Every Cardinals' Cy Young Award winner in franchise history

The Cy Young Award was created in 1956 when Don Newcombe of the Brooklyn Dodgers won the inaugural trophy. It was created to recognize the best pitcher in MLB, as pitchers didn't receive enough consideration in MVP voting. The award itself is named after Cy Young, who pitched for five teams across a 22-season span. He's the all-time leader in wins, losses, starts, complete games, innings pitched, hits allowed, earned runs allowed, and batters faced. Regarded as one of the best ever, Young likely would have captured several of these awards had they been around.

In theory, it's best compared to MLB's Hank Aaron Award, which is given to the best offensive player. This award debuted in 1999 and is a tribute to one of baseball's greatest sluggers. However, the Cy Young Award still functions as a separate MVP race for pitchers, though occasionally a pitcher is dominant enough to capture both the Cy Young Award and the MVP. Two examples include Justin Verlander in 2011 and Clayton Kershaw in 2014. Lastly, it must be noted that although relievers are eligible for Cy Young Award consideration, it hasn't happened since 2003, when Eric Gagne of the Dodgers captured the award. In the past, however, relievers often stood a decent chance, and dominant closers like Dennis Eckersley and Bruce Sutter captured the award.

Perhaps surprisingly, the Cardinals have only captured a total of three Cy Young Awards. While we will discuss each of these individual seasons, we'll also take some time to discuss those who put up incredible seasons, but ultimately fell short of the award. Without any further ado, let's get into the list.

Here are the Cardinals' Cy Young Award winners

Bob Gibson

Bob Gibson, often referred to as "Gibby" is the greatest Cardinal pitcher of all time. He's best known for his legendary 1968 season, but that was just a highlight in an incredible 17-season career, all of which was spent in St. Louis. Career accolades include nine all-star selections, two World Series titles, two World Series MVPs, an ERA title, an MVP, and two Cy Young Awards. Gibson, who took tremendous pride in his defense, also racked up nine gold gloves during his career. He was voted into the Hall of Fame in 1981, his first year on the ballot.

As previously mentioned, The Hall of Famer captured two Cy Young Awards, though he probably deserved at least one more. During his incredible run in 1968, Gibson pitched to a microscopic 1.12 ERA across 304.2 innings. of his 34 starts, he went the distance in 28 of them, 13 of which were shutouts. According to ERA+, an advanced metric that adjusts for park environments, Gibson was 158% better than the average pitcher. His 268 strikeouts also led the league. Simply put, this is arguably the greatest season by any pitcher, ever. Gibson brought home both the MVP award and the Cy Young Award that season.

He won his second Cy Young Award in 1970 when he led the National League in wins. It was the fifth time in the last six seasons that Gibson had eclipsed 20 wins, a remarkable feat. Cy Young voting worked differently during Gibson's career, and not as many pitchers received votes in a given year. If they had, Gibson would likely have finished in the top five in several other seasons, including in 1969 when he had a legitimate case to win the award. Gibson did record a lower ERA (2.18) than that year's winner, Tom Seaver. Regardless, his career was full of incredible moments and accomplishments.

Chris Carpenter

After Gibson won his second Cy Young Award in 1970, no Cardinal would win the award for the next 34 seasons. There were some close calls, which will be discussed later. However, nobody could snap the drought, which lasted into the new millennium. Enter Chris Carpenter.

Carpenter, 22 at the time, debuted in Toronto in 1997 and the results were uninspiring. Six years later, he was still an unremarkable pitcher, although he now lacked the leeway often extended to young players. Over his six seasons in Toronto, he made 135 starts, posting a 4.83 ERA. He lost 50 games and won just 49. The Blue Jays released him following the 2002 season. Just two months later, he was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals for $300,000.

Carpenter made his Cardinals debut 18 months later and broke out in 2004. He looked like a completely different pitcher. Carpenter showed vastly improved control and his strikeout rate increased significantly. By 2005, he was one of the National League's premier pitchers. He pitched excellently that season and was the ace of a 100-win Cardinals team. Carpenter, not previously known as a workhorse, led baseball with seven complete games that year en route to the Cy Young Award. Moving forward, Carpenter was a dominant pitcher. He was a Cy Young finalist again in both 2006 and 2010 when he absolutely should have won the award.

Perhaps the best moment of Carpenter's career came in 2011 when he guided the Cardinals to their 11th World Series title. Carpenter carried the team at times and turned in multiple iconic performances, including his NLDS Game 5 complete-game shutout in Philadelphia. By the time of his retirement after the 2012 season, Carpenter had won a Cy Young Award, two World Series titles, an ERA title, and had been selected to three All-Star Games. His dramatic transformation between 2002 and 2004 resurrected a dying career. Carpenter is a member of the Cardinals Hall of Fame and will always be remembered for his heroics during the postseason runs of the early 2000s.

Pre-1956 (1940-1956)

Mort Cooper won an MVP for his incredible 1942 season. Cooper was utterly dominant, posting an ERA of 1.78 and leading the league in wins with 22. He'd have likely won the award that season and would have stood a decent chance at winning it again the following year, considering the fact that no pitcher placed above him in MVP voting that season. Unfortunately for Mort, two Cardinals placed ahead of him, with Stan Musial winning the award and his younger brother Walker Cooper finishing as the runner-up. Mort may have also won the award in 1944, another season in which a Cardinal won the MVP, though this time it was Marty Marion. Mort finished among the lead leaders in just about every statistic.

If Cooper didn't win the Cy Young Award in 1943, it would likely have been because his teammate, Max Lanier won. Lanier was completely underappreciated during his time, and his 1943 season deserved and still deserves far more recognition. Lanier threw over 200 innings and recorded a 1.90 ERA. Though he was, by many measures, one of the NL's best pitchers, he received zero MVP votes.

The Cardinals may have won two more Cy Young Awards in the 1940s, courtesy of Howie Pollet and Harry Brecheen. Pollet was easily the NL's best pitcher in 1946 and placed fourth in MVP voting that season. No pitcher received more votes than he did. Pollet enjoyed a productive 14-year career, spending nine seasons with the Cardinals. He again received MVP support in 1949, though the competition was stiffer. Pollet recorded a lower ERA than any other pitcher who received MVP votes, including Warren Spahn and Don Newcombe. However, it would be difficult to project a win for Pollet that season.

Brecheen was the NL's best pitcher in 1948, though he finished behind Boston's Johnny Sain in MVP voting. Brecheen's lower ERA more than made up for the slight discrepancy in win totals. Had Brecheen earned just four more wins, he would have won the triple crown. It should also be mentioned that Sain received 42 starts, nine more than Brecheen was afforded. Brecheen still managed to record more strikeouts than Sain. Brecheen may have also won the award in 1945, though he was not the league's best pitcher. That honor goes to Red Barrett. However, a mid-season trade may have hurt Barrett's candidacy, as voters are often hesitant to give awards to players that switch teams mid-season. Which team was Barrett traded to, you ask? He was acquired early in the season by the St. Louis Cardinals, rendering this discussion moot, as the team was likely to win the Cy Young Award regardless.

A few others put together convincing cases, such as Flint Rhem in 1926 and Bill Hallahan in 1931, though they would have had weaker cases than those discussed above.

Those who came close, but fell short (1956-1989)

Since 1956, a number of Cardinals pitchers have produced great seasons but have ultimately fallen short of the Cy Young Award. The first Cardinal to make a serious run at the award was Ernie Broglio in 1960. Broglio led the league in wins and was the most valuable pitcher in the National League according to WAR, an advanced metric that attempts to calculate how many wins a player was worth in a given season. Ultimately, Broglio placed third, though he had a lower ERA than either of the two pitchers who finished ahead of him.

After Gibson won the award in 1970, the next Cardinal to finish in Cy Young Voting was reliever Al Hrabosky, who finished fifth in 1974. His teammate, starter Lynn McGlothen also placed, finishing ninth. Hrabosky would finish third the following year, behind Tom Seaver of the Mets and Randy Jones of the Padres. Though, in a strange turn of events, he finished ahead of both of them in MVP voting.

In 1977, former Cardinal, Steve Carlton, won his second Cy Young Award with Philadelphia. In a move the Cardinals came to regret almost immediately, they had severed ties with the promising young pitcher. He would win two more Cy Young Awards with the Phillies en route to induction into the Hall of Fame.

Legendary closer Bruce Sutter finished fifth in Cy Young voting in 1981. He'd won the award two years earlier as a member of the Chicago Cubs. In 1983 and 1985, Sutter again made runs at the Cy Young Award, though he finished third both times. Oddly enough, he finished second or better among pitchers in MVP voting in each of those three seasons. Sutter would spend four incredible seasons in St. Louis before moving on to Atlanta where he finished his career. He finished his career with exactly 300 saves and was inducted into the Hall of Fame. The Cardinals also retired his number.

During his five seasons in St. Louis, Joaquin Andujar produced a trio of top 10 finishes, including two top 5 finishes in 1984 and 1985. Andujar was known as a workhorse, and led the league in both innings pitched and batters faced in 1984, his best season in the majors. However, even at the zenith of Andujar's career, he wasn't even the ace on his own team. John Tudor was the best Cardinal pitcher in the mid-1980s. Tudor put together an excellent run with the Cardinals, and it all culminated in 1985. Tudor finished second in Cy Young Voting to Dwight Gooden. Tudor threw 275 innings and recorded an ERA of 1.93! Unfortunately, Gooden was sensational as well, and his 1.53 ERA season remains one of the greatest individual seasons of all time. In almost any other season, Tudor would certainly have captured the Cy Young Award.

Near the end of the 1980s, another young Cardinals starter enjoyed a productive stretch and placed in the top five of Cy Young voting. A 24-year-old Joe Magrane was one of baseball's best pitchers in 1988 and led the league in ERA. Unfortunately, he was unable to stay on the field and made just 24 starts, likely costing him significant recognition. He was sensational again in 1989, and this time finished fourth in Cy Young voting. Unfortunately, this was the best stretch of his career, and just several years later, at age 31, Magrane was out of baseball due to injuries and ineffectiveness.

Those who came close, but fell short (1990-2023)

While many remember Sutter as the most dominant reliever in Cardinal history, it was actually Lee Smith who came closest to winning a Cy Young Award. He finished just behind Tom Glavine in 1991. His 47 saves led the league, though they weren't quite enough to put him over the top. Smith did finish ahead of Glavine in MVP voting, placing eighth. He followed up his dominant 1991 season with a fantastic 1992, finishing fourth this time around. One spot ahead of Smith was his teammate, Bill Tewksbury, who deserved much more consideration than he received. His excellent season was not enough to stop Greg Maddux from winning the first of his four consecutive Cy Young Awards.

In 1996, Maddux was supplanted by teammate John Smoltz, who was challenged by Andy Benes. Benes, pitching in just his first season as a Cardinal, finished third in Cy Young voting in 1996, nearly bringing it home. Coming off of a disastrous stint in Seattle, Benes rediscovered his form and pitched well in St. Louis, becoming a fan favorite. A pair of Cardinals, Daryl Kyle and Matt Morris finished in the top five several years later, in 2000 and 2001, respectively. It was during this time that Randy Johnson embarked on his dominant four-year stretch in Arizona.

Over the past 15 years, just a few Cardinals have garnered legitimate Cy Young support. One was Adam Wainwright who nearly won the award in 2009. Wainwright led the NL in wins and innings pitched, though he ultimately finished third in Cy Young voting, behind Tim Lincecum and Chris Carpenter. Surprisingly, it was Wainwright who received the most first-place votes. He and Carpenter both finished several spots ahead of Lincecum in MVP voting. Many believe that the teammates split the vote, allowing Lincecum to snag the award.

The beloved "Waino" came close again the following season, this time finishing second behind Roy Halladay. Wainwright's slightly lower ERA was not enough to convince voters to overlook Halladay's impressive resume. Wainwright made yet another bid for the award in 2013, this time finishing second to a young Clayton Kershaw. Wainwright's final serious run for the Cy Young Award came in 2014, when he finished third, this time behind Johnny Cueto and the ever-dominant Clayton Kershaw. Kershaw captured the MVP that season, underscoring just how dominant he was. Wainwright's season was excellent in its own right, but Kershaw was clearly the superior pitcher. Wainwright started 2015 with an incredible stretch, pitching to a 1.61 ERA in four brilliant starts, but was lost for the vast majority of the season after tearing his Achilles tendon. This devastating turn of events ended his run of dominance and may have cost him his final chance at a Cy Young Award.

After Wainwright, both Jack Flaherty and Miles Mikolas enjoyed productive seasons. Spurred on by an incredible second half in 2019, Flaherty nearly became the third Cardinal to win a Cy Young Award but was foiled by Jacob deGrom. Just last season, Sandy Alcantara won the first Cy Young Award of his young career, and in 2023, Zac Gallen will certainly have a chance to do so in Arizona. Both were developed at least in part by the Cardinals system, though they were shipped out in the Marcell Ozuna trade. At the moment, the Cardinals lack a truly dominant pitcher capable of going out and winning a Cy Young, though that could change, considering the vast stable of intriguing arms they possess in the lower levels of the minors.

And there you have it. A long-winded history of excellence, satisfaction, and futility. The Cardinals are one of baseball's premier franchises. They've got 11 titles and tons of MVP winners. Unfortunately, they've struggled to develop legitimate Cy Young caliber talent, and those that have reached their ceilings have been foiled by injuries, circumstances, or other players. Hopefully, this futility will change in the future, but it seems that the Cardinals will struggle to add to their Cy Young Award total in the near future.