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). He proved it often enough. Dennis Eckersley was a starter-turned-reliever. He pitched with six different teams, but most significantly with the Cleveland Blues and Chicago White Stockings. "What if" and "would have become prevalent bylines for the pitchers on this list. Rivera trails only Trevor Hoffman in all-time saves and has perhaps the most dominant one-pitch arsenal this side of Phil Niekro. That leaves an even matchup between McRae and Don Baylor on the outside looking in. He led the NL in fewest H/9 and was second in WHIP, shutouts, and winning percentage. career WAR averaged with their 7-year peak WAR. Bob Caruthers was between Cone and Appier, but a lot of his value was from playing the field as well. 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. Thisresearch should give us a framework to look within for our best pitchers not in the HOF. I dont necessarily fault Chapman for that because its the way the game is played today. He was the first pitcher who spent the majority of his career as a reliever to be elected to the Hall of Fame. John's pitching exploits began in Chicago where he was part of the stingiest pitching staffs ever compiled. Dennis Eckersley was a starter-turned-reliever. Before the '66 season, Pappas was sent to Cincinnati for Frank Robinson in a very unpopular trade. That said, look for the results for catchers tomorrow. 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. Brett Favre threw the most interceptions and the late Kobe Bryant missed the most shots. But like Bonds, Clemens did not have an easier time with the Todays Game Era Committee than he did with the BBWAA. However, after a year and a half out of military service, the Tigers were impatient for him to regain his form. Hoyt Wilhelm saved 228 games and won 143 more during 21 seasons in the big leagues. Top 25 Relief Pitchers not in the Hall of Fame Quiz Stats - By adubbdubb Quizzes Another contemporary who made the HOF is Lefty Gomez. It's an ex-Chip's Worldand we're just picking up the pieces. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. 10 Kevin Appier 4.2. Recent history doesnt recognize Billy Wagner for how dominant he was. Reulbach had arguably a more impressive career than any of them. History doesnt remember Hoyt Wilhelm the way it should. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Still, many big names remain outside the Hall's hallowed Plaque Gallery, so here is a rosterof the best non-Hall of Fame players in baseball history at every position. the total count of actual and average players matches that of the most As a teen he went to watch Sandy Koufax pitch and later learned how to throw a curve ball with a hold similar to Koufax. By adubbdubb Plays - /5 - RATE QUIZ MORE INFO Classic Best Score? Historically, pitchers like Red Ruffing, Red Faber, Ted Lyons, Eppa Rixey, and Burleigh Grimes are in the HOF mostly because of their win totals. Active: Terry Francona , Rocco Baldelli , Dave Roberts , . Walters spent his developing years struggling in Philadelphias bandbox of a stadium. Featuring a slider-heavy arsenal, Lyle twice led the AL in saves and games finished, helping the Yankees to two titles. Or what if the fans in Cincinnati had accepted his efforts for the team? Movies. 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. Length of career has been a subject of debate among those setting the standards for inclusion. 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. His ERA of 1.97 in 55 gave him an ERA less than half that of the league (ERA+ 201). That said, after 425 responses, voting has officially wrapped for this poll. The most significant threads arose as I looked at these pitchers one at a time and then together as a group. The vast majority of these pitcher's careerswere focused in places other thanNew York, Philadelphia, or Boston. In fact, from 1905 through 1909 his H/9 never reached 7.0. Pierce accomplishments, although very worthy, were overlooked because of the change of era. All of his indicators are strong, especially his strikeouts, shutouts, and big game performances. 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). Scary, we know. 2 Curt Schilling 4.9 Stats: 422 saves, 2.31 ERA, 0.998 WHIP, 3.99 K:BB, 187ERA+. 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. So with a lack of a real statistical standout, how about Quiz? Studying the list of inductions, one has to wonder about the order in which some pitchers received their recognition. Note that some players listed as HOFers may have been inducted for non-playing reasons. DH: Hal McRaeOnly six players have logged at least 7,500 career plate appearances while playing at least half their games at designated hitter. Relief Pitcher JAWS Leaders. His devastating curve also made him one of hardest pitchers to hit of his generation. inducted position (RF). His 11.9 K/9 rate is tops of all retired relievers (tied with Brad Lidge). Incredibly, the Pirate management left him there until the end of the 18 season. He pitched at the height of the live ball era on and against some of the greatest offensive teams ever gathered. He won 21 games with an ERA of 1.60 and led the league in shutouts with nine. In 34 he out-dueled Dizzy Dean to win 3-1. . The top four candidates were all foreign born. Warnekes career was cut short because he left to defend our country. Four pitchers in the HOF fall into this categoryDizzy Dean, Lefty Gomez, Sandy Koufax, and Addie Joss. But whos the second best relief pitcher ever? 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. But he might not be on this list much longer. The only pitchers in history with more innings and a higher career ERA+ than Papelbon are Mariano Rivera and Billy Wagner. For anyone who cares, heres a more detailed breakdown of the votes each pitcher received for each ranking. 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. 11 Belongs: "Shoeless" Joe Jackson. 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. Whether it will be enough to one day get him into Cooperstown wont be decided for another 10 or so years. The Tigers were focused on a youth movement after the war. Stats: 368 saves, 2.44 ERA, 1.043 WHIP, 4.37 K:BB, 177 ERA+. Its much easier to pitch one scoreless inning than to face the full lineup once or even twice. 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. The best reason I can come up with for Cooper being overlooked for the HOF is that he pitched in Pittsburgh, out of the spotlight of the sportswriters of the day. Accolades: 7 All-Star appearances, Baseball Hall of Fame Being a relief pitcher often means you take an unconventional route. He has the requisite 200 wins, over 40 shutouts, and his 2,832 Ks are still third among left-handed pitchers all-time. He pitched the vast majority of his career for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Warneke has more shutouts, a better K/BB ratio, and a better WHIP. 7 Noodles Hahn 4.4 Louis Post-Dispatch via AP, File) via Associated Press. These are the primary factors I used in my evaluations: 10. Fingers helped revolutionize the closer position, setting a trend later followed by Rivera and John Smoltz in becoming a failed starter-turned-closer. The Blue Stockings folded after one year, and he then signed with Cincinnati. 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! Bold - Indicates Player is not yet eligible for the Hall of Fame or was First. His 49 career shutouts are just about automatic HOF criteria. Robinson went on to win the triple crown in '66 and the MVP award for the American League. They chose not to have time for their pitching hero from the last generation. Required fields are marked *. The latest in the sports world, emailed daily. Wagner is sixth on the all-time list with 422 saves (a number that could have been much higher if he didnt retire after arguably his best year). Guess there was still some gas in this Tigers tank! By 1946 they told him he was washed up-finished. Hoffman never won a Cy Young but finished second twice. He didnt debut in the majors until he was almost 30 and promptly led the National League in ERA (2.43), games pitched (71), and winning percentage (.833). The ballot just isnt that strong over the next few years. Everything is in line, but hes been overlooked by the veterans committee. 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. The Hall of Fame began in 1936, inducting Walter Johnson and Christy Mathewson in its first year. He was putting up ridiculously gaudy statistics before it became a regular thing for closers, but his reign of dominance lasted far shorter than the players ranked higher than him. 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). Some defensive statistics Copyright Sports Info Solutions, 2010-2023. The pitchers on this list are every bit as skilled as their contemporaries already voted in. His career took off when he was traded to Cincinnati part way through the 1938 season. Players said they could hear the ball spinning as it approached and went by. Although posting a fine season in '67, he was never accepted by the Reds faithful, and was sent to Atlanta during the '68 season. He had ample zip on his fastball. He is first all-time in saves (652) and ERA+ (205). Babe Adams had brief looks at the major leagues in 06 with the St. Louis Cardinals and 07 for the Pirates. Wilhelm became the first true reliever to be elected to the Hall of Fame when he was honored in 1985. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Rankings of Negro League players should consider that Negro League data is not complete. He was a significant figure from his era, and should not be punished for his stand against the reserve clause. Rivera was literally dominant for close to two decades in a row. JAWS (Jaffe WAR Score 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. Mariano Rivera. Most Unique Players by Age by Similarity Scores, Most Games without a World Series Appearance, Most Games without a Postseason Appearance, Highest Career and Single-Season Salaries, Scores from any date in Major League history, Minor, Foreign, College, & Black Baseball, Frequently Asked Questions about MLB and Baseball, Subscribe to Stathead Baseball: Get your first month FREE. 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. Seven successful years followed, including three more 20-win seasons, and some World Series heroics in '76. Honorable mentions: Lofton, Jones, Jim Edmonds, Dale Murphy, Jim Wynn, RF: Shoeless Joe JacksonOn the day that Ted Williams famously played both legs of a doubleheader against the A's and clinched his .400 season in 1941, opposing manager Connie Mack said, I wish I had a Williams. Its commonplace in todays game for a manager to turn to the bullpen as early as the sixth inning. He would have had more wins if he hadnt been held back to face the Yankees, or had been given better run support . 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. In 35 he won two games against the Cubs, and in 40 he won his only appearance against the Reds. If you put Gossage in a traditional one inning relief pitcher role, those blown saves assuredly go way down. 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)? 3 Curt Schilling 4.9 Fingers wasnt just a one-inning closer either; he holds the all-time record with 135 multi-inning saves. And his .187 batting average allowed is the lowest of any retired relief pitcher. That said, if I field this again in the future, Ill probably sub in Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer for Ferrell and Reuschel. hide this ad PLAY QUIZ Score 0/25 Timer 10:00 Recently Published Actresses. 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. But there are pitchers whose careers have fallen through the cracks. He had a 0.70 career ERA in the playoffs. a position average JAWS is computed.For some positions, the getting voted into the Hall of Fame is difficult for relief . He relented, signed with St. Louis, but they then shipped him off to the expansion Toledo Blue Stockings. 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. Get Jay Jaffe's book The Cooperstown Casebook The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. What if Billy Pierce and Bert Blyleven had received league average run support though the peak of their careers? In order to be considered for this honor, a pitcher must be eligible for the HOF. 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. But there's no doubt he would receive pushback from the starters, their agents, and the salty old baseball types. 10 Orel Hershiser 3.6. Wagner had three of them, and they came in three consecutive years (1997, 1998, and 1999). His resume for the HOF is strong. Cooper may be the best pitcher in Pirates history. Despite being the top pitcher in the league at least three times, Walters has been overlooked for the HOF. Among the 65 pitchers with the longest careers, his 2.80 K/BB ranks fifth. 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 , . He regularly hits 100 miles per hour on his fastballs and holds the all-time record by registering 105.1 on a pitch (twice). 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. 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. Many of them were from the initial live ball era1921-1945. I contemplated going 15 names just for pitchers, but thought it would look too out of sync with the rest of the survey. Relief Pitcher JAWS Leaders. Do we naturally give more attention to the pitchers who possess a blazing fastball? He ended up nostalgically back in Minnesota for the '86 season, and helped the team to the World Series title in '87. He was never comfortable in Cincinnati, often being booed even though the trade was not his fault. The Worst Pitchers in the HOF: Searching for Historys Bottom Line. They have similar winning records except Warneke won three more games. But keep in mind that he wasnt used in nearly as much of a specialized role as modern closers are. 3B: Dick AllenIt's unfortunate that Allen (who died in December 2020) didn't live long enough to celebrate his induction, because he boasted some Cooperstown-worthy credentials. 9. His dominance was evident with every 100 MPH fastball he threw. where he outlines who should and shouldn't be in the Hall of Fame based on his JAWS metric used here. Gomez career was cut short because he blew out his arm, losing the zip on an exceptional fastball. Opposition has cooled considerably in recent years toward enshrining Clemens, a brilliant pitcher long before rumors of performance enhancing drug use surfaced. Jim McCormick was the first Scottish born major league player. 1. 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. Pierce got his chance to test his grit in postseason action in 62 for the Giants. Mack was referring to Jackson -- maybe the games most revered natural hitter before Williams came along -- whom Mack regrettably traded away before he became a star in Cleveland. 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. With quick succession he sold or traded them to other teams. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1978 Topps #703 Jack Morris RC Rookie Pitchers NM at the best online prices at eBay! Mariano Rivera was a failed starter. Bridges was gutsy and tough in the postseason. In Gossages day, he did all of that. 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. Uehara's 2013 season was one of the most dominant by any relief pitcher in . Teams can vary this somewhat . No real surprises at the top, I suppose. Awards. 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. Blyleven had one more significant season in 89 for the California Angels, winning 17 games and Comeback Player of the Year award. But his rookie year really came in 09 for Pirates at age 27. 8 Chuck Finley 3.7 The 41 voters who ranked Schilling first ranked Clemens eighth-worst among the field, ahead of only Wes Ferrell and Rick Reuschel, with an average ranking for Clemens of 7.00. Honorable mentions: Bill Dahlen, Omar Vizquel, Jimmy Rollins, Nomar Garciaparra, Miguel Tejada, Jim Fregosi. Free shipping for many products! His 187 career ERA+ is second among retired relief pitchers to only Mariano Rivera. With 696 home runs, 2,086 RBIs, three AL MVP Awards, 14 All-Star Game selections and a World Series championship across his 22 year career, A-Rods on-field numbers legitimately rank alongside the Halls inner-circle members. The top ten pitchers eligible but not in the HoF, by rWAR/200 IP, minimum 2000 IP: 1 Roger Clemens 5.7 Bert Blyleven was born in the Netherlands, but grew up in California. Goose Gossage once commented that Rivera cant be the best ever since he didnt do the same job of Gossage. Mccormick ended up in Pittsburgh where he ended his career the next year. Luis Tiant was born in Cuba and his father was a famous pitcher for the Cuban national team. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Wednesday, March 1, 1:07PM. This was accomplished in one season1879. Find out more. He displayed consistent excellence throughout his career. 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). He was a great situation pitcher, and knew how to get out of a jam with his guile and assortment of breaking pitches. 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. Important: This chart does not include side-by-side comparisons for Hall of Fame pitchers who spent their entire career in the Negro Leagues (Baseball Almanac does not have the data from the Negro League).Those truly elite twirlers are: Ray Brown, Andy Cooper, Leon Day, Martin Dihigo, Bill Foster, Jose Mendez, Bullet Rogan, Hilton Smith and Joe Williams. We present them here for purely educational purposes. The players had withstood enough abuse by 1890 and formed their own league. The problem with Pierce HOF candidacy is that his career backed up into the raised mound era. Tony Mullane was an Irish born major league player known for pitching with both handssometimes in the same game. Honorable mentions: Kent, Bobby Grich (Chase Utley not yet eligible). He was a fireballing closer who actually registered more multi-inning saves in his career than one inning saves. Retired: John McGraw , Bobby Cox , Earl Weaver , . 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. To come up with this list I researched the best pitchers of each era. What if Milt Pappas had not been traded to Cincinnati? Covering the latest and most controversial news around the world of sports, heavily centered on the Philadelphia Eagles and National Football League. But long before Cooperstown honored him on Sunday, the first black reliever inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame was well-known around baseball circles as: Lee Arthur Smith. He won 22 games the next year, leading the Reds back to the World Series. He would hold the ball with both hands and then surprise the hitter. Initials. After winning 20 games in '24, the Pirates traded him to the Cubs. Had one more significant season in 89 for the results for catchers.! One year, leading the Reds has been overlooked by the veterans Committee was still some gas in Tigers... Chicago White Stockings HOFers may have been inducted for non-playing reasons enough to one get... The outside looking in STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by sports Reference LLC and he signed! Job of Gossage K: BB, 177 ERA+ up with this list are every bit as as..., inducting Walter Johnson and Christy Mathewson in its first year metric used here been traded to Cincinnati part through! 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