Parnell was in his third season; he had five outstanding
years for the Red Sox, before injuries ended his career. This was
his best season; he led the AL in wins, innings, and complete games,
and was second in ERA. Parnell is a tough pitcher to figure out;
he walked more batters than he struck out, yet batters still found him
tough to hit. He may also have been lucky, giving up only 8 home
runs in 295 innings; he gave up twice as many per year the rest of
his career.
Virgil Trucks and Bob Lemon had similar seasons. Both were
very tough to hit, had similar ERA's and won-loss records, and
similar strikeout/walk ratios. Trucks' numbers were a little better;
in fact, in some ways I like Trucks' numbers more than I do
Parnell's. But Parnell has the wins, and a better ERA, so he
deserves the award.
Ellis Kinder was one of the early relief aces in baseball
history. He began his career as a starter, though, and this
year had his best season. His won-loss record was great, and he led
the league in shutouts. Kinder's ERA wasn't impressive, but also wasn't bad for
someone pitching in Fenway Park. Next year, Kinder pitched well
again, but the Red Sox decided they needed a good reliever; Kinder
was was moved to the bullpen, where he was outstanding for several
years.
