Back to the Rays Report

Roger Mooney

Roger Mooney covers the Tampa Bay Rays for The Tampa Tribune, TBO.com and News Channel 8. He has covered the Rays since their first season in 1998, including 11 years for the Bradenton Herald. Roger has also covered Florida, South Florida and Florida State football, the Bucs and the Lightning.

 @RMooneyTrib
 TBO_Rays
Send us your questions

More Links:

• Schedule/Results
• Player Stats
• Team Stats

Most Recent Entries

• Rays-Red Sox, Round II: Can Rays afford a beanball war?
• Robinson product Gibson advances to NCAA track finals
• Panini previews Gold Standard autographs
• UD unveils Military Machines inserts for 2012 Goodwin Champions set
• Rays @ BoSox: Guyer out for the season, Jennings close to returning and lineups
• USF softball: It’s game day
• Weekly Tampa Bay fishing report
• Rays at BoSox: Rivalry renewed
• Karen Cooley returns as Zephyrhills girls swimming coach
• USF beats Pitt, stays alive
• The Nerds head north
• Jeffrey Shank out as Gulf boys basketball coach
• Berkeley Prep captures Academic Team Champion Award - again
• This week’s signings and offers
• Berkeley Prep wins FHSAA Academic Award standings

More

• Bucs Report -Tribune staff
• Rays Report - Roger Mooney
• Bolts Report - Erik Erlendsson
• Bulls Report
• Prep Report - Hillsborough
• Prep Report - Pasco
• Prep Report - Region
• Prep Report - Recruiting Updates
• Prep Report - Football
• Go Fishing: On The Waterfront
• The Sports Bookie - Bob D'Angelo
• Gators Report - Tribune staff
• Youth Sports Report
• NFL Draft Report
• Go Ask: Frank's Tacklebox
• Bucified Bert Blog
• BUK Power - Bucs Fan Blog
• Pigskin Preacher - NFL Fan Blog
• Breakfast Bonus - Tom McEwen
• Highlands Sports

Monthly Archives

• May 2012
• April 2012
• March 2012
• February 2012
• January 2012
• December 2011

Shields in race for second in AL Cy Young

Posted Nov 15, 2011 by Roger Mooney

Updated Nov 15, 2011 at 10:05 AM

ROGER MOONEY

Justin Verlander of the Tigers will be named the AL Cy Young Award winner this afternoon when the results of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America’s vote is revealed at 2 p.m.

The big question is who will finish second?

The candidates are James Shields of the Rays, Jared Weaver of the Angels and CC Sabathia of the Yankees.

Verlander, who won the triple crown of pitching by leading the league in wins (24), ERA (2.40) and strikeouts (250) will likely be the first unanimous choice since Johan Santana in 2006. He should be the first Tiger to earn all the first place votes since Hal Newhouser in 1945.

Shields, who led the majors with 11 complete games and was tied for the AL lead with four shutouts, has a good chance of finishing as the runner-up.

Voters might have gone with Weaver, who was 18-8 despite the second-lowest run support in the AL, or Santana, who won 19 games for the AL East winners.

For Shields, being mentioned as a Cy Young candidate adds to his bounce back season that saw him go 16-12 with a 2.82 ERA in 2011 after going 13-15 with a 5.18 ERA in 2010.

That 2.36 drop off in ERA was the third-largest in the major leagues since 1969.

Those 11 complete games were the most in the big leagues since Randy Johnson had 12 in 1999.