So 2009 was perhaps Ichiro's best year, in terms of bonding with his teammates. Studying the list of inductions, one has to wonder about the order in which some pitchers received their recognition. Wilhelm passed away on Aug. 23, 2002. Research is still ongoing and well continue to publish updates as more information becomes available. But most of Kents dingers were hit during unprecedented boon times for the long ball, and while defensive metrics get murkier the further back one goes, Whitakers more polished all-around game stands out more to this author. Baseball Hall of Fame , MLB MVP's , MLB Cy Young Award , MLB Rookie of the Year , Rawlings Gold Gloves , 2023 HOF results , 2024 Hall of Fame ballot , . Billy Wagner. When Pierce retired, sportswriters were distracted with the manic accomplishments of Koufax, Marichal and Gibson. Feb 11, 2023. In Game Three he came in to save the game, retiring all three batters he faced in the ninth inning. Bruce Sutter, a Hall of Fame reliever and 1979 Cy Young winner, has died at the age of 69. Relief Pitcher JAWS Leaders. Probably not. Covering the latest and most controversial news around the world of sports, heavily centered on the Philadelphia Eagles and National Football League. Wilhelm posted a sub-2.00 ERA for five consecutive seasons in his 40s, and he did so while averaging 108 innings pitched per year. There have been historical influences in the game itself that have effected how voters view candidacy for the HOF. He got just 10.5 percent of the Hall of Fame voting in 2016, his first year of eligibility, and was still only at 31.7 percent at last year. 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. He regularly hits 100 miles per hour on his fastballs and holds the all-time record by registering 105.1 on a pitch (twice). 9.36. By adubbdubb Plays - /5 - RATE QUIZ MORE INFO Classic Best Score? position. Total Zone Rating and initial framework for Wins above Replacement calculations provided by Sean Smith. |. With the help of the survey website Qualtrics, I asked people to go position by position and rank the most-deserving players not in the Baseball Hall of Fame, ranging from 1 for most-deserving to 10 for least-deserving. 11) Lon Warneke (1930-1945) (192-121; 3.18 ERA; ERA+ 119; 30 SHO; 2782 IP/ 2726 H/ H/9 8.8; 1140 K/ 739 BB/ 1.54 ratio; 1.245 WHIP). He had a 0.70 career ERA in the playoffs. His resume for the HOF is strong. It barely existed when Babe Ruth and Ted Williams played, as starters would routinely pitch complete games. Craig Kimbrels ranks among post-1900 pitchers with at least 500 innings pitched: Opponents batting average allowed: .158, H/9: 4.98 (1st), ERA+: 195, K/9: 14.61, opponents slugging percentage allowed: .257 (2nd). Initials. After being traded to the Pirates in the National League, he helped the team to a World Series title. The Baseball Writers Association of America has elected the newest Hall of Famer, with third baseman Scott Rolen officially getting the call on Tuesday and joining Fred McGriff -- previously elected by the Contemporary Baseball Era Players Committee -- in the Class of 2023. The 41 voters who ranked Schilling first ranked Clemens eighth-worst among the field, ahead of only Wes Ferrell and Rick Reuschel, with an average ranking for Clemens of 7.00. It's fitting that Smoltz, Maddux, and Tom Glavine came back-to-back-to-back on this list, because for over a decade . With the aid of Comiskey Park, Gary Peters, Tommy John, and Joe Horlen, they were backed up by the likes of Bob Locker, Eddie fisher, Don McMahon and none other than Hoyt Wilhelm at his peak. Honorable mentions: Kent, Bobby Grich (Chase Utley not yet eligible). Its no wonder the Cubs won the NL pennant four times behind these twoin 1906-1908, and 1910. By the next year in 1939 he was the best pitcher in the National League, going 27-11 with a 2.29 ERA and 31 complete games. hide this ad PLAY QUIZ Score 0/25 Timer 10:00 Recently Published Actresses. Most Unique Players by Age by Similarity Scores, Most Games without a World Series Appearance, Most Games without a Postseason Appearance, Highest Career and Single-Season Salaries, Scores from any date in Major League history, Minor, Foreign, College, & Black Baseball, Frequently Asked Questions about MLB and Baseball, Subscribe to Stathead Baseball: Get your first month FREE. In the '30s he pitched with Schoolboy Rowe, and later with Bobo Newsome. Kimbrel is the only closer in history with as many as 200 saves and a save percentage over 90, and hes sitting comfortably at first on the active leaderboard at 346 saves. Warnekes career was cut short because he left to defend our country. Career: 16 years (1995-2010) Teams: Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves. Heck, you can easily make the argument he's the best pitcher in baseball, and that's not even his primary position. In 43, his last year before joining the war effort, he went 12-7 with a 2.39 ERA (ERA+ 147), with three shutouts and only 159 hits allowed in 191 innings. What if Bucky Walters had started his career in Cincinnati rather than struggling in Philadelphia? The players who dominated, not just for a season or two, but for years. Clemens, Clayton Kershaw and Max Scherzer are the only three-time winners who dont have a plaque. It took the veterans committee some 90 years to find and induct Vic Willis. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. Blyleven toiled long and hard for the Twins in the 70s. He then came back in game six to beat his often faced foe, pitching a three hit gem against none other than Whitey Ford. Pierce got his chance to test his grit in postseason action in 62 for the Giants. King Kelly, McCormick, and others were known to go out and celebrate after games. He led the league in shutouts in '36 and games started in '37. Hoffman broke in with the inaugural Florida Marlins team, was traded for Gary Sheffield, and then racked up an absurd 15 seasons of 30+ saves and nine of 40+, each of which still stands as MLB records. 4 Rick Reuschel 4.0 But Trevor Hoffman may have the most unique path, going from a failed minor league shortstop to one of the all-time great closers. I suspect he will reach the necessary 75 percent sometime in his remaining three years of eligibility. 1) Bert Blyleven (1970-1992) (287-250; 3.31 ERA; ERA+ 118; 60 SHO; 4970/ 4632 H/ 8.4 H/9; 3701 K/ 1322 BB/ 2.80 K/BB ratio; 1.198 WHIP). Although posting a fine season in '67, he was never accepted by the Reds faithful, and was sent to Atlanta during the '68 season. McCormick was a pitcher of high quality who won 265 games. For his career he gave up only 430 BB in 2,995 innings. Im a little bummed to see Wes Ferrell and Rick Reuschel anchoring the list, though its not stunning. One pitched in New York, one pitched in the Midwest. If he does not pick up that . Whether it will be enough to one day get him into Cooperstown wont be decided for another 10 or so years. That said, if I field this again in the future, Ill probably sub in Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer for Ferrell and Reuschel. His stamina and effectiveness began to wane in the early '80s. He led the league in wins in 36 with 23, but also led the league in strikeouts and games started twice. 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. No real surprises at the top, I suppose. After winning 20 games in '24, the Pirates traded him to the Cubs. Bucky wasnt done there. A 3.10 postseason ERA isn't terrible, but it's not Hall of Fame worthy. The Tigers were focused on a youth movement after the war. This gives us a cut off of 2500 innings to. His 49 career shutouts are just about automatic HOF criteria. batting or pitching WAR are used in determining the averages at a given Mariano Rivera was a failed starter. His ban from the game doesn't seem like it will ever be lifted. Sabermetrics lover. He perhaps would have a few more wins, without his career being interrupted, and perhaps some postseason success, as the Orioles became one of the best teams of the era, going to the World Series in '66, '69, '70, and '71. But there's no doubt he would receive pushback from the starters, their agents, and the salty old baseball types. He was a better pitcher than some of his contemporaries who made the HOFHoyt, Haines, and Ted Lyons. By 76 he was pitching again and all three of his 20-win seasons came post-surgery. He featured a low three-quarters delivery that made it hard for left-handed batters to pick up the ball. I contemplated going 15 names just for pitchers, but thought it would look too out of sync with the rest of the survey. Guess there was still some gas in this Tigers tank! Several players careers have been overlooked instead of championed. In order to be considered for this honor, a pitcher must be eligible for the HOF. The Hall of Fame began in 1936, inducting Walter Johnson and Christy Mathewson in its first year. With 696 home runs, 2,086 RBIs, three AL MVP Awards, 14 All-Star Game selections and a World Series championship across his 22 year career, A-Rods on-field numbers legitimately rank alongside the Halls inner-circle members. Then again, you typically dont get to 112 blown saves without being a great closer. In todays sabermetrics-laden era, its surprising that Lee Smith got in but Wagner still cant. He relented, signed with St. Louis, but they then shipped him off to the expansion Toledo Blue Stockings. Before the '66 season, Pappas was sent to Cincinnati for Frank Robinson in a very unpopular trade. Fingers won a league MVP, a Cy Young award, played an integral part in baseballs only non-New York Yankees three-peat ever, and even won World Series MVP once. His 46 shutouts are HOF worthy, and his postseason resume shows he was still good against the best competition of the era. In '68 his career took off. He was the best pitcher in the NL during his era. Pierce pitched four scoreless innings in relief. 2009 was his last on the HOF ballot. Al Spalding took a disliking to the off-field activities of several of the players during the '86 campaign. Awards. But Trevor Hoffman may have the most unique path, going from a failed minor league shortstop to one of the all-time great closers. When he retired, no one had surpassed his 601 saves; now, only Mariano Rivera has done so. He began his career with the Cleveland Indians in '64, and established himself as an effective pitcher with lots of stuff. Four pitchers in the HOF fall into this categoryDizzy Dean, Lefty Gomez, Sandy Koufax, and Addie Joss. He didnt debut in the majors until he was almost 30 and promptly led the National League in ERA (2.43), games pitched (71), and winning percentage (.833). In an era when everyone posts gaudy relief statistics, the trick is figuring out how rare and special Wagner really was. Perhaps some oversights can be corrected. Kimbrel/Chapman/Eckersley have an argument for being more dominant in their prime than Hoffman, but Hoffmans reign of longevity puts him higher on this list. Tommy John is perhaps guilty of hanging on longer than the normal impact of his career allowed. After an off year in 1916 he was sent to the minor leagues to work out his problems. What if Milt Pappas had not been traded to Cincinnati? 2) Luis Tiant (1964-1982) (229-172; 3.30 ERA; ERA+ 114; 49 SHO; 3,486 IP/ 3,075 H/ 7.9 H/9; 2416 K/ 1104 BB/ 2.19 ratio; 1.199 WHIP). With that backdrop in mind, let's proceed with our tenth-best relief pitcher of all time: 10. He is the one pitcher on this list that is still on the HOF ballot. Tom Brady lost three Super Bowls. Much of the play-by-play, game results, and transaction information both shown and used to create certain data sets was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by RetroSheet. He found success again after arriving in Chicago with the Cubs during the '70 season, winning 17 games in both '71 and '72. 9) Will White (1877-1886) (229-166; 2.28 ERA; ERA+ 120; 36 SHO; 3,542 IP/ 3,440 H/ H/9 8.7; 1041 K/ 496 BB; 2.10 ratio; 1.111 WHIP). Honorable mentions: McGwire, Don Mattingly, Todd Helton (Pujols not yet eligible). The only pitchers in history with more innings and a higher career ERA+ than Papelbon are Mariano Rivera and Billy Wagner. He went 3517 in the minors. 6 Tim Hudson 3.8 Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. He pitched with six different teams, but most significantly with the Cleveland Blues and Chicago White Stockings. He holds the record for the most innings pitched in one season680. From 1918-1924 he won 19 or more games six times. In Gossages day, he did all of that. The players had withstood enough abuse by 1890 and formed their own league. The players on those teams were the players the sportswriters saw most. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Cincinnati pitchers on this list include Will White, Mullane and Walters. Or what if the fans in Cincinnati had accepted his efforts for the team? He finished second in the MVP balloting. It looked at pitchers in the HOF with the weakest resumes. 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! Still, many big names remain outside the Hall's hallowed Plaque Gallery, so here is a rosterof the best non-Hall of Fame players in baseball history at every position. Rodriguez will now have to endure the waiting game with BBWAA voters, like Bonds, Clemens and Sosa just did. I found some interesting threads that could be followed up. measure a player's Hall of Fame worthiness. Lolich had a splendid career with the Detroit Tigers from 6375. Important note: For this exercise, we only considered players who have been retired for at least five years, the waiting time required before one can appear on a BBWAA ballot. Stats: 652 saves, 2.21 ERA, 1.000 WHIP, 4.10 K:BB, 205 ERA+. Miranda Remaklus. He was just hoping to save his career. Based strictly on peak performance, Eckersley would rank in the top five of relievers. Pitchers were regularly winning 24-27 games. Only players who are known primarily as relief pitchers or closers. From 1939-1946 Walters accumulated totals led the major leagues in wins, innings pitched; 2,030, complete games; 178, and ERA. 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. His last year of allowing fewer hits than innings pitched was 81. Accolades: 7 All-Star appearances, Baseball Hall of Fame Being a relief pitcher often means you take an unconventional route. Subscribe to Stathead Baseball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Baseball Reference Database. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. He was a significant figure from his era, and should not be punished for his stand against the reserve clause. The most-deserving players not in the Hall of Fame: Pitchers Embed from Getty Images see more Roger Clemens, pitcher for the Boston Red Sox prepares to throw a pitch during the Major League Baseball American League East game against the Cleveland Indians on 27 May 1987 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Perhaps the resistance against the Latin American players carried over into Tiants HOF candidacy? Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. Detroit lists Bridges and Lolich. He was the second great Latin pitcher, following Juan Marichal. 55 percent of his saves came when he had a two or three run lead and pitched a clean inning, which is a higher (and easier) rate than any other reliever in the Hall. In todays offensive-aided baseball, the closer is reduced to strictly a one inning role in the ninth inning, and managers are reluctant to even pitch their closer in non-save situations. His ERA+, curve ball, postseason record and H/9 all speak of a pitcher who was one of the best of his era. 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. If thats the case, Kimbrel probably wont move down these rankings at all but he also wont move any higher. But whos the second best relief pitcher ever? 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