Not trying to start an argument, since you're not advocating this viewpoint as your own, but
"My point was "better pitcher" and "most valuable" mean different things. It isn't apples to apples because the criteria is different. You rate Welch better one way and Stewart the other."
You say the criteria is different, but I disagree in this case (Welch/Stewart). Why? They were both SP for the A's, and pitching was their only contribution to the team. Any single voter who voted Welch ahead of Stewart for CYA, but Stewart ahead of Welch for mvp, is an idiot. Again, they performed the same role for the same team. If one was the better pitcher he was also, by definition, more valuable. Conversely, the only way one was more valuable to the team was by being a better pitcher, since that is the only thing either of them did for the A's. That's why I find this case baffling (teammates, same position).
While I hate the practice, I'm well aware that some voters think inferior players (that year) are 'more valuable' to their team's success than a superior player (that year) was to his team's success. I'm also aware that some voters may vote that an inferior player was 'more valuable' to the team than a teammate who had a better year but played a different position. In that sense, the "criteria is different" (particularly re mvp voting). However, none of that applies here; the only way a voter could even use one of those arguments in this case means he said something like, "Welch was the better pitcher, but Stewart was more valuable because he was the ace."
If any single voter actually did that, they should have their voting privileges revoked, imo.
Of course, that's all based on on-field performance. Maybe there was a 'leadership' quality that got Stewart some votes. I dunno, but I just remember him as a quiet guy, not any kind of clubhouse leader. There may have also been a sort of 'carryover' vote for Stewart's position as ace as TJ suggested (due to his performance in the past), but I think that's also nonsense.
What I hope the most is that no single voter switched their order of Welch/Stewart in the two votes, although it seems likely that some voters did.