90 [3]

Int. BB – 19 [2]

Strikeouts – 94

Stolen Bases – 3

Caught Stealing – 0

Average - .348 [1]

OBP - .442 [1]

Slugging Pct. - .636 [1]

Total Bases – 353 [2]

GDP – 19 [10, tied with Elvis Andrus & Yunel Escobar]

Hit by Pitches – 5

Sac Hits – 0

Sac Flies – 2

League-leading batting average was +.024 ahead of runner-up Joe Mauer

League-leading OBP was +.010 ahead of runner-up Mike Trout

League-leading slugging percentage was +.002 ahead of runner-up Chris Davis

Midseason snapshot: HR - 30, RBI - 95, AVG - .365, SLG - .674, OBP - .458

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Most hits, game – 4 on seven occasions

Longest hitting streak – 15 games

HR at home – 17

HR on road – 27

Most home runs, game – 3 (in 4 AB) at Texas 5/19

Multi-HR games – 3

Most RBIs, game – 6 at Houston 5/4

Pinch-hitting – 1 for 2 (.500)

 Fielding

Chances - 283

Put Outs – 87

Assists – 184

Errors – 12

DP – 24

Pct. - .958

Postseason: 11 G (ALDS vs. Oakland – 5 G; ALCS vs. Boston – 6 G)

PA – 45, AB – 42, R – 4, H – 11, 2B – 0,3B – 0, HR – 2, RBI – 7, BB – 3, IBB – 1, SO – 9, SB – 1, CS – 0, AVG - .262, OBP - .311, SLG -.405, TB – 17, GDP – 1, HBP – 0, SH – 0, SF – 0

Awards & Honors:

AL MVP: BBWAA

MLB Player of the Year: Sporting News

Hank Aaron Award: MLB

Silver Slugger

All-Star (Started for AL at 3B)

Top 5 in AL MVP Voting:

Miguel Cabrera, Det.: 385 pts. – 23 of 30 first place votes, 92% share

Mike Trout, LAA: 282 pts. – 5 first place votes, 67% share

Chris Davis, Balt.: 232 pts. – 1 first place vote, 55% share

Josh Donaldson, Oak.: 222 pts. – 1 first place vote, 53% share

Robinson Cano, NYY: 150 pts. – 36% share

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Tigers went 93-69 to finish first in the AL Central Division by 1 game over the Cleveland Indians, while leading the league in hits (1625) and batting (.283). With outstanding hitting and starting pitching, the Tigers put together a 52-42 first half, but the club faded a bit in September when nagging injuries slowed Cabrera, holding on to win the division by just one game. Won ALDS over the Oakland Athletics, 3 games to 2. Lost ALCS to the Boston Red Sox, 4 games to 2.

Aftermath of ‘13:

In 2014 Cabrera batted .313 with a league-leading 52 doubles to go along with 25 home runs and 109 RBIs. Back at first base, in the offseason Cabrera had ankle surgery and never again played regularly at third base. Hindered by the sore ankle and also out for six weeks with a calf injury in 2015, he still won another batting championship (.338) but his power production dropped to 18 home runs and 76 RBIs. Cabrera also led the AL with a .440 OBP. His power production rebounded to 38 home runs and 108 RBIs in 2016, to go along with a .316 average and .563 slugging percentage. In an injury-riddled season in 2017, he missed being an All-Star for the first time since 2009 and limited to 130 games he batted just .249 with 16 home runs and 60 RBIs. In 2018 injuries held Cabrera to 38 games and he hit .299. He appeared in 136 games in 2019, primarily as a Designated Hitter, and batted .282 with 12 home runs and 59 RBIs. Strictly a DH during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, he hit .250 in 57 games with 10 home runs and 35 RBIs. Splitting time at DH and first base in 2021, Cabrera hit .256 with 15 home runs and 75 RBIs. For his major league career through 2021, Cabrera has batted .310 with 2987 hits that include 597 doubles, 17 triples, and 502 home runs. He has also scored 1505 runs and compiled 1804 RBIs, a .387 OBP, and a .540 slugging percentage. With the Tigers the numbers have been .309 with 1056 runs scored, 2145 hits, 414 doubles, 7 triples, 364 home runs, 1281 RBIs, a .387 OBP, and .529 slugging percentage. Appearing in 55 postseason games he has hit .278 with 13 home runs and 38 RBIs. In addition to being a two-time MVP, he is a four-time batting champion and 11-time All-Star (7 with Detroit).

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MVP Profiles feature players in the National or American leagues who were winners of the Chalmers Award (1911-14), League Award (1922-29), or Baseball Writers’ Association of America Award (1931 to present) as Most Valuable Player.

Rookie of the Year: Wil Myers, 2013

Outfielder, Tampa Bay Rays

Age:  22

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’3”    Weight: 205

Prior to 2013:

A North Carolina native, Myers starred as a third baseman and pitcher at Wesleyan Christian Academy in High Point where he batted .532 with 14 home runs and 41 RBIs as a senior. He was chosen by the Kansas City Royals in the third round of the 2009 amateur draft, receiving a $2 million signing bonus. Playing for two Rookie level teams in 2009 as a catcher, Myers hit .369 in 22 games with 5 home runs and 18 RBIs. He started the 2010 season with the Burlington Bees of the Class A Midwest League and hit .289 with 10 home runs and 45 RBIs in 68 games before moving on to the Wilmington Blue Rocks of the advanced Class A Carolina League where he batted .346 in 58 games.  Advancing to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals of the Class AA Texas League in 2011, Myers was shifted to the outfield and hit .254 with 8 home runs and 49 RBIs. In 2012 he started off with Northwest Arkansas before being promoted to the Omaha Storm Chasers of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League where he played some third base as well as in the outfield and batted .304 with 24 home runs and 79 RBIs. In the offseason he was traded to the Rays as part of a seven-player deal. Myers started the 2013 season with the Durham Bulls of the Class AAA International League and was hitting .286 with 14 home runs and 57 RBIs when he was promoted to the Rays in June and inserted in right field.  

2013 Season Summary

Appeared in 88 games

RF – 72, DH – 11, CF – 8, PH – 3

[Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]

Batting

Plate Appearances – 373

At Bats – 335

Runs – 50

Hits – 98

Doubles – 23

Triples – 0

Home Runs – 13

RBI – 53

Bases on Balls – 33

Int. BB – 6 [15, tied with four others]

Strikeouts – 91

Stolen Bases – 5

Caught Stealing – 2

Average - .293 [Non-qualifying]

OBP - .354 [Non-qualifying]

Slugging Pct. - .478 [Non-qualifying]

Total Bases – 160

GDP – 10

Hit by Pitches – 1

Sac Hits – 0

Sac Flies – 4

Midseason snapshot: HR - 3, RBI - 15, AVG - .288, OBP - .321

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Most hits, game – 3 on five occasions

Longest hitting streak – 12 games

Most HR, game – 2 (in 4 AB) at NY Yankees 7/28, (in 4 AB) at LA Angels 9/4

HR at home – 5

HR on road – 8

Multi-HR games – 2

Most RBIs, game – 4 at NY Yankees 6/22, at NY Yankees 7/28, vs. Seattle 8/15

Pinch-hitting – 0 of 2 (.000)

Fielding

Chances – 142

Put Outs – 140

Assists – 2

Errors – 0

DP – 1

Pct. - 1.000

Postseason Batting: 5 G (ALWC vs. Cleveland – 1 G, ALDS vs. Boston – 4 G)

PA – 21, AB – 20, R – 0, H – 2, 2B – 0, 3B – 0, HR – 0, RBI – 0, BB – 1, IBB – 0, SO – 7, SB – 0, CS – 0, AVG - .100, OBP - .143, SLG - .100, TB – 2, GDP – 0, HBP – 0, SH – 0, SF – 0

Awards & Honors:

AL Rookie of the Year: BBWAA

AL ROY Voting (Top 5):

Wil Myers, TB: 131 pts. – 23 of 30 first place votes, 87% share

Jose Iglesias, Bos,/Det.: 80 pts. – 5 first place votes, 53% share

Chris Archer, TB: 35 pts. – 1 first place vote, 23% share

Dan Straily, Oak.: 15 pts. – 1 first place vote, 10% share

J.B. Shuck, LAA.: 4 pts. – 3 % share

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Rays went 92-71 to finish second in the AL Eastern Division, 5.5 games behind the division-winning Boston Red Sox and qualifying for a Wild Card playoff spot after defeating the Texas Rangers 5-2 in a season-extending playoff game. The team led the league in walks drawn (589).  Won AL Wild Card Game over the Cleveland Indians, 4-0. Lost ALDS to the Boston Red Sox, 3 games to 1.

Aftermath of ‘13:

A broken wrist limited Myers to 87 games in 2014 and his batting average dropped to .222. He was dealt to the San Diego Padres in the offseason as part of a multi-player three-team trade that also included the Washington Nationals. Injuries were again a problem in 2015, negating a strong start at the plate. Myers was first sidelined with tendinitis in his left wrist and then needed surgery to remove a bone spur in the same wrist. He was limited to 60 games and hit .253 with 8 home runs and 29 RBIs. Myers bounced back to have an All-Star season in 2016 in which he batted .259 with 29 doubles, 28 home runs, and 94 RBIs, following which he signed a six-year contract extension worth $68 million. He had another strong year in 2017 with 29 doubles, 30 home runs, and 74 RBIs. Injuries again struck in 2018 and Myers played in 83 games and hit .253 with 11 home runs and 39 RBIs. For his major league career through 2018 he has batted .253 with 599 hits that include 133 doubles, 9 triples, and 96 home runs. He has driven in 324 runs and stolen 77 bases. With the Rays, Myers hit .258 with 37 doubles, 19 home runs, and 88 RBIs.

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Rookie of the Year Profiles feature players who were recipients of the Rookie of the Year Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (1947 to present). The award was presented to a single major league winner from its inception through 1948 and from 1949 on to one recipient from each major league.