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. No real surprises at the top, I suppose. 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. Beginning in August of 52, Pierce went 21-21 against the Yankees, whom he faced more than any other team. Bucky wasnt done there. Pete Alexander followed. Here are the best Hall of Fame candidates. After a down year and a couple of years dealing with injury, he ended up in Boston where he re-invented himself in '72. 9 David Cone 4.3 Today, its my pleasure to present how people voted on pitchers. Teams can vary this somewhat . 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. Stats: 422 saves, 2.31 ERA, 0.998 WHIP, 3.99 K:BB, 187ERA+. Bridges was still an effective pitcher after his peak. This was not a pitcher on his last legs! The 38 voters who gave Roger Clemens a ranking of 10 ranked Curt Schilling top, at 3.63 on average, followed by Tommy John at 4.18, and Luis Tiant at 4.24. He won 20 games three consecutive years right at the Tigers heyday in the mid-30s. Babe went on to pitch the rest of his career for Pittsburgh. After playing for the St. Louis Browns, he chose to try to sign with Cincinnati, but was blocked. Stats: 601 saves, 2.87 ERA, 1.058 WHIP, 3.69 K:BB, 141 ERA+, Accolades: 7 All-Star appearances, Baseball Hall of Fame. Sure, hes in the Hall of Fame, but hes buried on the all-time save leaderboards largely due to the era in which he pitched. 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. Voters have three years of his eligibility left to get it right. Another contemporary who made the HOF is Lefty Gomez. 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. Based strictly on peak performance, Eckersley would rank in the top five of relievers. 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! 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. Can you name the Best Relief Pitchers not in the MLB Hall of Fame (by Baseball Reference WAR)? Covering the latest and most controversial news around the world of sports, heavily centered on the Philadelphia Eagles and National Football League. After improving his control in 51, and developing a slider, he began a series of impressive years for the White Sox. The committee missed his team mate, Mordecai Brown, until after his death in 1948. Every supporting evidence points to him being a HOF pitcher. 2009 was his last on the HOF ballot. Jim McCormick was the first Scottish born major league player. The only pitchers in history with more innings and a higher career ERA+ than Papelbon are Mariano Rivera and Billy Wagner. Pierce was often the recipient of scant run support. 9 Charlie Buffinton 3.7 Blyleven had tremendous stuff on the ball: fastball, curve and change-up. 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. . Joe Nathan and Jonathan Papelbon both went one-and-done after falling shy of 5% of the BBWAA vote in their 22 ballot debuts. 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. Your email address will not be published. Part of this is probably due to the distraction of the war years. Plus, it just doesnt feel right that Alan Trammell is in the Hall without his double-play partner. He has been overlooked by the veterans committee. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for RANDY JOHNSON 2009 Topps #185 Arizona Diamondbacks, HALL OF FAME GREAT PITCHER at the best online prices at eBay! He represented the Tigers in three World Series against the Cardinals, Cubs and Reds in 34, 35 and 40. He would hold the ball with both hands and then surprise the hitter. However, Smokey Joe Wood is not among those pitchers given a bye for the length of their careers. inducted position (RF). Tommy John is perhaps guilty of hanging on longer than the normal impact of his career allowed. 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. Probably not. CF: Carlos BeltrnThis was Kenny Lofton's spot before Beltrn reached Hall eligibility on the 2023 ballot, receiving a respectable 46.5% of the vote in his debut. That said, if I field this again in the future, Ill probably sub in Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer for Ferrell and Reuschel. We present them here for purely educational purposes. Stats: 273 saves, 2.23 ERA, 1.023 WHIP, 3.56 K:BB, 184 ERA+, Accolades: 6 All-Star appearances, 1 World Series ring. 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. From 1939-1946 Walters accumulated totals led the major leagues in wins, innings pitched; 2,030, complete games; 178, and ERA. Billy Wagner. The Pirates won the pennant the next year. 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. 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. He was a better pitcher than some of his contemporaries who made the HOFHoyt, Haines, and Ted Lyons. The Worst Pitchers in the HOF: Searching for Historys Bottom Line. 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. Three times in his career he led the AL in saves, four times he finished top five in the Cy Young award voting, and he had a 2.63 career World Series ERA. His K/BB ratio of 2.01 is historically strong. Dave Parker, Does he belong in the Hall of Fame? getting voted into the Hall of Fame is difficult for relief . The problem with Pierce HOF candidacy is that his career backed up into the raised mound era. 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 . Hoffman never won a Cy Young but finished second twice. Rivera trails only Trevor Hoffman in all-time saves and has perhaps the most dominant one-pitch arsenal this side of Phil Niekro. Many thanks to him. 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. Pierce accomplishments, although very worthy, were overlooked because of the change of era. The players had withstood enough abuse by 1890 and formed their own league. It is a decision many believe cost the Sox the title. 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. Warnekes career was cut short because he left to defend our country. 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). Note that some players listed as HOFers may have been inducted for non-playing reasons. Managers. It's fitting that Smoltz, Maddux, and Tom Glavine came back-to-back-to-back on this list, because for over a decade . Cincinnati pitchers on this list include Will White, Mullane and Walters. In Game Three he came in to save the game, retiring all three batters he faced in the ninth inning. 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. 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). I put Ferrell and Reuschel in the survey partly in tribute to my friend and fellow baseball researcher Adam Darowski, who has advocated heavily for their induction in recent years, though each has a nuanced case that could be overlooked in a quick survey. John's pitching exploits began in Chicago where he was part of the stingiest pitching staffs ever compiled. Theres no one since Randy Johnson who puts fear into batters like Aroldis Chapman does. First-ever unanimous National Baseball Hall of Fame inductee (Class of 2019) Mariano Rivera is the greatest relief pitcher in Major League Baseball history. He had a 0.70 career ERA in the playoffs. All rights reserved. 9. 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 , . I gave a list of 10 players at each position, based primarily on who I thought voters would expect to be in the poll. When Pierce retired, sportswriters were distracted with the manic accomplishments of Koufax, Marichal and Gibson. He pitched for the Boston Red Sox in the early teens but injury caused him to establish less than 1,500 career innings. Gomez career was cut short because he blew out his arm, losing the zip on an exceptional fastball. Accolades: 7 All-Star appearances, Baseball Hall of Fame Being a relief pitcher often means you take an unconventional route. He displayed consistent excellence throughout his career. I looked at some pitchers with shorter careers as well, and included some whose careers I thought made the greatest statements. Cooper may be the best pitcher in Pirates history. 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 was the best pitcher in the NL during his era. He led the league in shutouts in '36 and games started in '37. 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. 1) Bert Blyleven (1970-1992) (287-250; 3.31 ERA; ERA+ 118; 60 SHO; 4970/ 4632 H/ 8.4 H/9; 3701 K/ 1322 BB/ 2.80 K/BB ratio; 1.198 WHIP). Mariano Riveras claim as the greatest closer of all-time is one of the safest arguments in baseball. If he does not pick up that . It also includes "Black" Sox pitcher Eddie Cicotte who is banned from baseball, and not eligible for the HOF. I contemplated going 15 names just for pitchers, but thought it would look too out of sync with the rest of the survey. The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball. Not retired by 2017. What if Billy Pierce and Bert Blyleven had received league average run support though the peak of their careers? Pitching for the Cubs, Reulbach teamed up with Mordecai Brown to make one of the great pitching tandems in baseball history. where he outlines who should and shouldn't be in the Hall of Fame based on his JAWS metric used here. Movies 8m What if Bucky Walters had started his career in Cincinnati rather than struggling in Philadelphia? Bold - Indicates Player is not yet eligible for the Hall of Fame or was First. In 35 he won two games against the Cubs, and in 40 he won his only appearance against the Reds. There have been historical events that have influenced voting. But Beltrn gets the slight edge, given his enviable combination of power (435 homers), speed (312 steals), defense (three Gold Gloves) and postseason heroics. 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. 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 Can you name the Best Relief Pitchers not in the MLB Hall of Fame (by Baseball Reference WAR)? He ended up nostalgically back in Minnesota for the '86 season, and helped the team to the World Series title in '87. One pitched in New York, one pitched in the Midwest. Honorable mention: Nathan, Papelbon, Rodrguez, Keith Foulke, Tom Gordon, Tom Henke, Firpo Marberry, Troy Percival, Kent Tekulve, John Wetteland. He proved it often enough. Typically, in modern-day play, an active roster will consist of five starting pitchers, seven relief pitchers, two catchers, six infielders, and five outfielders. But Trevor Hoffman may have the most unique path, going from a failed minor league shortstop to one of the all-time great closers. Tommy John has more wins than any of these pitchers. But there's no doubt he would receive pushback from the starters, their agents, and the salty old baseball types. For his career he gave up only 430 BB in 2,995 innings. 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. All of his indicators are strong, especially his strikeouts, shutouts, and big game performances. Tom Brady lost three Super Bowls. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. Blyleven toiled long and hard for the Twins in the 70s. My last article studied The Worst Pitchers in the HOF: Searching for Historys Bottom Line . The current Hall of Famers are then grouped by position and He is one of our all-time greats. Bridges is only six wins shy of the requisite 200 to be considered for the HOF. In 43, his last year before joining the war effort, he went 12-7 with a 2.39 ERA (ERA+ 147), with three shutouts and only 159 hits allowed in 191 innings. Bob Caruthers was between Cone and Appier, but a lot of his value was from playing the field as well. His ERA+, curve ball, postseason record and H/9 all speak of a pitcher who was one of the best of his era. Honorable mention: Pete Rose, Manny Ramirez. Yet Allen fell just one vote shy of election when the Golden Days Committee last convened in 2021, meaning that the wait continues. 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. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. This was accomplished in one season1879. 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. Pierce threw a three-hit shutout to beat Sandy Koufax and the Dodgers in Game One. But even Michael Jordan missed game-winning shots. 3 Kevin Brown 4.2 Cooper teamed up with Babe Adams, another pitcher on this list, to make quite a pitching combination for the Pirates of this era. Many of their careers and cases are compelling. The man who stood 6 feet, 6 inches tall and rocked a mean Jheri curl dominated batters courtesy of his gargantuan hands. To start, there are only eight primary relievers in Cooperstown; Rivera, Dennis Eckersley, Hoyt Wilhelm, Goose Gossage, Rollie Fingers, Bruce Sutter, Lee Smith, and Trevor Hoffman. Craig Muder is director of communications for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. I guess his curve ball fooled a few batters. Rivera allowed zero runs in 22 of his 32 postseason series. Chapmans statistics look mind-boggling, even when you account for the fact that every reliever strikes out a ton of hitters. 11 Belongs: "Shoeless" Joe Jackson. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. and the most games started75. Clemens, Clayton Kershaw and Max Scherzer are the only three-time winners who dont have a plaque. Length of career has been a subject of debate among those setting the standards for inclusion. Pitchers who, for one reason or another, never got the votes or attention needed to make it in. As MLB.coms Andrew Simon noted, Allens career 156 league-adjusted OPS+ puts him in the very upper echelon of post-integration hitters, and his best 10-year run at the plate was pretty much unmatched by his peers. Is there any validity here? In Cleveland he won 25 or more games four times, and 40 games twice. Until the late 50s over half the teams were based on the East Coast. What if Tony Mullane had been allowed to pitch for Cincinnati in 1885? 952 games finished ranks first all-time. Its hard not to wonder whether Santana would be making a steady year-by-year improvement in the voting totals now if he had rightfully taken home the 2005 AL Cy Young Award that went to Bartolo Colon instead. He won 22 games the next year, leading the Reds back to the World Series. Francisco Rodrguez debuted on the ballot in 23, getting 10.8%. Wilhelm became the first true reliever to be elected to the Hall of Fame when he was honored in 1985. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Sanders projects well, with a 3.64 peak xFIP, but one has to wonder if Brian's real motivation behind this pick was based on Sanders' Hall of Fame name." His H/9 rate of 5.3 in 1906 is one of the best in history. By '59, Pappas was a mainstay of the Orioles staff. 2.21 career ERA. This included work for the Dodgers, Yankees and the Angels. He was a major factor in Oaklands stretch of three straight pennants, winning the 1988 ALCS MVP award. His stamina and effectiveness began to wane in the early '80s. Next came Cy Young. 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 ballot just isnt that strong over the next few years. He won 21 games with an ERA of 1.60 and led the league in shutouts with nine. 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. The Blue Stockings folded after one year, and he then signed with Cincinnati. Active: Terry Francona , Rocco Baldelli , Dave Roberts , . He finished second in the MVP balloting. Honorable mentions: Sammy Sosa, Dwight Evans, Reggie Smith, Gary Sheffield, Dave Parker, Bobby Abreu (Ichiro Suzuki not yet eligible). 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). 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. Bold - Indicates Player is not yet eligible for the Hall of Fame or was First. That means he entered the game in jams, and usually got out of those jams. Do you have a blog? In '41 Lon pitched a no-hitter against the Reds. Were there a clear consensus, someone would be closer to 1 here. 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. Robinson went on to win the triple crown in '66 and the MVP award for the American League. 10 Kevin Appier 4.2. He held the career record in saves when he retired (341). Retired: John McGraw , Bobby Cox , Earl Weaver , . No starting pitchers. After winning 20 games in '24, the Pirates traded him to the Cubs. It's an ex-Chip's Worldand we're just picking up the pieces. 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). More about data coverage. Literally, its very difficult to make an argument for any other pitcher. Babe Adams had brief looks at the major leagues in 06 with the St. Louis Cardinals and 07 for the Pirates. Reggie Jackson struck out the most times. Walters spent his developing years struggling in Philadelphias bandbox of a stadium. With that backdrop in mind, let's proceed with our tenth-best relief pitcher of all time: 10. He shut down the powerful Reds lineup in the playoffs. RF Andre Ethier Qualtrics allows more sophisticated functionality. The latest in the sports world, emailed daily. When you compare Chapman to all-time relievers, his relatively low numbers of innings pale in comparison to others. Rivera was literally dominant for close to two decades in a row. I suspect he will reach the necessary 75 percent sometime in his remaining three years of eligibility. One time, Wilhelm entered a tie game in the eighth inning and pitched through the 18th, allowing just two hits and no runs. 14) Bucky Walters (1934-1948,50) (198-160; 3.30 ERA; ERA+ 115; 42 SHO; 3,104 IP/ 2,990 H/ 8.7 H/9; 1,107 K/ 1,121 BB; 1.324 WHIP). 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. 2 Curt Schilling 4.9 The Arkansas Hummingbird pitched for the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals throughout his career. DH: Hal McRaeOnly six players have logged at least 7,500 career plate appearances while playing at least half their games at designated hitter. McMahon pitched 18 seasons between 1957 and 1974 and was named to the 1958 All-Star team in his second big league season. 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). Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Warnekes career backed up into WWII. Several players careers have been overlooked instead of championed. Reulbach had arguably a more impressive career than any of them. position. Join our linker program. Decade-plus Eagles writer. His alleged involvement in the Black Sox Scandal cut his careers short and has prevented him from being inducted in the Hall of Fame. 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. Big Ed broke in with the Chicago Cubs during their heyday in 1905, going 18-14 with a 1.42 ERA. There have been historical influences in the game itself that have effected how voters view candidacy for the HOF. Data Provided By .208. Do we naturally give more attention to the pitchers who possess a blazing fastball? Lolich had a splendid career with the Detroit Tigers from 6375. 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