Mike Flanagan and the 15 Best Unknown Cy Young Award Winners in MLB History

Tragedy struck the baseball world as former Baltimore Orioles pitcher Mike Flanagan was found dead at his home in Maryland last week.  He was 59 years old.

In an 18-year career that included two separate stints in Baltimore and one with the Toronto Blue Jays, Flanagan posted a career record of 167-143 with a 3.90 ERA.  He helped take the Orioles to the World Series twice, winning that elusive ring in 1983.  In 1979, he won the AL Cy Young Award with a 23-9 record, 3.08 ERA and five shutouts.

While Flanagan was a fine pitcher in his time and has a Cy Young Award under his belt, not many people besides Orioles fans know who he is.  Looking through the Cy Young Award winners, there are actually many guys who fly under the radar.

Here are the top 15 unknown Cy Young Award winners, including Flanagan.

No. 15: Pat Hentgen

Pat Hentgen was a fastball pitcher who spent 14 years in the majors with three teams: the Toronto Blue Jays, St. Louis Cardinals, and Baltimore Orioles.  It was with Toronto that he developed a reputation as an innings-eater by throwing a combined 529.2 innings over the course of the 1996 and 1997 seasons.

His best year came in 1996, when he went 20-10 with a 3.22 ERA.  Those numbers appear slightly above average, but Hentgen's 10 complete games that season are what gave him a slight edge over New York Yankee southpaw Andy Pettitte in the AL Cy Young Race. 

Hentgen threw nine complete games in 1997, but the heavy workload had taken its toll on his arm.  He never threw 200 innings again and only pitched four complete games until his retirement in 2004.

Still, with so many coaches and organizations married to the idea of counting everyone's pitches, it's rare that anyone throws complete games anymore.  Thus, Hentgen kicks off this list.

No. 14: Randy Jones

Unless you're a hardcore San Diego Padres fan, you've probably never heard of Randy Jones.  He pitched for 10 seasons from 1973-1982 and is one of a few pitchers to lose 20 games in a season, and then win 20.  In 1974, he went 8-22 with a 4.45 ERA, and then the turnaround began.

Jones rebounded in 1975 by going 20-12 with a league-leading 2.24 ERA.  The following season, he won the NL Cy Young with a 22-14 record, 2.74 ERA and an astounding 25 complete games with 315.1 innings pitched.

Nerve problems in his pitching arm robbed Jones of that form, but he was still able to be an average contributor down the stretch before retiring with the New York Mets at age 32.  He may not be a household name, but his Cy Young season was surely one to remember.

No. 13: Jack McDowell

In 1992, Jack McDowell had a stellar season for the Chicago White Sox.  He went 20-10 with a 3.18 ERA and led the majors with 13 complete games, but lost the Cy Young Award to Oakland Athletics closer Dennis Eckersley.  Next season, the man known as "Black Jack" saw his fortunes change.

McDowell's 1993 was near identical, as he went 22-10 with 10 complete games, including four shutouts.  However, the party was short-lived as the tall and lanky right-hander was traded to the New York Yankees two years later.  He struggled in one season there, which included a strained relationship with the fans after he flipped off a booing crowd following one bad start.

He was never the same after that season, playing two seasons apiece with the Anaheim Angels and Cleveland Indians before retiring following the 1999 campaign.  Still, before his downfall, McDowell was one of the game's most dominant pitchers and deserves his due recognition.

No. 12: Mike Flanagan

Although he was just an average pitcher by today's standards, Mike Flanagan was easily one of the most beloved pitchers in Baltimore Orioles history.  He only further won the fans over with his Cy Young season in 1979, when he went 23-9 with a 3.08 ERA and 16 complete games, which included five shutouts.  It was Flanagan's only 20-win season.

He may not have been a perennial All-Star nor was he a dominant pitcher, but Flanagan was the type of player coaches dream about.  He showed up to work each day and did what he was told without questioning orders.  Even better, he overcame two major injuries, a knee injury and torn Achilles tendon, to return to a rotation that needed him.

Flanagan spent 14-and-a-half seasons in an Orioles uniform, and both the team and the fans will miss him terribly.

No. 11: John Denny

Before the 1983 season, John Denny had posted a career record of 75-71 in nine seasons spent with the St. Louis Cardinals, Cleveland Indians and Philadelphia Phillies.  Then, in 1983, Denny looked like a different pitcher.

As he helped lead the Phillies to the National League pennant, Denny went 19-6 with a 2.37 ERA and seven complete games.  His team got manhandled in the World Series by Mike Flanagan's Baltimore Orioles, but his regular season was enough to garner him that year's NL Cy Young Award.

Following his successful 1983, Denny came back down to Earth.  He pitched three more seasons with the Phillies and Cincinnati Reds, going 29-31 down the stretch before retiring after the 1986 season.  He may have had just one good year, but it was one to remember.

No. 10: Doug Drabek

For 13 seasons, Doug Drabek was an average middle-to-front end of the rotation starter.  Upon his retirement after the 1998 season, he had a career record of 155-134 with a 3.78 ERA.

Yet, in 1990, while a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Drabek was the best pitcher in the National League.  He went 22-6 that season with a 2.73 ERA and three shutouts as he led the Pirates to a first place finish in the NL East.  The team was eliminated in the playoffs by the eventual World Series champion Cincinnati Reds, but Drabek went 1-1 with a 1.65 ERA in the series.

Drabek never won more than 15 games in a season for the remainder of his career, but remained a reliable arm in stops with the Houston Astros, Chicago White Sox and Baltimore Orioles.  He may not be a Hall-of-Famer, but was a valuable piece throughout his career.

No. 9: Bret Saberhagen

Many would say that Bret Saberhagen should not be on this list, as he won the AL Cy Young Award twice with the Kansas City Royals.  Yet, the lanky right-hander managed to fly under the radar, for much of the second half of his career was marred by injuries and struggles.

His first Cy Young came in 1985, his second full season.  That year, he posted a 20-6 record with a 2.87 ERA and remarkable 1.05 WHIP.  In 235.1 innings, he walked just 38 batters.  His dominance led the Royals to the World Series, where he threw a five-hit shutout in Game 7 as the team defeated the heavily-favored St. Louis Cardinals.

Saberhagen took home the award again in 1989, when he went 23-6 with a league-leading 2.16 ERA and 12 complete games, not to mention a WHIP of 0.96.  Yet, Saberhagen was never the same after that season as he never won more than 15 games for the rest of his career.

Shoulder problems plagued Saberhagen for the remainder of his baseball days, which included stints with the New York Mets, Colorado Rockies and Boston Red Sox.  His control was there, but the electrifying stuff that made him a dominant pitcher in Kansas City was gone.

No. 8: Frank Viola

For a good portion of the 1980s, Frank Viola was considered one of the better pitchers in the American League.  A tall, lanky left-hander, Viola was instrumental in leading the Minnesota Twins to the 1987 World Series, where they defeated the St. Louis Cardinals.  However, most people forget that over the course of his 16-year career, Viola won the AL Cy Young Award in 1988.

He was a seemingly unstoppable force that season, going 24-7 with a 2.64 ERA and seven complete games.  Despite his success, the Twins traded him to the New York Mets the following season after he struggled in the first half.  This proved to be a head-scratcher as Viola went on to win 20 games again in 1990 and was effective for the Mets, Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds and Toronto Blue Jays before elbow problems forced him to retire in 1996.

Viola was not by any means a bad pitcher, but the fact that people seem to forget him so easily is shocking.

No. 7: Steve Stone

Prior to the 1980 season, Steve Stone was an average pitcher who could both start and come out of the bullpen.  From 1971-1979, he went 78-79 with a 4.06 ERA.  Over that stretch, he pitched for the San Francisco Giants, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs and Baltimore Orioles.

In 1980, his second season with Baltimore, it appeared that the 32-year-old Stone had finally broken out.  He went 25-7 with a 3.23 ERA and nine complete games to win that year's AL Cy Young ward.

Sadly, the success was short-lived as Stone went just 4-7 in 1981 and was forced to retire due to tendinitis.  His career was not glamorous by any means, but that season was still pretty amazing.

As one of Mike Flanagan's former teammates, there is no doubt that Stone will be one of the people who misses him the most.

No. 6: Mike Marshall

In 14 seasons, relief pitcher Mike Marshall posted a career record of 97-112 with a 3.14 ERA.  Not exactly glamorous, but it's safe to say that Marshall was one of the best relief pitchers of his time, if not the best.

Despite his bad record, Marshall recorded 188 career saves and was a Cy Young finalist five times.  In 1974, he finally took the award home.  He appeared in a league leading 106 games that year (no starts) and threw an astonishing 208.1 innings while going 15-12 and also leading the majors with 21 saves.

He never won a World Series and was not a great pitcher by any means, but the fact that Marshall was able to go out there day after day and throw multiple innings without any worry of his arm strength is astounding.  If there were a Cy Young Award for toughness, Marshall would have won every year.  There aren't pitchers like that today and to be honest, it's sad.

For his blue-collar attitude on the mound as well as his approach to the game, Marshall makes this list.

No. 5: Mark Davis

Mark Davis is the Cy Young Award winner everyone forgets because save for his award-winning season, his career wasn't much to write home about.  As the closer for the San Diego Padres, the 28-year-old Davis won the 1989 NL Cy Young with a 1.85 ERA and 44 saves.  Save for the previous season, which he also served as the Padres closer, Davis was primarily a lefty out of the bullpen.

After his career season, Davis became a free agent and signed a four-year, $13 million deal with the Kansas City Royals.  This proved to be a bad investment as Davis was largely ineffective in Kansas City, ultimately losing the closer spot to Jeff Montgomery.  Two years into the deal, he was traded to the Atlanta Braves and then spent time with the Phillies, Padres and Brewers.

Overall, Davis's career was unimpressive.  Yet, it cannot be denied that the year he had in 1989 was unbelievable, especially for a closer in that era.

No. 4: Willie Hernandez

Before joining the Detroit Tigers in 1984, Guillermo "Willie" Hernandez had developed a reputation as an effective left-handed reliever for the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies.  He was traded to the Tigers in 1984 and became the team's closer.  Simply put, his year was amazing.

Hernandez appeared in 80 games that year, finishing 68 of them.  He went 9-3 with an astounding 1.92 ERA and 32 saves in 33 opportunities.  The only blown save came in late September, after the Tigers had already clinched the division.  Sure enough, Hernandez was instrumental in helping the team take home the World Series trophy that year.

Not only did the big lefty win that year's AL Cy Young Award, but he was also named AL MVP.  Not many pitchers have taken home both awards.  He spent five more years with the Tigers and was effective, but fans will always remember him for that unbelievable 1984 season.

No. 3: Bob Welch

Prior to joining the Oakland Athletics in 1988, Bob Welch had spent 10 years with the Los Angeles Dodgers.  There, he had established himself as a reliable pitcher capable of winning games and eating innings, not to mention shutting down hitters.  In his time as a Dodger, Welch posted a career ERA of 3.14.

He immediately impressed in Oakland, winning 17 games his first two seasons as the A's made the World Series both years, winning once.  In 1990, he blew everyone away by going an astounding 27-6 with a 2.95 ERA.  The Athletics made it to the World Series for the third straight year and lost to the Cincinnati Reds, but Welch's running away with the Cy Young Award voting was a sweet consolation prize.  To date, no pitcher has ever won more than 25 games in a season since Welch.

At that point, age seemed to catch the 34-year-old Welch early as he only won 35 games over the next four seasons before retiring.  He may not have been one of the all-time greats, but his single season performance in 1990 was unbelievable, to say the least.

No. 2: Dean Chance

Dean Chance was part of the first Los Angeles Angels roster in 1961, and he appeared in just five games that season.  He became a regular staple of the rotation in 1962 and proved to be reliable.  Yet, in 1964, the 23-year-old from West Salem, Ohio broke out with a season that turned lots of heads.

His record was a respectable 20-9, but Chance's ERA was an off-the-charts 1.65.  Even more impressive, he through 15 complete games, 11 of which were shutouts.  His WHIP was a remarkable 1.00 and even though his team finished in fifth place, Chance took home the Cy Young Award that year.

He spent two more seasons with the Angels before being traded to the Minnesota Twins and was effective with them, winning 20 games in 1967.  Yet, while his ERA was always good, Chance had the misfortune of being a great pitcher on some teams that were either bad or just missed the playoffs.  The Twins finished first in 1969, but Chance missed much of that season with a back injury and wasn't really a factor.

Injuries forced him to retire after the 1970 season at age 30.  His final stat line read as follows: 128-115, 2.92 ERA, 1,534 strikeouts.  Had he been on some better teams, perhaps he would have his own plaque in the Hall of Fame.

No. 1: Denny McLain

Though he may be better known for his long list of legal issues rather than the couple of bright spots he had in his baseball career, Denny McLain is a Cy Young Award winner that everyone seems to forget.  He won it by himself in 1968 and shared it with Baltimore's Mike Cuellar the following year, but he is most remembered for the first one.

You see, Denny McLain is the last pitcher to ever win 30 or more games in a single season.  In 1968, while pitching for the Detroit Tigers, he went 31-6 with an amazing 1.96 ERA.  He also threw 28 complete games and was the ace of the Tigers staff that won the World Series that year.

Sadly, arm problems (661 innings pitched from 1968-1969) and off-field issues drove McLain from the game just a few years later in 1972.  He was just 28 years old.  It was truly a sad ending for a pitcher who achieved what many, at that point, considered to be an impossible feat.

Given baseball the way it is today, I can safely say that no pitcher will ever win 30 or more games in a season ever again.