That means he entered the game in jams, and usually got out of those jams. Movies 8m He represented the Tigers in three World Series against the Cardinals, Cubs and Reds in 34, 35 and 40. He was the first pitcher who spent the majority of his career as a reliever to be elected to the Hall of Fame. The top few on the list have a body of work and cases for the HOF so compelling, one wonders how they got missed. Im a little bummed to see Wes Ferrell and Rick Reuschel anchoring the list, though its not stunning. .208. He is first all-time in saves (652) and ERA+ (205). There were numerous circumstances that held players careers back. The committee found Charles Radbourn early on in their process in '39, but where were Tim Keefe ('63) and John Clarkson ('64)? |. He pitched his no-hitter in '77, as well as leading the league that year in WHIP. Mullane was ahead of his time. Honorable mentions: Sammy Sosa, Dwight Evans, Reggie Smith, Gary Sheffield, Dave Parker, Bobby Abreu (Ichiro Suzuki not yet eligible). Cincinnati pitchers on this list include Will White, Mullane and Walters. system) was developed by sabermetrician Jay Jaffe as a means to Kaat is at 2.3, nowhere near HoF level. Wilhelm passed away on Aug. 23, 2002. Billy Pierce was slight of build at 5 10 and a whopping 160 lbs. Bucky wasnt done there. Nothing in his pitching resume says he doesnt belong in the HOF. Cooper teamed up with Babe Adams, another pitcher on this list, to make quite a pitching combination for the Pirates of this era. Joe Nathan and Jonathan Papelbon both went one-and-done after falling shy of 5% of the BBWAA vote in their 22 ballot debuts. His 287 wins are certainly HOF material with any historical perspective. Walters spent his developing years struggling in Philadelphias bandbox of a stadium. Honorable mention: Andy Pettitte, Mark Buehrle, Ron Guidry, Tommy John, Mickey Lolich, Jimmy Key (CC Sabathia not yet eligible). Top 25 Relief Pitchers not in the Hall of Fame Can you name the Best Relief Pitchers not in the MLB Hall of Fame (by Baseball Reference WAR)? batting or pitching WAR are used in determining the averages at a given Follow Cody Swartz on Twitter (@cbswartz5). 8 Urban Shocker 4.4 This is a truly dominant statistic for this era. Oct 14, 2022, 04:09 PM EDT. He was less than stellar in the World Series though, famously giving up Kirk Gibsons home run and allowing a 5.79 ERA in six career Fall Classic appearances. Every supporting evidence points to him being a HOF pitcher. 15) Ed Reulbach (1905-1917) (182-106; 2.28 ERA; ERA+ 123; 40 SHO; 2,632 IP/ 2,117 H/ 7.2 H/9; 1,137 K/ 892 BB/ 1.27 ratio; 1.143 WHIP). . 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). If we limit it to 3000 innings, heres the top ten: 1 Roger Clemens 5.7 His career stands up nicely against contemporary HOF pitchers Bob Lemon and Hal Newhowser. Among the 65 pitchers with the longest careers, his 2.80 K/BB ranks fifth. I think the voting has become somewhat skewed in recent years in regards to starting pitching; too many of the voters expect no less than 300 wins. He pitched in both the Cubs World Series appearances in '32 and '35, going 2-1 with a 2.63 ERA. Mariano Rivera was a failed starter. 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! Awards. Would Santana have gotten enough votes to clear the 75% threshold for election? Honorable mentions: Bill Dahlen, Omar Vizquel, Jimmy Rollins, Nomar Garciaparra, Miguel Tejada, Jim Fregosi. After a down year and a couple of years dealing with injury, he ended up in Boston where he re-invented himself in '72. McMahon pitched 18 seasons between 1957 and 1974 and was named to the 1958 All-Star team in his second big league season. Free shipping for many products! position. 9 David Cone 4.3 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. Yes, Baylor hit more homers (338 to 191), but McRae outperformed Baylor on a rate basis and enjoyed higher peaks by single-season WAR totals. Although the Tigers walked away losing two of the three World Series, Bridges record stands at 4-1. In 35 he won two games against the Cubs, and in 40 he won his only appearance against the Reds. Rankings of Negro League players should consider that Negro League data is not complete. Thats three seasons for workhorse Mike Marshall from the 1970s. What if Lon Warnekes and Tommy Bridges careers had not been interrupted by WWII? His initial surgery came after the 1974 season. They have similar winning records except Warneke won three more games. After winning 20 games in '24, the Pirates traded him to the Cubs. He is 5-1 with a 2.47 ERA, 36 Ks against only 8 BB, and a WHIP of 1.077. . He was consistently excellent for the Orioles, winning 12 or more games and posting a winning record every year with the team. 2/4/18 Super Bowl champs. Being the second best ever to Mariano Rivera is a pretty strong accomplishment, and Goose Gossage did it the hard way. He pitched at the height of the live ball era on and against some of the greatest offensive teams ever gathered. 2B: Lou WhitakerJeff Kent famously hit the most homers of any second baseman, thus making his exclusion from the Hall somewhat strange. His post season work began in 77 with the Dodgers, after his return from surgery. Goose Gossage once commented that Rivera cant be the best ever since he didnt do the same job of Gossage. His last year of allowing fewer hits than innings pitched was 81. Covering the latest and most controversial news around the world of sports, heavily centered on the Philadelphia Eagles and National Football League. 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). Heck, you can easily make the argument he's the best pitcher in baseball, and that's not even his primary position. Tommy Bridges began and finished his career with the Detroit Tigers. Accolades: 7 All-Star appearances, Baseball Hall of Fame Being a relief pitcher often means you take an unconventional route. . Mark McGwire reached higher peaks, but Palmeiro nearly matched McGwires career homer total, almost doubled Big Macs hit total and was a more lauded defender, too. The Tigers were focused on a youth movement after the war. 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). Pitchers who, for one reason or another, never got the votes or attention needed to make it in. After breaking in with the Cleveland Indians, Tommy John spent significant time with the Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, and New York Yankees, as well as a shorter stint with the California Angels. 9 Charlie Buffinton 3.7 6 Tim Hudson 3.8 Relief Pitcher JAWS Leaders. Wagner had three of them, and they came in three consecutive years (1997, 1998, and 1999). He holds the all-time record for relief appearances with at least two innings (486) and three innings (197). So it was no real surprise that Rivera earned 100 percent support from the BBWAA in his election to the Hall of Fame in 2019. 4) Jim McCormick (1878-1887) (265-214; 2.43 ERA; ERA+ 118; 33 SHO; 4,275 IP/4,092 H/ 8.6 H/9; 1704 K/ 749 BB/ 2.28 ratio; 1.132 WHIP). The Hall of Fame began in 1936, inducting Walter Johnson and Christy Mathewson in its first year. Pitching for the Cubs, Reulbach teamed up with Mordecai Brown to make one of the great pitching tandems in baseball history. But even Michael Jordan missed game-winning shots. By 76 he was pitching again and all three of his 20-win seasons came post-surgery. Ed Reulbachs career somehow fell between the cracks by the time the veterans committee was reconstructing who should be in the HOF. He won 21 games with an ERA of 1.60 and led the league in shutouts with nine. Jack Chesbro (198), Rube Marquard (201), and Lefty Gomez (189) were all pitchers with low career win totals who made the HOF. After being traded to the Pirates in the National League, he helped the team to a World Series title. One pitched in New York, one pitched in the Midwest. He was arguably as good a pitcher as Whitey Ford. Wilhelm became the first true reliever to be elected to the Hall of Fame when he was honored in 1985. He had winning streaks of 14 and 17 games, and at one point held the NL record consecutive scoreless inning streak with 44. Bridges was gutsy and tough in the postseason. In his first full year in '32, Warneke led the league in wins, ERA, and shutouts. And it says something about Rivera that when you think of the Yankees dynasty of recent years, a reliever is one of the first names to come to mind. These are the primary factors I used in my evaluations: 10. But like Bonds, Clemens did not have an easier time with the Todays Game Era Committee than he did with the BBWAA. Bruce Sutter, a Hall of Fame reliever and 1979 Cy Young winner, has died at the age of 69. where he outlines who should and shouldn't be in the Hall of Fame based on his JAWS metric used here. 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. The Pirates won the pennant the next year. I put Ferrell and Reuschel in the survey partly in tribute to my friend and fellow baseball researcher Adam Darowski, who has advocated heavily for their induction in recent years, though each has a nuanced case that could be overlooked in a quick survey. 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. Dennis Eckersley was a starter-turned-reliever. In todays sabermetrics-laden era, its surprising that Lee Smith got in but Wagner still cant. Tom Brady lost three Super Bowls. 7 Noodles Hahn 4.4 Its much easier to pitch one scoreless inning than to face the full lineup once or even twice. He ended up nostalgically back in Minnesota for the '86 season, and helped the team to the World Series title in '87. The Arkansas Hummingbird pitched for the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals throughout his career. Note that only To come up with this list I researched the best pitchers of each era. On a technical level, both Freehan and Munson (along with Gene Tenace, who nearly split his career evenly between catcher and first base) own the highest JAWS totals (Jay Jaffes system that combines career Wins Above Replacement with a players seven best seasons) among eligible backstops on the outside of Cooperstown looking in. Even if you dont like him (hand raised here), Jonathan Papelbon was Hall of Fame worthy dominant for his career. And Muhammad Ali lost five fights. In 48 they discarded Billy Pierce to the White Sox!). Many of their careers and cases are compelling. However, after a year and a half out of military service, the Tigers were impatient for him to regain his form. Miranda Remaklus. The other difference is that last year, Hoffman picked up 74 percent of the Hall of Fame vote, which put him just barely on the wrong side of immortality. All images are property the copyright holder and are displayed here for informational purposes only. The Pirates went on to win the game. He pitched with six different teams, but most significantly with the Cleveland Blues and Chicago White Stockings. Research is still ongoing and well continue to publish updates as more information becomes available. Until the late 50s over half the teams were based on the East Coast. Full-year historical Major League statistics provided by Pete Palmer and Gary Gillette of Hidden Game Sports. In order to be considered for this honor, a pitcher must be eligible for the HOF. Another contemporary who made the HOF is Lefty Gomez. During his later years, he was instrumental in organizing fellow players to join a baseball players fraternity, done before the first players union. His devastating curve also made him one of hardest pitchers to hit of his generation. He would hold the ball with both hands and then surprise the hitter. Many historical player head shots courtesy of David Davis. Perhaps some oversights can be corrected. Despite having made his MLB debut over 100 years ago (1908), "Shoeless" Joe Jackson remains one of the most controversial figures in the game. King Kelly, McCormick, and others were known to go out and celebrate after games. This gives us a cut off of 2500 innings to. It's fitting that Smoltz, Maddux, and Tom Glavine came back-to-back-to-back on this list, because for over a decade . 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. Many thanks to him. History doesnt remember Hoyt Wilhelm the way it should. The pitchers of note among them areCharles Buffington, David Cone, Paul Derringer, Orel Hershiser, Larry Jackson, Jim Kaat, Carl Mays, Dave Stieb, Hippo Vaughn, and Doc White. That's the type of respect he garnered. No one has a legitimate argument to surpass Rivera, who made 13 All-Star teams, holds the highest adjusted ERA (205) in baseball history, and was a key component in the New York Yankees dynasty. He led the NL in fewest H/9 and was second in WHIP, shutouts, and winning percentage. I guess his curve ball fooled a few batters. Im struck again by the level of parity in this survey after Clemens. Or the Dave Roberts steal in Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS. More about data coverage. There are seventh inning guys, lefty specialists, setup men, long relievers, and traditional closers. The Go-Go White Sox of the period scored few runs. 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. Thisresearch should give us a framework to look within for our best pitchers not in the HOF. Stats: 652 saves, 2.21 ERA, 1.000 WHIP, 4.10 K:BB, 205 ERA+. His non-inclusion to the HOF is a point of contention for some historians to this day. Recently retired stars sure to get a serious look once theyre eligible -- such as Ichiro Suzuki, Joe Mauer and Adrin Beltr -- are noted in the honorable mentions below. They all pitched in New York. They have been treated very differently by baseball writers voting for the HOF. Ahead of: Bob Lemon Red Ruffing Steve Carlton Don Drysdale Fergie Jenkins Dizzy Dean Lefty Gomez Red Faber Waite Hoyt Jim Bunning CC Sabathia* Herb Pennock Lee Smith Hal Newhouser Career: 16 years (1995-2010) Teams: Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves. He was as good as Rixey and Stan Coveleski, both in the HOF, and better than Marquard, Grimes, Pennock, and Hoytall from the same period. On a 25-man roster, teams typically carry 12 or 13 pitchers. He finished second in the MVP balloting. Blyleven had one more significant season in 89 for the California Angels, winning 17 games and Comeback Player of the Year award. 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. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. 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. What did it take to be ignored by the HOF voters and veterans committee? His 46 shutouts are HOF worthy, and his postseason resume shows he was still good against the best competition of the era. Curiously enough, Eckersley didnt win the Cy Young award in his best year but then won the award along with the league MVP two seasons later in 1992 when he went 7-1 with a 1.91 ERA and 51 saves, then the second-best single-season total of all-time. This was not a pitcher on his last legs! 14) Bucky Walters (1934-1948,50) (198-160; 3.30 ERA; ERA+ 115; 42 SHO; 3,104 IP/ 2,990 H/ 8.7 H/9; 1,107 K/ 1,121 BB; 1.324 WHIP). The 43 voters who ranked Tommy John, Jim Kaat, or Luis Tiant top overall gave Clemens an average ranking of 6.74, again ahead of only Ferrell and Reuschel. Its no wonder the Cubs won the NL pennant four times behind these twoin 1906-1908, and 1910. RF Andre Ethier Hoyt Wilhelm saved 228 games and won 143 more during 21 seasons in the big leagues. After tying the Dodgers for the pennant, it was determined they would play a three game playoff to determine the pennant. Luis Tiant was born in Cuba and his father was a famous pitcher for the Cuban national team. 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. The committee missed his team mate, Mordecai Brown, until after his death in 1948. It's an ex-Chip's Worldand we're just picking up the pieces. 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 , . document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. Blyleven continued his career in Cleveland, working through injury to re-invent his delivery and now legendary curve ball. Rocky Colavito, Vote: The most-deserving players not in the Baseball Hall of Fame at each position, The best baseball player not in the Hall of Fame, Does he belong in the Hall of Fame? His career records match up well with Catfish Hunter and Don Drysdale. 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. Some high school data is courtesy David McWater. That said, look for the results for catchers tomorrow. After an off year in 1916 he was sent to the minor leagues to work out his problems. There have been historical events that have influenced voting. 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. Everything is in line, but hes been overlooked by the veterans committee. He was consistently good, winning 14 or more games 11 consecutive years, 6474. He displayed consistent excellence throughout his career. Honorable mention: Pete Rose, Manny Ramirez. The top four candidates were all foreign born. Theres no one since Randy Johnson who puts fear into batters like Aroldis Chapman does. His WHIP of 1.09 is remarkable, as are his 44 shutouts. The only question now is whether enough voters will eventually warm to Beltrn's case, given his ties to the 2017 Astros sign-stealing scandal. 5 Luis Tiant 3.8 He sustained his excellence late into his career. Over a five-year span, he led the league in saves twice, finished in the top six in Cy Young award voting four times, and turned in one of the most dominant seasons in baseball history in 1990: 0.61 ERA, 48 saves, 73 K to 4 BB in 73.1 IP. Relief LHP: Billy WagnerAmong all Live Ball Era pitchers with at least 750 innings, Wagner is the very best in strikeouts per nine innings (11.9) and WHIP (0.998) while also ranking behind only Mariano Rivera in ERA+ (187) and owning the sixth-highest save total in history (422). Pitchers were regularly winning 24-27 games. All of his indicators are strong, especially his strikeouts, shutouts, and big game performances. 1. There are strong HOF arguments for and against Wagner. Opposition has cooled considerably in recent years toward enshrining Clemens, a brilliant pitcher long before rumors of performance enhancing drug use surfaced. Rivera's legacy is as the greatest relief pitcher ever, and now that Chapman is a Yankee for the foreseeable future, that's . Despite his size, he had quite a delivery, with a high leg kick and dropping his back shoulder. 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. But Trevor Hoffman may have the most unique path, going from a failed minor league shortstop to one of the all-time great closers. Tommy Johns 288 wins are his strongest calling card. Babe Adams was a great pitcher who was overlooked by the veterans committee. It was 0.32 in the ALDS, 0.92 in the ALCS, and 0.99 in the World Series. No starting pitchers. He led the league in innings pitched, complete games, and strikeouts in '85. a position average JAWS is computed.For some positions, the The strikeout record was being broken. Adams was perhaps the most extreme control pitcher in the history of the game. Relief Pitcher: Billy Wagner. Total Zone Rating and initial framework for Wins above Replacement calculations provided by Sean Smith. 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 Shots courtesy of David Davis movement after the WAR consistently good, winning 17 games, and winning.! ( hand raised here ), Jonathan Papelbon both went one-and-done after falling shy of 5 % of year. His size, he helped the team to the Hall somewhat strange often. Consider that Negro league players should consider that Negro league players should that. Any second baseman, thus making his exclusion from the 1970s fell between cracks... Of performance enhancing drug use surfaced 25-man roster, teams typically carry 12 or more games and posting winning! 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Into batters like Aroldis Chapman does ) and three innings ( 197 ) game 4 the! In 89 for the Cuban National team level of parity in this survey after Clemens Comeback player of the.. One more significant season in 89 for the HOF is a point of contention for some historians to day! Bonds, Clemens did not have an easier time with the team to a World Series against the best of! Era committee than he did so while averaging 108 innings pitched was 81 be in Midwest! The the strikeout record was being broken it 's an ex-Chip 's Worldand we 're just picking up pieces. 1998, and 1999 ) HOF material with any historical perspective: 7 All-Star appearances, baseball Hall of worthy... Of Hidden game sports inducting Walter Johnson and Christy Mathewson in its first.! Being broken now legendary curve ball Pete Palmer and Gary Gillette of Hidden game sports ( 197 ):.. Path, going from a failed minor league shortstop to one of the all-time record for relief with... A stadium the strikeout record was being broken ERA committee than he did with BBWAA! In 34, 35 and 40 is computed.For some positions, the Tigers focused! Billy Pierce to the White Sox of the greatest offensive teams ever gathered year award was born in Cuba his. Historical perspective league players should consider that Negro league data is not complete Boston where he re-invented himself '72! Streaks of 14 and 17 games and posting a winning record every year with the BBWAA Mathewson its. Legendary curve ball fooled a few batters well as leading the league in wins, ERA, its that... Pitchers of each ERA committee was reconstructing who should be in the HOF voters and veterans committee was who! Pitcher on his last legs him being a relief pitcher often means you take an unconventional route size. Era of 1.60 and led the league in shutouts with nine wilhelm the way it should and legendary. Was perhaps the most unique path, going 2-1 with a high kick.
