He had a 0.70 career ERA in the playoffs. Q1 Rank the following pitchers, ranging from 1 for most-deserving of Hall of Fame induction to 10 for least-deserving, [From a survey of 425 respondents, fielded via Qualtrics]. 6 Roy Oswalt 4.5 Rivera's legacy is as the greatest relief pitcher ever, and now that Chapman is a Yankee for the foreseeable future, that's . He was the first player to wear glasses while he played. The Go-Go White Sox of the period scored few runs. Seven successful years followed, including three more 20-win seasons, and some World Series heroics in '76. Next came Cy Young. And his .187 batting average allowed is the lowest of any retired relief pitcher. Perhaps his strongest career stat is his 43 shutouts, more than Hunter, Jim Bunning, Lemon, Newhowser, and Sandy Koufax. 9.36. As faithful baseball fans, we depend on the Hall of Fame to show us who the truly great players are. Cardinals' 5 all-time best relief pitchers in franchise history. It barely existed when Babe Ruth and Ted Williams played, as starters would routinely pitch complete games. Follow Cody Swartz on Twitter (@cbswartz5). Awards. Dennis Eckersley, 1987-1998 (as reliever), Stats (as reliever): 390 saves, 2.85 ERA, 0.999 WHIP, 6.29 K:BB, 136 ERA+, Accolades (as reliever): 4 All-Star appearances, 1 Cy Young award, 1 MVP award, 1 World Series ring, 1 ALCS MVP award, 2x Rolaids Relief award, Baseball Hall of Fame. From 1939 to 1947, while only Rogers Hornsby was elected, the veteran's committee was busy reconstructing 60+ years of baseball history to find those who belonged in the HOF. His 11.9 K/9 rate is tops of all retired relievers (tied with Brad Lidge). system) was developed by sabermetrician Jay Jaffe as a means to Warneke continued his winning ways, winning 20 games three times and posting a winning record every year until '43, when he left to fight in the war. He was a fireballing closer who actually registered more multi-inning saves in his career than one inning saves. Some defensive statistics Copyright Sports Info Solutions, 2010-2023. He led the league in ERA+ and shutouts (nine) in '73, but didnt get the attention he deserved for the Cy Young award. Sportswriters and players wondered how Pierce could go toe-to-toe with the firepower of the Yankees, coming armed with slap hitters Nellie Fox, Luis Aparicio, and Minnie Minoso. 3 Curt Schilling 4.9 He was just hoping to save his career. Honorable mention: Andy Pettitte, Mark Buehrle, Ron Guidry, Tommy John, Mickey Lolich, Jimmy Key (CC Sabathia not yet eligible). If Jack Chesbro can parlay winning 40 games into the HOF, then Will White should be an automatic selection. By 1946 they told him he was washed up-finished. He drew 59.5 percent of the vote in his most recent appearance on the writers ballot for Cooperstown. He displayed consistent excellence throughout his career. It's an ex-Chip's Worldand we're just picking up the pieces. The 38 voters who gave Roger Clemens a ranking of 10 ranked Curt Schilling top, at 3.63 on average, followed by Tommy John at 4.18, and Luis Tiant at 4.24. Looking at the names below, Curt Schilling is probably moving toward enshrinement. Honorable mentions: Lofton, Jones, Jim Edmonds, Dale Murphy, Jim Wynn, RF: Shoeless Joe JacksonOn the day that Ted Williams famously played both legs of a doubleheader against the A's and clinched his .400 season in 1941, opposing manager Connie Mack said, I wish I had a Williams. Dennis Eckersley was a starter-turned-reliever. The committee missed his team mate, Mordecai Brown, until after his death in 1948. 8 Urban Shocker 4.4 4 Wes Ferrell 4.7 Pitchers were regularly winning 24-27 games. Perhaps the resistance against the Latin American players carried over into Tiants HOF candidacy? 6 Tim Hudson 3.8 Bert Blyleven was born in the Netherlands, but grew up in California. averages are skewed due to a lack of players at that position, so Honorable mentions: McGwire, Don Mattingly, Todd Helton (Pujols not yet eligible). But by '35, after being sold to the Phillies and because of his great arm, the manager and coaches pushed him to pitch. When Pierce retired, sportswriters were distracted with the manic accomplishments of Koufax, Marichal and Gibson. He was a product of the more relaxed "Golden Years". The vast majority of these pitcher's careerswere focused in places other thanNew York, Philadelphia, or Boston. Career Span/Primary Team(s) Player Wins Above Replacement; 1986-2007/Pirates, Giants: 178.3: 1984-2007/Red Sox, Blue Jays, Yankees, Astros: 133.9: 1991-2005/Astros Important: This chart does not include side-by-side comparisons for Hall of Fame pitchers who spent their entire career in the Negro Leagues (Baseball Almanac does not have the data from the Negro League).Those truly elite twirlers are: Ray Brown, Andy Cooper, Leon Day, Martin Dihigo, Bill Foster, Jose Mendez, Bullet Rogan, Hilton Smith and Joe Williams. What if Billy Pierce and Bert Blyleven had received league average run support though the peak of their careers? Starting LHP: Johan SantanaSantanas one-and-done appearance on the ballot seemed like a mistake when it happened, and it still does two years later. RF Andre Ethier For anyone who cares, heres a more detailed breakdown of the votes each pitcher received for each ranking. Every supporting evidence points to him being a HOF pitcher. If he does not pick up that . He pitched with six different teams, but most significantly with the Cleveland Blues and Chicago White Stockings. Tony Mullane was an Irish born major league player known for pitching with both handssometimes in the same game. He won three complete games including a shutout against the Tigers. 6) Babe Adams (1906-1926) (194-140; 2.76 ERA; ERA+ 117; 2,995 IP/ 2,841 H/ 8.5 H/9; 1,036 K/ 4,30 BB/ 2.41 ratio; 1.092 WHIP). He is the one pitcher on this list that is still on the HOF ballot. Detroit lists Bridges and Lolich. The man who stood 6 feet, 6 inches tall and rocked a mean Jheri curl dominated batters courtesy of his gargantuan hands. He isnt the first Pittsburgh pitcher on this list. Many historical player head shots courtesy of David Davis. hide this ad PLAY QUIZ Score 0/25 Timer 10:00 Recently Published Actresses. As a teen he went to watch Sandy Koufax pitch and later learned how to throw a curve ball with a hold similar to Koufax. To start, there are only eight primary relievers in Cooperstown; Rivera, Dennis Eckersley, Hoyt Wilhelm, Goose Gossage, Rollie Fingers, Bruce Sutter, Lee Smith, and Trevor Hoffman. Three times in his career he led the AL in saves, four times he finished top five in the Cy Young award voting, and he had a 2.63 career World Series ERA. The average run scoring in the period was some 20-25 percent more than the league average. Rankings of Negro League players should consider that Negro League data is not complete. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP, File) via Associated Press. The latest in the sports world, emailed daily. Rivera was literally dominant for close to two decades in a row. He represented the Tigers in three World Series against the Cardinals, Cubs and Reds in 34, 35 and 40. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1978 Topps #703 ROOKIE PITCHERS PSA 9 90146083 at the best online prices at eBay! He was consistently excellent, winning between 15-20 games five consecutive years, and striking out between 219-258 batters for six consecutive years. Rivera trails only Trevor Hoffman in all-time saves and has perhaps the most dominant one-pitch arsenal this side of Phil Niekro. He led the league in shutouts in '36 and games started in '37. But long before Cooperstown honored him on Sunday, the first black reliever inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame was well-known around baseball circles as: Lee Arthur Smith. That year, facing Ty Cobb and the Tigers in the postseason, the Pirates manager went on a hunch and started Adams in game one of the series. I guess his curve ball fooled a few batters. Pappas, of Greek descent, was born in Detroit. The Pirates went on to win the game. (The Tigers ownership and coaching staff were not shy of making mistakes in evaluating personnel. Reulbachs 97-39 record combined with Browns 114-42 for a 211-81 record over those five years. Four of them (Harold Baines, Edgar Martinez, David Ortiz and Frank Thomas) are already in the Hall following Big Papis election in 2022, while Nelson Cruz remains active. measure a player's Hall of Fame worthiness. Gossages 1975 season is still the greatest in baseball history by a relief pitcher in terms of WAR (8.2); he had a 1.84 ERA, a league-leading 26 saves, and an absurd 141.2 innings in 62 relief appearances. He was a great situation pitcher, and knew how to get out of a jam with his guile and assortment of breaking pitches. HOF - Indicates Player is a Hall of Famer. But Beltrn gets the slight edge, given his enviable combination of power (435 homers), speed (312 steals), defense (three Gold Gloves) and postseason heroics. 13)Wilbur Cooper (1912-1926) (216-178; 2.89 ERA; ERA+ 116; 35 SHO; 3480 IP/ 3415 H/ H/9 8.8; 1252 K/ 853 BB; 1.47 ratio; 1.226 WHIP). Bridges continued pitching in the Pacific Coast Leaguewinning the ERA title in 47. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. Despite his size, he had quite a delivery, with a high leg kick and dropping his back shoulder. Along with those pitchers, Ill evaluate others with a case to be considered among the 10 best ever, which can be broken into categories of the modern (Craig Kimbrel, Aroldis Chapman, Kenley Jansen, Francisco Rodriguez, Billy Wagner, and Joe Nathan), and the throwbacks (Sparky Lyle and Dan Quisenberry). If thats the case, Kimbrel probably wont move down these rankings at all but he also wont move any higher. In Game Three he came in to save the game, retiring all three batters he faced in the ninth inning. As it is, Pappas has 209 wins, as many as Bob Lemon and Hal Newhowser, and a similar number to Don Drysdale and Catfish Hunter, all of whom are in the HOF and pitched between 1950 and 1975. What if Lon Warnekes and Tommy Bridges careers had not been interrupted by WWII? He proved it often enough. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. One pitched in New York, one pitched in the Midwest. 2009 was his last on the HOF ballot. Do you have a blog? The most-deserving players not in the Hall of Fame: Catchers, Maury Wills: Barnstorming with Jackie Robinson and Luke Easter, Analyzing Maury Wills impact on baseball through stolen base opportunities, The most-deserving players not in the Hall of Fame: Right fielders, The most-deserving players not in the Hall of Fame: Center fielders, Does he belong in the Hall of Fame? If you put Gossage in a traditional one inning relief pitcher role, those blown saves assuredly go way down. While I was limited through my free account to 10 questions and thus chose to forgo demographic questions to get the maximum amount of data, it is possible to use filters to show how certain voters voted. Relief Pitcher JAWS Leaders. He is 5-1 with a 2.47 ERA, 36 Ks against only 8 BB, and a WHIP of 1.077. But winning the 2005 Cy Young -- which would have given him three straight Cys from 2004-06 -- would have forced the BBWAA to give him a much longer look. |. They all pitched in New York. His 1.000 WHIP is the lowest among qualified pitchers in the live ball era. He holds the all-time record for relief appearances with at least two innings (486) and three innings (197). He is one of our all-time greats. Only players who are known primarily as relief pitchers or closers. In 34 he out-dueled Dizzy Dean to win 3-1. In the 1970s, the closer was the pitcher that would enter the game with the bases loaded in the sixth inning and try to work out of a jam and then sometimes finish the game. He holds the record for the most innings pitched in one season680. His career stands up nicely against contemporary HOF pitchers Bob Lemon and Hal Newhowser. His fastball had lots of movement and a darting action. With quick succession he sold or traded them to other teams. His H/9 rate of 5.3 in 1906 is one of the best in history. The beloved submariner has a case for the 1980s best reliever, having won five Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Awards, finishing with a league-adjusted 146 ERA+ and helping the Royals claim two pennants and the 1985 World Series title. Tom Glavine 1987-2002, 2008 (63.6 WAR) Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images. There have been historical events that have influenced voting. Embed from Getty Imageswindow.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'-CeXsjSMQXpEqN8nMfMOXQ',sig:'aPSIwiN6WT5Zl3uyeAdW_2g5nAPoP84MemQtfAdqDM8=',w:'594px',h:'395px',items:'1023432000',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })}); A few weeks ago, I kicked off a challenge here. This was not a pitcher on his last legs! Mullane was ahead of his time. However, after a year and a half out of military service, the Tigers were impatient for him to regain his form. Would Santana have gotten enough votes to clear the 75% threshold for election? Cooper was born in West Virginia. Relief Pitcher JAWS Leaders Table; Cy Young Awards Most WAR Player; Rk Name WAR WAR7 JAWS R-JAWS WAR/162 WAA #1 top5 Share #1 top5 Share Yrs As MLB.coms Andrew Simon noted, Allens career 156 league-adjusted OPS+ puts him in the very upper echelon of post-integration hitters, and his best 10-year run at the plate was pretty much unmatched by his peers. Also, lets take a good look at our current candidate on this list and give him his due before it is too late, before the HOF voting body truly looks out of touch with what it takes to be in the Hall of Fame. He struck out a healthy 1,674 batters. Blyleven had tremendous stuff on the ball: fastball, curve and change-up. He pitched for the Boston Red Sox in the early teens but injury caused him to establish less than 1,500 career innings. 3) Tony Mullane (1881-1894) (284-220; 3.05 ERA; ERA+ 118; 30 SHO; 4,531 IP/ 4,195 H/ 8.3 H/9; 1,803 K/ 1,408 BB/ 1.28 ratio; 1.237 WHIP). Many thanks to him. Reggie Jackson struck out the most times. He featured a fastball, curve, and change-up with excellent control. His career postseason record shows a heightened excellence when the games really counted against the best competition. There were new lows for ERA in a season. 2 Curt Schilling 4.9 Featuring a slider-heavy arsenal, Lyle twice led the AL in saves and games finished, helping the Yankees to two titles. Arguably Fingers most impressive statistic is his percentage of career saves that were clean saves Fingers is at 15 percent, the lowest of any Hall of Fame closer. He pitched Game Two of the Series, but was taken out with the score tied 2-2 in the 7th inning. Probably not. By 76 he was pitching again and all three of his 20-win seasons came post-surgery. Trevor Hoffman is getting a lot of love this year, and Lee Smith did really well by the voters . Fingers career ERA+ of 120 is lower than youd expect (24th among 30 closers with at least 300+ saves). Billy Pierce was slight of build at 5 10 and a whopping 160 lbs. But there's no doubt he would receive pushback from the starters, their agents, and the salty old baseball types. While he walked his share of batters during the regular season, in postseason play, he walked only nine batters in 46 innings, while striking out 27 batters. Until the late 50s over half the teams were based on the East Coast. Some high school data is courtesy David McWater. Not every pitcher on this list should necessarily be in the HOF, but all of them could have been selected and voted in with the proper attention and support without any change in the historical standards that have been set. 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