Walker Buehler proposes a new award for rookie pitchers
Oct 2, 2019; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodger pitcher Walker Buehler during a press conference before a team workout at Dodgers Stadium. Buehler is the National League Divisional game 1 starter against the Washington Nationals. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler thinks there needs to be another end-of-season award in Major League Baseball, this one specifically for rookie pitchers.
Buehler proposed a “rookie Cy Young” award in an appearance on the “Just Baseball Show,” and proposed naming the award after Dodgers icon Fernando Valenzuela.
“I personally think there should be a rookie Cy Young as well. That’s just me,” Buehler said. “Not to be like, ‘Oh, I should get all this stuff,’ but I was third in the Rookie of the Year (voting) to Ronald Acuna and Juan Soto. Pretty generational, but also, neither of them pitch, right? So who am I competing against?
“These guys that come up, and (Spencer) Strider and (Eury) Perez this year, they should be rewarded in some way. Luckily, in the new CBA, there’s kind of a WAR-based pool, but also, give that guy a plaque. He was the best starting pitcher rookie in the game. … Let’s have a Fernando Valenzuela award. Best rookie pitcher ever.”
The NFL gives away Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year awards, so there is some precedent for what Buehler is proposing. Of course, how meaningful it would be to the ultimate recipient is anyone’s guess, and some would argue that MLB already has enough awards.
As for Buehler, he is still recovering from Tommy John surgery that he underwent in August 2022. He hopes to return this season and appears to be progressing toward that goal.
