Mike Hampton of the Astros had a monster year, and has a good argument
for deserving the award. His won-loss record was outstanding, and his ERA wasn't
too much higher than Johnson's (though Hampton was helped by the Astrodome,
a pitcher's park). But Johnson got a lot of attention for his losses; one
of them was a 1-0 loss to a no-hitter by Jose Jimenez. Despite having a potent
offense, the Diamondbacks couldn't muster a lot of support for their big man.
But he won the award anyway, and deserved it.
Next I'll take Hampton, who also led the
Astros to a division title. He is followed by Kevin
Millwood of the Braves. At this writing, most of these pitchers are still
early in their careers. This was Millwood's second full season, and it
was outstanding in every respect; he was even tougher to hit than Johnson!
Millwood was the best pitcher on an Atlanta staff that included several great
veterans, and threw a one-hitter in the playoffs, helping the Braves win
the pennant.
Aside from Johnson, veterans who had impressive
seasons included Greg Maddux and Kevin Brown. Maddux had an off-year by
his own standards, but was still very good. Brown signed a huge contract
with the Dodgers before the season, and took some criticism when the
team had a terrible year. But make no mistake, Brown had a great year.
In the fourth spot, however, I will take a
reliever, Billy Wagner of the Astros. Wagner was the best closer in the
NL this season; his strikeout rate was phenomenal, he was almost impossible
to hit, and he had very good control, in what was a completely dominant
season.
