His 1,804 Ks were a high number for the era. Feb 11, 2023. He held the career record in saves when he retired (341). Drysdale, Ferguson Jenkins, and Early Wynn are the other pitchers with 49 shutouts, and all are in the HOF. 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. Opposition has cooled considerably in recent years toward enshrining Clemens, a brilliant pitcher long before rumors of performance enhancing drug use surfaced. Rivera trails only Trevor Hoffman in all-time saves and has perhaps the most dominant one-pitch arsenal this side of Phil Niekro. Or write about sports? He was a great situation pitcher, and knew how to get out of a jam with his guile and assortment of breaking pitches. Tommy John is perhaps guilty of hanging on longer than the normal impact of his career allowed. He won 22 games the next year, leading the Reds back to the World Series. Featuring a slider-heavy arsenal, Lyle twice led the AL in saves and games finished, helping the Yankees to two titles. 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 Their careers ranged from 1,900+ IP to 2,500 IP. Or what if the fans in Cincinnati had accepted his efforts for the team? He had one shutout. Lolich had a splendid career with the Detroit Tigers from 6375. Babe went on to pitch the rest of his career for Pittsburgh. And John is at 2.6, not much better. His career took off when he was traded to Cincinnati part way through the 1938 season. Their careers ranged from 1,900+ IP to 2,500 IP. How many relief pitchers are on a baseball team? During the season he went 12-0 for the team at Candlestick Park. What did it take to be ignored by the HOF voters and veterans committee? Against Detroit, he pitched a five hitter to win Game Two, and a complete game shutout to win Game Five. Accolades: 7 All-Star appearances, Baseball Hall of Fame Being a relief pitcher often means you take an unconventional route. He pitched a one hit shutout in the '06 series, and on Sept, 26, 1908 he pitched back to back shutouts on the same day. Theres no one since Randy Johnson who puts fear into batters like Aroldis Chapman does. Bruce Sutter Career Stats (1976 - 1988) - Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta G IP W SV ERA FIP WHIP K/9 BB/9 FG War BR WAR 661 1,042 68 300 2.83 2.94 1.14 7.4 2.7 19.2 24.0 That said, after 425 responses, voting has officially wrapped for this poll. Next came Cy Young. But like Bonds, Clemens did not have an easier time with the Todays Game Era Committee than he did with the BBWAA. 2.21 career ERA. Everything is in line, but hes been overlooked by the veterans committee. No real surprises at the top, I suppose. Since the advent of the live ball in 1921, only four pitchers have 60 shutouts: Warren Spahn, Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver, and Bert Blyleven. The only pitchers in history with more innings and a higher career ERA+ than Papelbon are Mariano Rivera and Billy Wagner. He failed to garner enough votes to make on the 15th try. Rivera was literally dominant for close to two decades in a row. "With pick #132, @Brian59044 selects the first real relief pitcher of the draft, Phoenix Sanders. He pitched for the Boston Red Sox in the early teens but injury caused him to establish less than 1,500 career innings. He found success again after arriving in Chicago with the Cubs during the '70 season, winning 17 games in both '71 and '72. However, Smokey Joe Wood is not among those pitchers given a bye for the length of their careers. More about data coverage. 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. I guess his curve ball fooled a few batters. Bridges was gutsy and tough in the postseason. Bridges was still an effective pitcher after his peak. Stats: 422 saves, 2.31 ERA, 0.998 WHIP, 3.99 K:BB, 187ERA+. There have been historical influences in the game itself that have effected how voters view candidacy for the HOF. It was 0.32 in the ALDS, 0.92 in the ALCS, and 0.99 in the World Series. The problem with Pierce HOF candidacy is that his career backed up into the raised mound era. If he does not pick up that . Pierce pitched four scoreless innings in relief. They also all rank in the top 30 of S-JAWS a metric developed by former Sports Illustrated writer and Hall of Fame expert Jay Jaffeto measure the Cooperstown cases of starting pitchers while . 9. Whether it will be enough to one day get him into Cooperstown wont be decided for another 10 or so years. In addition, I cross-referenced all non-HOF pitchers by length of career, beginning with 2,800 IP, and made lists from each range of IP: 2,800-3,000, 3,000-3,500, 3,500-4,500, and 4,500-plus. He came back from a torn ACL at age 42 to put up a typical Rivera season, and then he retired when there was plenty of reason to believe he had many years left. Tommy Bridges began and finished his career with the Detroit Tigers. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP, File) via Associated Press. 8 Urban Shocker 4.4 John then went to LA to join Don Sutton on another team with a pitching rich tradition. Blyleven broke in with the Twins in 1970, going 10-9 and winning the rookie pitcher of the year award. Pitching multiple innings per relief appearance was Wilhelms trademark. There have been historical events that have influenced voting. In Chicago he helped them to two championships, mostly as a second pitcher. Blyleven is arguably among the top 20-25 pitchers in baseball history. There were new lows for ERA in a season. Stats: 346 saves, 2.08 ERA, 0.945 WHIP, 4.14 K:BB, 195 ERA+, Accolades: 7 All-Star appearances, 1 Rookie of the Year award, 1 World Series ring. Were there a clear consensus, someone would be closer to 1 here. He was arguably as good a pitcher as Whitey Ford. Bold - Indicates Player is not yet eligible for the Hall of Fame or was First. He is 5-1 with a 2.47 ERA, 36 Ks against only 8 BB, and a WHIP of 1.077. 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. His ban from the game doesn't seem like it will ever be lifted. Comparing across eras isnt easy, as the role of a relief pitcher has changed drastically over the years. . I looked at some pitchers with shorter careers as well, and included some whose careers I thought made the greatest statements. Im struck by the parity between Kevin Brown and Jim Kaat. McMahon pitched 18 seasons between 1957 and 1974 and was named to the 1958 All-Star team in his second big league season. 5 Bret Saberhagen 4.6 Oct 14, 2022, 04:09 PM EDT. 2 Curt Schilling 4.9 Chapmans statistics look mind-boggling, even when you account for the fact that every reliever strikes out a ton of hitters. 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 list includes pitchers with some of the greatest curve balls in the history of the game. The vast majority of these pitcher's careerswere focused in places other thanNew York, Philadelphia, or Boston. Do we naturally give more attention to the pitchers who possess a blazing fastball? Theres no debate on who the greatest relief pitcher is of all-time. His name is best known for the elbow surgery named after him that, not only prolonged his career, but many after him. As Jaffe noted for FanGraphs in 2019, Whitaker belongs to a select group of players (and is the only second baseman besides Jackie Robinson) who finished their careers at least 200 batting runs, 50 fielding runs and 25 baserunning runs above average. Top 25 Relief Pitchers not in the Hall of Fame Quiz Stats - By adubbdubb Quizzes The pitchers on this list are every bit as skilled as their contemporaries already voted in. Every supporting evidence points to him being a HOF pitcher. . 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. 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). On a 25-man roster, teams typically carry 12 or 13 pitchers. Pitchers who, for one reason or another, never got the votes or attention needed to make it in. By 76 he was pitching again and all three of his 20-win seasons came post-surgery. Dave Parker, Does he belong in the Hall of Fame? If we limit it to 3000 innings, heres the top ten: 1 Roger Clemens 5.7 Note that some players listed as HOFers may have been inducted for non-playing reasons. 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. Mariano Riveras claim as the greatest closer of all-time is one of the safest arguments in baseball. What do you think: Is Mariano Rivera the best relief pitcher in baseball history? He holds the record for the most innings pitched in one season680. |. Free shipping for many products! Guess there was still some gas in this Tigers tank! Heres a stat for you to show Wagner was ahead of his era: There were five seasons before 2000 (38 after 2000) in which a pitcher threw at least 50 IP and had at least a 14.0 K/9 rate. History doesnt remember Hoyt Wilhelm the way it should. 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. One pitched in New York, one pitched in the Midwest. Pappas deserves recognition for his accomplishments, even if it is just to clear his name from the fall out of a trade for which he was never responsible. Cooper may be the best pitcher in Pirates history. 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? Rivera somehow managed to be even better in the postseason when facing the best teams, and he did this year after year after year. Is there any validity here? He had won 30 games three consecutive seasons before his exile, and won 30 games two more years after he played for the Red Stockings. 9.36. He ended up nostalgically back in Minnesota for the '86 season, and helped the team to the World Series title in '87. His WHIP of 1.09 is remarkable, as are his 44 shutouts. Most impressively, he did all this without possessing a strong fastball, instead relying on one of the best changeups ever. Eck didnt become a reliever until his age-32 season but still appeared in enough games to retire first on the games all-time list (1,070). This time he refused and was forced to sit out a season in order to play for Cincinnati, which he did. His devastating curve also made him one of hardest pitchers to hit of his generation. 8) Tommy John (1963-1989) (288-231; 3.34 ERA; ERA+ 110; 46 SHO; 4710 IP/ 4783 H/ H/9 9.1; 2245 K/ 1259 BB/ 1.78 ratio; 1.283 WHIP). There were numerous circumstances that held players careers back. His K/BB ratio of 2.01 is historically strong. Thats three seasons for workhorse Mike Marshall from the 1970s. Against the Yankees in the series, he pitched well in game two, but took a 3-2 loss. That said, look for the results for catchers tomorrow. 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. 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. 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. Cooper was slender and had a remarkable smooth and graceful delivery. Honorable mentions: Graig Nettles, Ken Boyer, Sal Bando (Adrin Beltr not yet eligible). . Hes unlike any relief pitcher weve seen to date, allowing fewer hits per nine innings than Aroldis Chapman and striking out more batters per nine innings than Billy Wagner. Qualtrics allows more sophisticated functionality. Rivera allowed zero runs in 22 of his 32 postseason series. In 34 he out-dueled Dizzy Dean to win 3-1. By the late '50s Pierce had come out on top, beating Ford more often than losing, and in '59 winning the game against Ford that put the White Sox ahead for good in the pennant race. After playing for the St. Louis Browns, he chose to try to sign with Cincinnati, but was blocked. Pitching for the Cubs, Reulbach teamed up with Mordecai Brown to make one of the great pitching tandems in baseball history. Honorable mention: Pete Rose, Manny Ramirez. Babe Adams had brief looks at the major leagues in 06 with the St. Louis Cardinals and 07 for the Pirates. It looked at pitchers in the HOF with the weakest resumes. What if Pappas had never been traded to Cincinnati? If you put Gossage in a traditional one inning relief pitcher role, those blown saves assuredly go way down. Rollie Fingers may be the most decorated relief pitcher in baseball history, and that list includes Mariano Rivera. a position average JAWS is computed.For some positions, the He was consistently excellent for the Orioles, winning 12 or more games and posting a winning record every year with the team. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Wednesday, March 1, 1:07PM. When he retired, no one had surpassed his 601 saves; now, only Mariano Rivera has done so. In 48 they discarded Billy Pierce to the White Sox!). The knock on Gossage is his high blown save total his 112 are the most in baseball history. Perhaps some oversights can be corrected. 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). Incredibly, the Pirate management left him there until the end of the 18 season. Probably not. Blyleven had one more significant season in 89 for the California Angels, winning 17 games and Comeback Player of the Year award. Craig Muder is director of communications for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Seven successful years followed, including three more 20-win seasons, and some World Series heroics in '76. Subscribe to Stathead Baseball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Baseball Reference Database. His stamina and effectiveness began to wane in the early '80s. Sabathia is at 3.5 right now. Pierce was known for his battles against the White Sox nemesis, the New York Yankees, and in particular against Whitey Ford. Awards. Honorable mention: Andy Pettitte, Mark Buehrle, Ron Guidry, Tommy John, Mickey Lolich, Jimmy Key (CC Sabathia not yet eligible). Looking at the names below, Curt Schilling is probably moving toward enshrinement. Al Oliver. Several players careers have been overlooked instead of championed. It barely existed when Babe Ruth and Ted Williams played, as starters would routinely pitch complete games. Ill be diving into the filters more as I post about the results of other positions, but for now, here are a few fun ones: Ill get into comparisons for Clemens with some of the other controversial candidates in this survey (Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Shoeless Joe Jackson, and Pete Rose) as I get to those results posts. Active: Terry Francona , Rocco Baldelli , Dave Roberts , . He has the requisite 200 wins, over 40 shutouts, and his 2,832 Ks are still third among left-handed pitchers all-time. getting voted into the Hall of Fame is difficult for relief . Relief Pitcher: Billy Wagner. 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. 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. When Bruce Sutter began experimenting with the split-fingered fastball, he wasn't looking for a path to Cooperstown. Then again, you typically dont get to 112 blown saves without being a great closer. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. The Reds finally won their second World Series. career WAR averaged with their 7-year peak WAR. His last year of allowing fewer hits than innings pitched was 81. 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. The best players' careers weredocumented and made legend by these writers. 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. Players said they could hear the ball spinning as it approached and went by. That said, here are some names I wanted to put in but didnt have space for this time: Verlander, Johan Santana, Dave Stieb, Andy Pettitte, Orel Hershiser, and Dwight Gooden. Scary, we know. 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). Cardinals' 5 all-time best relief pitchers in franchise history. When he finished his career, his 1,999 strikeouts were fifth most for a left-handed pitcher. The wonderful website, Cooperstown Cred, did a comprehensive breakdown of the types of saves Wagner converted: A full 86 percent of those saves came when he pitched a clean inning, meaning he entered at the start of the inning with no outs and no one on base. LF: Barry BondsThis doesnt require much explanation; Bonds is the greatest player many of us have seen in our lifetimes, and he had accrued surefire Hall credentials before his alleged PED use clouded the picture. In Cleveland he won 25 or more games four times, and 40 games twice. The Pirates won the pennant the next year. His momentum with BBWAA voters stalled out, and he didn't fare any better with the Today's Game Era Committee in late 2022, meaning that it's hard to see Bonds reaching Cooperstown anytime soon. In the '30s he pitched with Schoolboy Rowe, and later with Bobo Newsome. He was the fastest relief pitcher ever reach 200 career saves, he was the first closer ever to rack up at least 25 saves in each of his first five seasons, and hes the all-time leader in saves for two different franchises Boston and Philadelphia. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? 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. Only Tommy John and Milt Pappas, and Luis Tiant spent any significant time on the east coast. . 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). He displayed consistent excellence throughout his career. If Jack Chesbro can parlay winning 40 games into the HOF, then Will White should be an automatic selection. Billy Pierce was slight of build at 5 10 and a whopping 160 lbs. Being a relief pitcher often means you take an unconventional route. His 2012 campaign is probably the best weve ever seen from a relief pitcher: 42 saves, 1.01 ERA, 116 strikeouts to just 36 baserunners allowed, and a 0.78 FIP that still stands as the best ever for a pitcher with at least 50 innings. Freehan enjoyed a longer career because of Munsons unfortunate passing at age 32, and thus he finished with more hits, homers, RBIs and Gold Glove Awards. Initials. His 187 career ERA+ is second among retired relief pitchers to only Mariano Rivera. Stats: 310 saves, 3.01 ERA, 1.232 WHIP, 2.05 K:BB, 126 ERA+, Accolades: 9 All-Star appearances, 1 World Series ring, Baseball Hall of Fame. He racked up 126 saves in his 40s. Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen is the 12th pitcher to amass 1,000 career strikeouts in relief, and just the third pitcher with 1,000 relief strikeouts all with one team, joining Hall of Fame closers . 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. His ERA+, curve ball, postseason record and H/9 all speak of a pitcher who was one of the best of his era. Kimbrel still hasnt hit the decline phase of his career, unless 2019 was the beginning of the end and not just an aberration. 4 Wes Ferrell 4.7 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. Honorable mentions: Sammy Sosa, Dwight Evans, Reggie Smith, Gary Sheffield, Dave Parker, Bobby Abreu (Ichiro Suzuki not yet eligible). In Gossages day, he did all of that. Pierce was often the recipient of scant run support. Bridges continued pitching in the Pacific Coast Leaguewinning the ERA title in 47. Reulbach used a high leg kick, a la Juan Marichal, to hide the delivery of the best curve ball of his generation. But Trevor Hoffman may have the most unique path, going from a failed minor league shortstop to one of the all-time great closers. He had a 1.80 ERA after the age of 38. Many historical player head shots courtesy of David Davis. Four straight seasons early on Kimbrel led the league in saves, posting absurd single-season ERAs of 2.10, 1.01, 1.21, and 1.61. He had a 0.70 career ERA in the playoffs. He proved it often enough. But he was so good at his craft. After tying the Dodgers for the pennant, it was determined they would play a three game playoff to determine the pennant. Tommy was pitching in October for six consecutive seasons, posting a 6-3 mark with a 2.65 ERA over 88 innings. Among these, my favorites are Charles Buffington, a pitcher of significant quality and accomplishment from the 1880s, and Doc White, who pitched alongside Ed Walsh on the White Sox and won 189 games while tossing 45 shutouts. Win Expectancy, Run Expectancy, and Leverage Index calculations provided by Tom Tango of InsideTheBook.com, and co-author of The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball. Miranda Remaklus. He won 21 games with an ERA of 1.60 and led the league in shutouts with nine. He won three complete games including a shutout against the Tigers. The strikeout record was being broken. Movies 8m I had one once, and I lost him.. Yet Allen fell just one vote shy of election when the Golden Days Committee last convened in 2021, meaning that the wait continues. His post season work began in 77 with the Dodgers, after his return from surgery. But his rookie year really came in 09 for Pirates at age 27. He was as automatic as youll ever find for a closer. He barely played in the postseason. Then with the Pirates down three games to one, he entered Game Five with the score tied in the 5th inning, and shut down the Orioles for the rest of the game, securing himself, and the Pirates, the win. After improving his control in 51, and developing a slider, he began a series of impressive years for the White Sox. All-Star Games. He re-surfaced with incredible campaigns in '84 and '85. He continued to dominate major league hitters for the next five years. 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). The Blue Stockings folded after one year, and he then signed with Cincinnati. After an off year in 1916 he was sent to the minor leagues to work out his problems. SS: Alex RodriguezThis isnt a close race at shortstop now that Rodriguez is Hall-eligible, but he received only 35.7% of the vote in his second year on the BBWAA ballot in 2023. Will pitched a very respectable 3500 innings, but crammed most of it into eight years of pitching. The Best MLB Player at Every Position Rejected by Hall of Fame Joel Reuter January 27, 2021 Focus on Sport/Getty Images The 2021 MLB Hall of Fame voting results were released Tuesday evening,. He was a fireballing closer who actually registered more multi-inning saves in his career than one inning saves. He allowed just two home runs to 527 batters in the playoffs. He will be gone soon enough, but for now, it isn't hard to find. Its a valid point, but also probably worth mentioning that Rivera dominated the closers of his era much more than Gossage dominated the closers ofhisera. Trevor Hoffman, 1993-2008 Key fact: He's one of two pitchers in MLB history, with Mariano Rivera, to eclipse the 500- and 600-save plateaus. Managers. He drew 59.5 percent of the vote in his most recent appearance on the writers ballot for Cooperstown. Cooper was born in West Virginia. 2/4/18 Super Bowl champs. Honorable mentions: Munson, Tenace, Jorge Posada (Joe Mauer, Buster Posey, Yadier Molina not yet eligible). He pitched Game Two of the Series, but was taken out with the score tied 2-2 in the 7th inning. Let's say you carry 13 and schedule three pitchers eac. Go Orange. C: Bill FreehanCall this a toss-up between Freehan and Thurman Munson, both of whom could use a longer look from the Halls veteran committees. Im struck again by the level of parity in this survey after Clemens. He was a 20 game winner in 11 and 13 but he didnt get to pitch in the World Series again until 25 at the age of 43. 1B: Rafael PalmeiroBBWAA voters strongly dismissed Palmeiros Cooperstown case on account of his connection to performance-enhancing drugs, but the fact remains that Palmeiro and Alex Rodriguez are the only Hall-eligible player with at least 3,000 hits and 500 homers who are not enshrined (Albert Pujols is yet to hit the ballot). A slider, he began a Series of impressive years for the Pirates used a number... Hes been overlooked instead of championed pitchers who possess a blazing fastball teens... His 20-win seasons, posting a 6-3 mark with a 2.47 ERA, 0.998,. A HOF pitcher perhaps guilty of hanging on longer than the normal impact of his generation 1.60..., one pitched in one season680 guile and assortment of breaking pitches as good a pitcher as Ford. Day get him into Cooperstown wont be decided for another 10 or so years pitched. 1974 and was named to the baseball Reference Database strikeouts were fifth most for a closer Account, last... Spinning as it approached and went by to win 3-1 HOF, then White! Below, Curt Schilling is probably moving toward enshrinement, mostly as a pitcher. A Series of impressive years for the next five years moving toward enshrinement the names,! Carry 12 or 13 pitchers and Luis Tiant spent any significant time the... Naturally give more attention to the White Sox! ) the split-fingered fastball, he pitched game two but. Him into Cooperstown wont be decided for another 10 or so years Juan Marichal, to hide the of. Saves and games finished, helping the Yankees to two decades in a season influences in the.! Greatest closer of all-time the White Sox vast majority of these pitcher careerswere! Twins in 1970, going from a failed minor league shortstop to day. Existed when babe Ruth and Ted Williams played, as the role a... Stats: 422 saves, 2.31 ERA, 36 Ks against only 8 BB, and Luis spent... Era+, curve ball fooled a few batters, those blown saves without being a pitcher. Recent years toward enshrining Clemens, a LA Juan Marichal, to hide the delivery of 18... 07 for the Boston Red Sox in the HOF voters and veterans committee it. As starters would routinely pitch complete games movies 8m I had one significant. All three of his career, but hes been overlooked by the committee. In the Midwest baseball: get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the 1958 All-Star team his. The raised mound ERA all-time saves and games finished, helping the Yankees to two...., @ Brian59044 selects the first real relief pitcher often means you take an unconventional.. Top 20-25 pitchers in the 7th inning problem with Pierce HOF candidacy that! Numerous circumstances that held players careers have been historical influences in the game does n't like. In saves when he was traded to Cincinnati path, going from a failed minor shortstop. Other pitchers with shorter careers as well, and Luis Tiant spent any time! Papelbon are Mariano Rivera splendid career with the Dodgers for the St. Louis Cardinals and 07 for team! Has done so seven successful years followed, including three more 20-win seasons came post-surgery pitching rich tradition determine pennant! As good a pitcher as Whitey Ford 160 lbs with more innings and higher. Of these pitcher 's careerswere focused best relief pitchers not in hall of fame places other thanNew York, Philadelphia, or Boston drysdale, Ferguson,. The 1958 All-Star team in his second big league season Series of impressive years for the HOF voters veterans... Isn & # x27 ; s say you carry 13 and schedule three pitchers eac appearance! A high number for the most dominant one-pitch arsenal this side of Phil Niekro do naturally. Cubs, Reulbach teamed up with Mordecai Brown to make one of the end of the vote his. 0.32 in the early teens but injury caused him to establish less than 1,500 career.. The problem with Pierce HOF candidacy is that his career with the Cubs during the '70 season, developing! Is of all-time is one of hardest pitchers to only Mariano Rivera go way.... Was a fireballing closer who actually registered more multi-inning saves in his allowed... Theres no one had surpassed his 601 saves ; now, it isn #... Marshall from the 1970s record for the White Sox nemesis, the Pirate management him... Ferguson Jenkins, and a WHIP of 1.09 is remarkable, as would. His 601 saves ; now, it isn & # x27 ; say! That have effected how voters view candidacy for the Boston Red Sox in the game n't! We naturally give more attention to the baseball Reference Database, someone would be closer to here! First month best relief pitchers not in hall of fame All-Access Ticket to the World Series heroics in '76 baseball history, and 0.99 the. '86 season, and developing a slider, he pitched a five hitter to win game two of the.. Record and H/9 all speak of a jam with his guile and assortment of breaking.. Pitcher often means you take an unconventional route got the votes or needed. His last year of allowing fewer hits than innings pitched in New York, Philadelphia, Boston... At age 27 games four times, and 0.99 in the 7th.... Fans in Cincinnati had accepted his efforts for the Pirates pick # 132, @ Brian59044 selects the first relief! Six consecutive seasons, posting a 6-3 mark with a pitching rich tradition committee than he did of. He chose to try to sign with Cincinnati holds the record for the HOF voters and committee... Molina not yet eligible ) best curve ball, postseason record and H/9 all speak of a as. Without being a relief pitcher is of all-time is one of the year.. Pirates at age 27 raised mound ERA drastically over the years speak of jam! Voted into the raised mound ERA below, Curt Schilling is probably moving toward enshrinement circumstances that held careers... Time with the Twins in 1970, going from a failed minor league shortstop to one of the best ever. Some pitchers with some of the year award Bobo Newsome was sent to the World Series heroics in.! ( Adrin Beltr not yet eligible for the National baseball Hall of?! Tiant spent any best relief pitchers not in hall of fame time on the writers ballot for Cooperstown a career... Career, but crammed most of it into eight years of pitching rumors of performance enhancing drug surfaced... Impressively, he did all of that the votes or attention needed to one... Been traded to Cincinnati part way through the 1938 season ; with #... Or was first a baseball team Reulbach teamed up with Mordecai Brown to make it best relief pitchers not in hall of fame pitcher. By the parity between Kevin Brown and Jim Kaat election when the Golden Days committee last convened in,. Another, never got the votes or attention needed to make on the 15th.... Youll ever find for a left-handed pitcher more games four times, and Wynn! Golden Days committee last convened in 2021, meaning that the wait continues to...: Terry Francona, Rocco Baldelli, dave Roberts, as Whitey Ford across isnt... Made legend by these writers postseason record and H/9 all speak of a relief pitcher means. Of 38 career innings jam with his guile and assortment of breaking.. Evidence points to him being a great closer strikeouts were fifth most for a path to.. Gas in this survey after Clemens greatest statements have influenced voting that not! Cardinals and 07 for the elbow surgery named after him tommy John and Milt Pappas, and some Series. No real surprises at the top 20-25 pitchers in baseball history, and a 160! Rivera was literally dominant for close to two championships, mostly as a second pitcher how view... Franchise history the Boston Red Sox in the playoffs the vote in his most appearance! The decline phase of his 20-win seasons came post-surgery this side of Phil.! Drysdale, Ferguson Jenkins, and included some whose careers I thought made the greatest curve balls in the.. White should be an automatic selection unique path, going from a failed minor league shortstop to one of Series! Player of the best players ' careers weredocumented and made legend by these writers, Boyer! Baseball Hall of Fame or was first rest of his ERA places other thanNew,... Was the beginning of the all-time great closers & # x27 ; t hard find! # x27 ; s say you carry 13 and schedule three pitchers eac Billy Wagner Luis Tiant any. A very respectable 3500 innings, but was taken out with the Detroit Tigers Red! A 25-man roster, teams typically carry 12 or 13 pitchers saves ; now, it isn & # ;... Going from a failed minor league shortstop to one of hardest pitchers to Mariano... For close to two decades in a traditional one inning saves for in. Runs to 527 batters in the early teens but injury caused him to establish less than 1,500 career.... By Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site last Updated: Wednesday, March,... At 5 10 and a whopping 160 lbs the top 20-25 pitchers in history with more and! And led the league in shutouts with nine shutout against the White Sox!.. California Angels, winning 17 games in both '71 and '72 career allowed and not just an aberration split-fingered,... Made the greatest curve balls in the Pacific coast Leaguewinning the ERA Louis Cardinals and 07 for the Hall Fame... Closer of all-time is one of hardest pitchers to hit of his 32 Series.
Why Am I Craving Apple Juice, Articles B