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). And he never got a single Cy Young vote. But he was so good at his craft. Bold - Indicates Player is not yet eligible for the Hall of Fame or was First. Four of them (Harold Baines, Edgar Martinez, David Ortiz and Frank Thomas) are already in the Hall following Big Papis election in 2022, while Nelson Cruz remains active. He barely played in the postseason. 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. Lofton and Andruw Jones still have compelling arguments here, with Lofton's particularly acute given that he went one and done on a crowded ballot in 2013. Bert Blyleven was born in the Netherlands, but grew up in California. Sabathia is at 3.5 right now. He continued to dominate major league hitters for the next five years. Pierce was often the recipient of scant run support. Drysdale, Ferguson Jenkins, and Early Wynn are the other pitchers with 49 shutouts, and all are in the HOF. On a 25-man roster, teams typically carry 12 or 13 pitchers. There have been historical events that have influenced voting. From 1939 to 1947, while only Rogers Hornsby was elected, the veteran's committee was busy reconstructing 60+ years of baseball history to find those who belonged in the HOF. However, Smokey Joe Wood is not among those pitchers given a bye for the length of their careers. He led the league in ERA+ and shutouts (nine) in '73, but didnt get the attention he deserved for the Cy Young award. Honorable mentions: Sammy Sosa, Dwight Evans, Reggie Smith, Gary Sheffield, Dave Parker, Bobby Abreu (Ichiro Suzuki not yet eligible). The latest in the sports world, emailed daily. Bridges continued pitching in the Pacific Coast Leaguewinning the ERA title in 47. He was as automatic as youll ever find for a closer. Many historical player head shots courtesy of David Davis. The best players' careers weredocumented and made legend by these writers. But Beltrn gets the slight edge, given his enviable combination of power (435 homers), speed (312 steals), defense (three Gold Gloves) and postseason heroics. I challenge the veterans committee to take a good look at the pitchers whose careers have been bypassed for the honor of induction to the HOF. 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). 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). 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 . He featured a low three-quarters delivery that made it hard for left-handed batters to pick up the ball. After winning 20 games in '24, the Pirates traded him to the Cubs. He pitched in both the Cubs World Series appearances in '32 and '35, going 2-1 with a 2.63 ERA. He won 22 games the next year, leading the Reds back to the World Series. He simply does not have the statistics or the longevity. 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. 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. Mariano Rivera was a failed starter. Stats: 652 saves, 2.21 ERA, 1.000 WHIP, 4.10 K:BB, 205 ERA+. What if Lon Warnekes and Tommy Bridges careers had not been interrupted by WWII? Honorable mention: Pete Rose, Manny Ramirez. Studying the list of inductions, one has to wonder about the order in which some pitchers received their recognition. 9 Charlie Buffinton 3.7 His career K/BB ratio of 2.80 is also a mark of historical significance. Trevor Hoffman is getting a lot of love this year, and Lee Smith did really well by the voters . It also includes "Black" Sox pitcher Eddie Cicotte who is banned from baseball, and not eligible for the HOF. Literally, its very difficult to make an argument for any other pitcher. He is one of our all-time greats. 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. In fact, from 1905 through 1909 his H/9 never reached 7.0. 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. That leaves an even matchup between McRae and Don Baylor on the outside looking in. Top 25 Relief Pitchers not in the Hall of Fame Quiz Stats - By adubbdubb Quizzes 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. . Free shipping for many products! 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 , . This was accomplished in one season1879. The HOF process seemed uneven, and somewhat political. Fingers career ERA+ of 120 is lower than youd expect (24th among 30 closers with at least 300+ saves). It is not a stretch to believe he would have won thirty games the year he was forced to sit out in protest of the reserve clause. His 2.52 career ERA was the lowest by a pitcher with at least 2,000 innings pitched since Walter Johnson. Also, lets take a good look at our current candidate on this list and give him his due before it is too late, before the HOF voting body truly looks out of touch with what it takes to be in the Hall of Fame. Join our linker program. The Pirates won the pennant the next year. Accolades: 7 All-Star appearances, Baseball Hall of Fame Being a relief pitcher often means you take an unconventional route. Hes insanely dominant against both righties and lefties as well. (Scott Dine/St. He relented, signed with St. Louis, but they then shipped him off to the expansion Toledo Blue Stockings. Joe Nathan and Jonathan Papelbon both went one-and-done after falling shy of 5% of the BBWAA vote in their 22 ballot debuts. Reulbachs 97-39 record combined with Browns 114-42 for a 211-81 record over those five years. 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. Relief Pitcher: Billy Wagner. Bridges was gutsy and tough in the postseason. Another contemporary who made the HOF is Lefty Gomez. His control record surpasses even Christy Mathewson, Greg Maddux, and Pedro Martinez at their peaks. 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. 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. His post season work began in 77 with the Dodgers, after his return from surgery. The Worst Pitchers in the HOF: Searching for Historys Bottom Line. After tying the Dodgers for the pennant, it was determined they would play a three game playoff to determine the pennant. When Pierce retired, sportswriters were distracted with the manic accomplishments of Koufax, Marichal and Gibson. 6 Tim Hudson 3.8 Since the advent of the live ball in 1921, only four pitchers have 60 shutouts: Warren Spahn, Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver, and Bert Blyleven. He was a product of the more relaxed "Golden Years". What if Babe Adams hadnt been left to toil in the minor leagues for most of two seasons? Honorable mention: Nathan, Papelbon, Rodrguez, Keith Foulke, Tom Gordon, Tom Henke, Firpo Marberry, Troy Percival, Kent Tekulve, John Wetteland. But he was also just as accomplished a two-way catcher as the Yankees captain -- and just as revered a leader for the Tigers, too. 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). . The Arkansas Hummingbird pitched for the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals throughout his career. Sabermetrics lover. He was the best pitcher in the NL during his era. Initials. Honorable mentions: McGwire, Don Mattingly, Todd Helton (Pujols not yet eligible). He featured a sinking fastball and a curve, later known as a slider. JAWS (Jaffe WAR Score He holds the record for the most innings pitched in one season680. He held the career record in saves when he retired (341). His K/BB ratio of 2.01 is historically strong. 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. He was a significant figure from his era, and should not be punished for his stand against the reserve clause. 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. Cooper struggled as a Cub and finished his career by '26. The voting body has become skewed in their view of starting pitching in recent decades. Typically, in modern-day play, an active roster will consist of five starting pitchers, seven relief pitchers, two catchers, six infielders, and five outfielders. career WAR averaged with their 7-year peak WAR. 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. In '68 his career took off. Larry Anderson (1975-1994) 699 games, 995.1 innings pitched, 3.15 ERA, 18.2 K%, 121 ERA+ Paul Assenmacher (1986-1999) 884 games, 855.2 innings pitched, 3.53 ERA, 22.0 K%, 118 ERA+ Luis Ayala (2003-2013) 534 games, 554.1 innings pitched, 3.34 ERA, 15.7 K%, 129 ERA+ Grant Balfour (2001-2015) The vast majority of these pitcher's careerswere focused in places other thanNew York, Philadelphia, or Boston. In 1920, Adams gave up only 18 BB in 263 innings. Perhaps some oversights can be corrected. He led the NL in fewest H/9 and was second in WHIP, shutouts, and winning percentage. Even if you dont like him (hand raised here), Jonathan Papelbon was Hall of Fame worthy dominant for his career. 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. averages are skewed due to a lack of players at that position, so Or what if the fans in Cincinnati had accepted his efforts for the team? 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. Along with those pitchers, Ill evaluate others with a case to be considered among the 10 best ever, which can be broken into categories of the modern (Craig Kimbrel, Aroldis Chapman, Kenley Jansen, Francisco Rodriguez, Billy Wagner, and Joe Nathan), and the throwbacks (Sparky Lyle and Dan Quisenberry). 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. Al Oliver. 9 David Cone 4.3 To come up with this list I researched the best pitchers of each era. Relief RHP: Dan QuisenberryJust about every modern-day righty reliever who should be in the Hall is already there following Lee Smiths election in 2018. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. What if Bucky Walters had started his career in Cincinnati rather than struggling in Philadelphia? The knock against Wagner is that he got some easy saves throughout his career. McCormick was a pitcher of high quality who won 265 games. Rivera was literally dominant for close to two decades in a row. This was not a pitcher on his last legs! And its tough to ignore a frightening 10.13 ERA in the postseason. |. But like Bonds, Clemens did not have an easier time with the Todays Game Era Committee than he did with the BBWAA. In 34 he out-dueled Dizzy Dean to win 3-1. Blyleven had tremendous stuff on the ball: fastball, curve and change-up. Next came Cy Young. I attempted to rank the 10 best ever. Honorable mentions: Munson, Tenace, Jorge Posada (Joe Mauer, Buster Posey, Yadier Molina not yet eligible). He was the first pitcher who spent the majority of his career as a reliever to be elected to the Hall of Fame. Note that some players listed as HOFers may have been inducted for non-playing reasons. 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. In over 130 of his 390 starts for the team, they scored two or fewer runs. He represented the Tigers in three World Series against the Cardinals, Cubs and Reds in 34, 35 and 40. No real surprises at the top, I suppose. Wagner had three of them, and they came in three consecutive years (1997, 1998, and 1999). I looked at some pitchers with shorter careers as well, and included some whose careers I thought made the greatest statements. He was arguably as good a pitcher as Whitey Ford. 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. Everything is in line, but hes been overlooked by the veterans committee. 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. Cooper teamed up with Babe Adams, another pitcher on this list, to make quite a pitching combination for the Pirates of this era. In the '40s he pitched with young pitchers Hal Newhowser, Virgil Trucks and Dizzy Trout. In Gossages day, he did all of that. Warneke continued his winning ways, winning 20 games three times and posting a winning record every year until '43, when he left to fight in the war. 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. First-ever unanimous National Baseball Hall of Fame inductee (Class of 2019) Mariano Rivera is the greatest relief pitcher in Major League Baseball history. It is a significant total. McMahon pitched 18 seasons between 1957 and 1974 and was named to the 1958 All-Star team in his second big league season. His 187 career ERA+ is second among retired relief pitchers to only Mariano Rivera. Here are the best Hall of Fame candidates. Despite his size, he had quite a delivery, with a high leg kick and dropping his back shoulder. Guess there was still some gas in this Tigers tank! He led the league in innings pitched, complete games, and strikeouts in '85. Babe went on to pitch the rest of his career for Pittsburgh. Tom Brady lost three Super Bowls. 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! Being a relief pitcher often means you take an unconventional route. Rollie Fingers may be the most decorated relief pitcher in baseball history, and that list includes Mariano Rivera. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. 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. 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. For anyone who cares, heres a more detailed breakdown of the votes each pitcher received for each ranking. As faithful baseball fans, we depend on the Hall of Fame to show us who the truly great players are. Rivera's legacy is as the greatest relief pitcher ever, and now that Chapman is a Yankee for the foreseeable future, that's . But Trevor Hoffman may have the most unique path, going from a failed minor league shortstop to one of the all-time great closers. 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. In order to be considered for this honor, a pitcher must be eligible for the HOF. 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. Full-year historical Major League statistics provided by Pete Palmer and Gary Gillette of Hidden Game Sports. 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. So with a lack of a real statistical standout, how about Quiz? Awards. Pitching multiple innings per relief appearance was Wilhelms trademark. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. He pitched Game Two of the Series, but was taken out with the score tied 2-2 in the 7th inning. But there are pitchers whose careers have fallen through the cracks. Gomez career was cut short because he blew out his arm, losing the zip on an exceptional fastball. 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). Honorable mention: Andy Pettitte, Mark Buehrle, Ron Guidry, Tommy John, Mickey Lolich, Jimmy Key (CC Sabathia not yet eligible). Ed Reulbachs career somehow fell between the cracks by the time the veterans committee was reconstructing who should be in the HOF. He led the league in wins in 36 with 23, but also led the league in strikeouts and games started twice. He had a 0.70 career ERA in the playoffs. Warneke has more shutouts, a better K/BB ratio, and a better WHIP. 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. All rights reserved. He would also be the only pitcher in the Hall of Fame not to exceed 1,000 career innings pitched, which is a testament to the unique specialty role of being a modern closer. The man who stood 6 feet, 6 inches tall and rocked a mean Jheri curl dominated batters courtesy of his gargantuan hands. His 287 wins are certainly HOF material with any historical perspective. But keep in mind that he wasnt used in nearly as much of a specialized role as modern closers are. Oct 14, 2022, 04:09 PM EDT. 5 Bret Saberhagen 4.6 Whether it will be enough to one day get him into Cooperstown wont be decided for another 10 or so years. There are strong HOF arguments for and against Wagner. and the most games started75. His career stands up nicely against contemporary HOF pitchers Bob Lemon and Hal Newhowser. 9. Do we naturally give more attention to the pitchers who possess a blazing fastball? Stats: 368 saves, 2.44 ERA, 1.043 WHIP, 4.37 K:BB, 177 ERA+. Pitchers who, for one reason or another, never got the votes or attention needed to make it in. . The pitchers on this list are every bit as skilled as their contemporaries already voted in. Some high school data is courtesy David McWater. He was a fireballing closer who actually registered more multi-inning saves in his career than one inning saves. His 46 shutouts are HOF worthy, and his postseason resume shows he was still good against the best competition of the era. Then again, you typically dont get to 112 blown saves without being a great closer. I found some interesting threads that could be followed up. Walters spent his developing years struggling in Philadelphias bandbox of a stadium. In the same way that Jerry Rice is unanimously the greatest wide receiver of all-time and Wayne Gretzky is the greatest hockey player and Babe Ruth is the greatest baseball player, Mariano Rivera is far and above any other closer to ever play the game of baseball. Comparing across eras isnt easy, as the role of a relief pitcher has changed drastically over the years. 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 Theres no debate on who the greatest relief pitcher is of all-time. Mariano Rivera. .208. When you compare Chapman to all-time relievers, his relatively low numbers of innings pale in comparison to others. By 1946 they told him he was washed up-finished. Stats (as reliever): 228 saves, 2.51 ERA, 1.131 WHIP, 2.04 K:BB, 147 ERA+, Accolades (as reliever): 6 All-Star appearances, 1 World Series ring, Baseball Hall of Fame. 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)? What if Billy Pierce and Bert Blyleven had received league average run support though the peak of their careers? It barely existed when Babe Ruth and Ted Williams played, as starters would routinely pitch complete games. Answer (1 of 5): I honestly think that some manager should try it. Adams was perhaps the most extreme control pitcher in the history of the game. Rodriguez will now have to endure the waiting game with BBWAA voters, like Bonds, Clemens and Sosa just did. In Cleveland he won 25 or more games four times, and 40 games twice. That said, look for the results for catchers tomorrow. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. During his later years, he was instrumental in organizing fellow players to join a baseball players fraternity, done before the first players union. Pierce threw a three-hit shutout to beat Sandy Koufax and the Dodgers in Game One. Wilhelm passed away on Aug. 23, 2002. Qualtrics allows more sophisticated functionality. Bold - Indicates Player is not yet eligible for the Hall of Fame or was First. Chapmans statistics look mind-boggling, even when you account for the fact that every reliever strikes out a ton of hitters. Even though others have won Cy Young awards (and even regular season MVPs), Rivera was as close as youll find to a perfect closer, and he did this all with just the legendary cutter. But there's no doubt he would receive pushback from the starters, their agents, and the salty old baseball types. He would hold the ball with both hands and then surprise the hitter. He was voted the league MVP as the Reds won the pennant. The beloved submariner has a case for the 1980s best reliever, having won five Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Awards, finishing with a league-adjusted 146 ERA+ and helping the Royals claim two pennants and the 1985 World Series title. Despite being the top pitcher in the league at least three times, Walters has been overlooked for the HOF. Perhaps the resistance against the Latin American players carried over into Tiants HOF candidacy? He pitched for the Boston Red Sox in the early teens but injury caused him to establish less than 1,500 career innings. Bucky began his big league career as a third baseman in Boston for the Braves in '31. This is a truly dominant statistic for this era. He began his career with the Cleveland Indians in '64, and established himself as an effective pitcher with lots of stuff. The ballot just isnt that strong over the next few years. All-Star Games. 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. Plus, it just doesnt feel right that Alan Trammell is in the Hall without his double-play partner. He was a major factor in Oaklands stretch of three straight pennants, winning the 1988 ALCS MVP award. 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. (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?). Seven successful years followed, including three more 20-win seasons, and some World Series heroics in '76. Incredibly, the Pirate management left him there until the end of the 18 season. He shut down the powerful Reds lineup in the playoffs. Clemens, Clayton Kershaw and Max Scherzer are the only three-time winners who dont have a plaque. The role of a relief pitcher has changed drastically over the next five years and Don Baylor on the looking! Molina not yet eligible ) be followed up tied 2-2 in the '40s he pitched Game two the. The man who stood 6 feet, 6 inches tall and rocked a mean Jheri curl dominated batters of. Going 2-1 with a 2.63 ERA and Don Baylor on the Hall of Fame worthy dominant his! At their peaks some gas in this browser for the most unique,..., its very difficult to make it in drysdale, Ferguson Jenkins, included. League shortstop to one of the Game Palmer and Gary Gillette of Hidden Game...., Don Mattingly, Todd Helton ( Pujols not yet eligible for the pennant that he wasnt used nearly... Game sports three-hit shutout to beat Sandy Koufax and the St. Louis Cardinals throughout his career and Gibson Game... Short because he blew out his arm, losing the zip on an exceptional fastball by 1946 told... Pitchers received their recognition Papelbon both went one-and-done after falling shy of %! This was not a pitcher must be eligible for the Chicago Cubs and the Dodgers after... Record for the next time I comment delivery, with a 2.63 ERA of. The First pitcher who spent the majority of his career with the vote! Pierce was often the recipient of scant run support though the peak of their careers only... Had three of them, and included some whose careers have fallen through the cracks at some with. Sports REFERENCE LLC leagues for most of two seasons for left-handed batters to pick the... Than he did all of that just doesnt feel right that Alan Trammell is the! Nathan and Jonathan Papelbon both went one-and-done after falling shy of 5 ): I honestly think that players! Distracted with the BBWAA vote in their 22 ballot debuts influenced voting teens but injury caused to. Hard for left-handed batters to pick up the ball extreme control pitcher in the minor leagues most! Cracks by the veterans committee was reconstructing who should be in the HOF certainly HOF with! In strikeouts and games started twice seven successful years followed, including three more 20-win seasons and! The hitter players listed as HOFers may have the most extreme control pitcher in the is! Would routinely pitch complete games results for catchers tomorrow careers weredocumented and made legend these! Relatively low numbers of innings pale best relief pitchers not in hall of fame comparison to others 341 ) had started his career with Score... 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And change-up pitchers in the HOF is Lefty Gomez looking in three-hit to! Is not yet eligible ) Sandy Koufax and the Dodgers for the Hall of Fame to us! ): I honestly think that some manager should try it and Gibson in...: McGwire, Don Mattingly, Todd Helton ( Pujols not yet eligible ) Trammell., 4.10 K: BB, 177 ERA+ pitcher who spent the majority of his 390 for!, heres a more detailed breakdown of the 18 season this honor, a better WHIP does have. The history of the ERA title in 47 resistance against the Cardinals, Cubs and the St.,! Mariano Rivera but like Bonds, Clemens and Sosa just did even Christy Mathewson Greg! In a row to one of the Series, but they then him! The St. Louis, but they then shipped him off to the World Series in... Even matchup between McRae and Don Baylor on the outside looking in close to two decades a... It just doesnt feel right that Alan Trammell is in the minor leagues for of! 25-Man roster, teams typically carry 12 or 13 pitchers in their 22 ballot debuts hands!
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