If baseball ever decides to single out the least valuable pitcher in a given season, the resulting award should be named for Milt Gaston.
I explained my reasoning a couple of years ago. The best pitcher in each league, of course, receives a trophy that carries the name of Cy Young, who notched the most wins in big-league history.
Gaston, on the other hand, posted the worst record for any pitcher with at least 250 decisions, going 97-164 (.372) between 1924 and 1934. That seems to make him the perfect counterpoint to Young.
This year’s candidates for informal Milt Gaston Awards are determined by base value (BV), a comparison of the number of bases that a pitcher has surrendered (through hits, walks, hit batters, stolen bases, and sacrifices) and the number that the average big-league pitcher would have yielded in the same circumstances. (Click here to learn more about the formula.) All stats are as of the morning of July 1, the acknowledged midpoint of the big-league season.
The worst BV in the American League — and indeed, in the majors — belongs to Ken Waldichuk of the Oakland Athletics. He gave up 206 bases in 66.1 innings, dwarfing the major-league norm of 140 bases for the same span. That translates to a base value of plus-66. (Don’t forget that a negative BV is ideal for a pitcher. A positive number is unwanted.)
Waldichuk’s value is 12 points worse than the BV of plus-54 for the AL’s runner-up, two-time Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber of the Boston Red Sox. Third place is held by Alek Manoah of the Toronto Blue Jays at plus-52.
The National League’s race for Milt Gaston recognition is much closer, with Austin Gomber of the Colorado Rockies and Chad Kuhl of the Washington Nationals tied at plus-49. Noah Syndergaard of the Los Angeles Dodgers is a step off the pace at plus-48.
Scroll down to see the 10 worst base values for pitchers in each league (as of midyear), followed by a team-by-team breakdown of the highest (and therefore least desirable) BVs.
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American League bottom 10
1. Ken Waldichuk, Athletics, BV 66
2. Corey Kluber, Red Sox, BV 54
3. Alek Manoah, Blue Jays, BV 52
4. Kyle Muller, Athletics, BV 50
5. Lance Lynn, White Sox, BV 38
5. Grayson Rodriguez, Orioles, BV 38
5. Jose Suarez, Angels, BV 38
5. Joey Wentz, Tigers, BV 38
9. Luis Medina, Athletics, BV 35
10. Rafael Montero, Astros, BV 34
National League bottom 10
1. Austin Gomber, Rockies, BV 49
1. Chad Kuhl, Nationals, BV 49
3. Noah Syndergaard, Dodgers, BV 48
4. Dinelson Lamet, Rockies, BV 44
4. Adam Wainwright, Cardinals, BV 44
6. Jose Urena, Rockies, BV 42
6. Luke Weaver, Reds, BV 42
8. Brandon Pfaadt, Diamondbacks, BV 37
9. Peter Lambert, Rockies, BV 36
9. Nick Lodolo, Reds, BV 36
American League team tailenders
Angels — Jose Suarez, BV 38
Astros — Rafael Montero, BV 34
Athletics — Ken Waldichuk, BV 66
Blue Jays — Alek Manoah, BV 52
Guardians — Zach Plesac, BV 19
Mariners — Chris Flexen, BV 29
Orioles — Grayson Rodriguez, BV 38
Rangers — Jonathan Hernandez, BV 14
Rays — Luke Raley, BV 14
Red Sox — Corey Kluber, BV 54
Royals — Brady Singer, BV 30
Tigers — Joey Wentz, BV 38
Twins — Louie Varland, BV 21
White Sox — Lance Lynn, BV 38
Yankees — Luis Severino, BV 17
National League team tailenders
Braves — Dylan Dodd, BV 29
Brewers — Eric Lauer, BV 29
Cardinals — Adam Wainwright, BV 44
Cubs — Jameson Taillon, BV 33
Diamondbacks — Brandon Pfaadt, BV 37
Dodgers — Noah Syndergaard, BV 48
Giants — Jakob Junis, BV 22
Marlins — Devin Smeltzer, BV 19
Mets — Carlos Carrasco, BV 30
Nationals — Chad Kuhl, BV 49
Padres — Reiss Knehr, BV 16
Phillies — Connor Brogdon, BV 15
Pirates — Chase De Jong, BV 28
Reds — Luke Weaver, BV 42
Rockies — Austin Gomber, BV 49