He pitched at the height of the live ball era on and against some of the greatest offensive teams ever gathered. Tommy John is perhaps guilty of hanging on longer than the normal impact of his career allowed. Most impressively, he did all this without possessing a strong fastball, instead relying on one of the best changeups ever. There were new lows for ERA in a season. Starting RHP: Roger ClemensSeven Cy Young Awards, two pitching Triple Crowns, an AL MVP Award and the third-most strikeouts in history give Clemens a claim to best pitcher of all-time, and just like Bonds, he likely had a Hall of Fame rsum before he began his alleged use of PEDs. Craig Muder is director of communications for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. One of the top relievers of the decade, Lyle was acquired from the Red Sox in March 1972 and recorded a 2.41 ERA (148 ERA+) in New York, tallying 141 saves and finishing 348 games. Scary, we know. Mariano Rivera was a failed starter. This list includes pitchers with some of the greatest curve balls in the history of the game. He faced Ford 15 times in his career and went 7-7. But Beltrn gets the slight edge, given his enviable combination of power (435 homers), speed (312 steals), defense (three Gold Gloves) and postseason heroics. He was the second great Latin pitcher, following Juan Marichal. Wilbur Cooper and Babe Adams have likewise been missed. The greatest relief pitchers of all time include some of the best current MLB players, as well as some legends who are already in the baseball hall of fame. He led the league in wins in 36 with 23, but also led the league in strikeouts and games started twice. 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. 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. 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). But even Michael Jordan missed game-winning shots. He led the league in ERA+ and shutouts (nine) in '73, but didnt get the attention he deserved for the Cy Young award. After winning 20 games in '24, the Pirates traded him to the Cubs. His 287 wins are certainly HOF material with any historical perspective. Tony Mullane was an Irish born major league player known for pitching with both handssometimes in the same game. His alleged involvement in the Black Sox Scandal cut his careers short and has prevented him from being inducted in the Hall of Fame. 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. 5) Billy Pierce (1945-1964) (3.27 ERA; ERA+ 119; 38 SHO; 3,306 IP/ 2,989 H/ 8.1 H/9; 1,999 K/ 1178 BB/ 1.70 ratio; 1.260 WHIP). 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. He was voted the league MVP as the Reds won the pennant. 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. 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. He is perhaps best known for his performance in the 68 series, pitching three complete game victories, and facing down Bob Gibson in game seven. Decade-plus Eagles writer. Voters have three years of his eligibility left to get it right. He really was unhittable. Chapmans statistics look mind-boggling, even when you account for the fact that every reliever strikes out a ton of hitters. 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. Full-year historical Major League statistics provided by Pete Palmer and Gary Gillette of Hidden Game Sports. Some defensive statistics Copyright Sports Info Solutions, 2010-2023. Blyleven toiled long and hard for the Twins in the 70s. But whos the second best relief pitcher ever? Fingers career ERA+ of 120 is lower than youd expect (24th among 30 closers with at least 300+ saves). However, after a year and a half out of military service, the Tigers were impatient for him to regain his form. 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 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. Will White played the majority of his career in Cincinnati for the Reds of the National League and Red Stockings of the American Association. Stats: 422 saves, 2.31 ERA, 0.998 WHIP, 3.99 K:BB, 187ERA+. He has the requisite 200 wins, over 40 shutouts, and his 2,832 Ks are still third among left-handed pitchers all-time. Honorable mention: Nathan, Papelbon, Rodrguez, Keith Foulke, Tom Gordon, Tom Henke, Firpo Marberry, Troy Percival, Kent Tekulve, John Wetteland. Honorable mentions: Sammy Sosa, Dwight Evans, Reggie Smith, Gary Sheffield, Dave Parker, Bobby Abreu (Ichiro Suzuki not yet eligible). He displayed consistent excellence throughout his career. He barely played in the postseason. He drew 59.5 percent of the vote in his most recent appearance on the writers ballot for Cooperstown. He led the league in innings pitched, complete games, and strikeouts in '85. Relief LHP: Billy Wagner Among 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). His WHIP of 1.09 is remarkable, as are his 44 shutouts. By adubbdubb Plays - /5 - RATE QUIZ MORE INFO Classic Best Score? In Cleveland he won 25 or more games four times, and 40 games twice. Luis Tiant was born in Cuba and his father was a famous pitcher for the Cuban national team. 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. Research is still ongoing and well continue to publish updates as more information becomes available. Cooper was born in West Virginia. HOF - Indicates Player is a Hall of Famer. 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. Feb 11, 2023. He was a great situation pitcher, and knew how to get out of a jam with his guile and assortment of breaking pitches. 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. Jim McCormick was the first Scottish born major league player. John's pitching exploits began in Chicago where he was part of the stingiest pitching staffs ever compiled. He was consistently good, winning 14 or more games 11 consecutive years, 6474. More about data coverage. The committee found Charles Radbourn early on in their process in '39, but where were Tim Keefe ('63) and John Clarkson ('64)? Hes insanely dominant against both righties and lefties as well. Honorable mentions: Kent, Bobby Grich (Chase Utley not yet eligible). 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 racked up 126 saves in his 40s. Top 25 Relief Pitchers not in the Hall of Fame Quiz Stats - By adubbdubb Quizzes Bridges had the most awesome drop off the table curve ball of his era. 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. Honorable mentions: Bill Dahlen, Omar Vizquel, Jimmy Rollins, Nomar Garciaparra, Miguel Tejada, Jim Fregosi. 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). It's fitting that Smoltz, Maddux, and Tom Glavine came back-to-back-to-back on this list, because for over a decade . Even if you dont like him (hand raised here), Jonathan Papelbon was Hall of Fame worthy dominant for his career. His post season work began in 77 with the Dodgers, after his return from surgery. 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). 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]. Wagner has rapidly gained BBWAA support in recent years, rising to 68.1% in 2023, which gives him a good shot to crack the 75% mark over his two remaining ballots. 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? The Worst Pitchers in the HOF: Searching for Historys Bottom Line. 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. Oct 14, 2022, 04:09 PM EDT. Cooper may be the best pitcher in Pirates history. 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 Tigers were focused on a youth movement after the war. What if Milt Pappas had not been traded to Cincinnati? Players said they could hear the ball spinning as it approached and went by. In fact, from 1905 through 1909 his H/9 never reached 7.0. Bucky began his big league career as a third baseman in Boston for the Braves in '31. But Trevor Hoffman may have the most unique path, going from a failed minor league shortstop to one of the all-time great closers. There have been historical events that have influenced voting. Despite his size, he had quite a delivery, with a high leg kick and dropping his back shoulder. What if Pappas had never been traded to Cincinnati? From 1939-1946 Walters accumulated totals led the major leagues in wins, innings pitched; 2,030, complete games; 178, and ERA. 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. 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. Will pitched a very respectable 3500 innings, but crammed most of it into eight years of pitching. 10) Mickey Lolich (1963-1979) (217-191; 3.44 ERA; ERA+ 105; 41 SHO; 3,638 IP/ 3,366 H/ 8.3 H/9; 2,832 K/ 1,099 BB/ 2.58 K/BB ratio; 1.227 WHIP). He threw 33 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings in October ball. He broke in going 123 with an exceptional 1.11 ERA on a staff that included Vic Willis at the end of his career. Stats: 368 saves, 2.44 ERA, 1.043 WHIP, 4.37 K:BB, 177 ERA+. "Billy the Kid was part of the Tigers post-war youth movement, getting a look with the club at age 18 in 45. 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. Answer (1 of 5): I honestly think that some manager should try it. 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. Part of this is probably due to the distraction of the war years. He won 22 games the next year, leading the Reds back to the World Series. Seven relief pitchers are over 10.0three of those seven are already in the Hall (Goose, Fingers, Wilhelm) and one more is a shoo-in when he gets on the ballot. With quick succession he sold or traded them to other teams. There are seventh inning guys, lefty specialists, setup men, long relievers, and traditional closers. But he will face the same hurdles as Bonds, Clemens and Sosa thanks to multiple transgressions with performance-enhancing drugs that included over a year-long suspension from baseball from 2013-14. then in Boston. He began his career with the Cleveland Indians in '64, and established himself as an effective pitcher with lots of stuff. After a down year and a couple of years dealing with injury, he ended up in Boston where he re-invented himself in '72. I should add that unlike most of the other positions in this survey, it was difficult to get the list of pitchers down to 10 names. His 187 career ERA+ is second among retired relief pitchers to only Mariano Rivera. Kaat is at 2.3, nowhere near HoF level. Historically, pitchers like Red Ruffing, Red Faber, Ted Lyons, Eppa Rixey, and Burleigh Grimes are in the HOF mostly because of their win totals. Would Santana have gotten enough votes to clear the 75% threshold for election? His fastball had lots of movement and a darting action. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. Its time the veterans committee woke up and realized he should also be in baseballs HOF, good looks aside. He is first all-time in saves (652) and ERA+ (205). (I cant imagine that happening todayleaving the potential ace of your staff in the minors for 50-plus decisions after he had shown his form had returned?). Rollie Fingers may be the most decorated relief pitcher in baseball history, and that list includes Mariano Rivera. batting or pitching WAR are used in determining the averages at a given Four pitchers in the HOF fall into this categoryDizzy Dean, Lefty Gomez, Sandy Koufax, and Addie Joss. Follow Cody Swartz on Twitter (@cbswartz5). 2 Johan Santana 5.1 12) Milt Pappas (1957-1973) (209-164; 3.40 Era; ERA+ 110; 43 SHO; 3186 IP/ 3046 H/ H/9 8.6; 1728 K/ 858 BB/ 2.01 ratio; 1.225 WHIP). He was consistently excellent for the Orioles, winning 12 or more games and posting a winning record every year with the team. The Pirates went on to win the game. Blyleven broke in with the Twins in 1970, going 10-9 and winning the rookie pitcher of the year award. Rivera trails only Trevor Hoffman in all-time saves and has perhaps the most dominant one-pitch arsenal this side of Phil Niekro. In an era when everyone posts gaudy relief statistics, the trick is figuring out how rare and special Wagner really was. Or what if the fans in Cincinnati had accepted his efforts for the team? He would have been part of the best pitching staffs in historyPappas was still pitching great in '71 and '72. There were numerous circumstances that held players careers back. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. We present them here for purely educational purposes. He was scouted by Hal Newhowser, who encouraged him to sign with the Orioles. 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)? Thisresearch should give us a framework to look within for our best pitchers not in the HOF. I will be presenting the results here of the survey over the next week or so, going position by position. 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. Detroit lists Bridges and Lolich. Cardinals' 5 all-time best relief pitchers in franchise history. measure a player's Hall of Fame worthiness. Bucky wasnt done there. They have been treated very differently by baseball writers voting for the HOF. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. McCormick was a pitcher of high quality who won 265 games. The ballot just isnt that strong over the next few years. He wasnt perfect think of the Luis Gonzalez walkoff single in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series. 8 Chuck Finley 3.7 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 Chapman has the shaky control you might expect from someone who throws so hard, but the fact that hes allowed just a .233 career slugging percentage is unfathomable. But there are pitchers whose careers have fallen through the cracks. Pierce accomplishments, although very worthy, were overlooked because of the change of era. Pitchers who, for one reason or another, never got the votes or attention needed to make it in. Four pitchers in the HOF fall into this categoryDizzy Dean, Lefty Gomez, Sandy Koufax, and Addie Joss. Bold - Indicates Player is not yet eligible for the Hall of Fame or was First. Its much easier to pitch one scoreless inning than to face the full lineup once or even twice. He has been overlooked by the veterans committee. 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. 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. JAWS (Jaffe WAR Score Cooper struggled as a Cub and finished his career by '26. Warneke has more shutouts, a better K/BB ratio, and a better WHIP. 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. His 2.41 K/BB ratio is exceptional as well. The Go-Go White Sox of the period scored few runs. Thats three seasons for workhorse Mike Marshall from the 1970s. He was consistently excellent, winning between 15-20 games five consecutive years, and striking out between 219-258 batters for six consecutive years. Stats: 601 saves, 2.87 ERA, 1.058 WHIP, 3.69 K:BB, 141 ERA+, Accolades: 7 All-Star appearances, Baseball Hall of Fame. Do you have a sports website? Career: 16 years (1995-2010) Teams: Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves. So with a lack of a real statistical standout, how about Quiz? They all pitched in New York. Beginning in August of 52, Pierce went 21-21 against the Yankees, whom he faced more than any other team. He was the first player to wear glasses while he played. On a 25-man roster, teams typically carry 12 or 13 pitchers. there are differing levels of greatness and acclaim. The players who dominated, not just for a season or two, but for years. 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