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). His devastating curve also made him one of hardest pitchers to hit of his generation. Ed Reulbachs career somehow fell between the cracks by the time the veterans committee was reconstructing who should be in the HOF. Free shipping for many products! He led the league in ERA+ and shutouts (nine) in '73, but didnt get the attention he deserved for the Cy Young award. In 48 they discarded Billy Pierce to the White Sox!). 2/4/18 Super Bowl champs. The reserve clause was so restrictive in his era that once you signed with a team, unless they traded or sold you, you belonged to them. Drysdale, Ferguson Jenkins, and Early Wynn are the other pitchers with 49 shutouts, and all are in the HOF. 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). But winning the 2005 Cy Young -- which would have given him three straight Cys from 2004-06 -- would have forced the BBWAA to give him a much longer look. Honorable mentions: Bill Dahlen, Omar Vizquel, Jimmy Rollins, Nomar Garciaparra, Miguel Tejada, Jim Fregosi. He was perhaps the best lefty in NL history to that date, however, not winning quite as many games as Eppa Rixey. Stats: 652 saves, 2.21 ERA, 1.000 WHIP, 4.10 K:BB, 205 ERA+. Retired: John McGraw , Bobby Cox , Earl Weaver , . Typically, in modern-day play, an active roster will consist of five starting pitchers, seven relief pitchers, two catchers, six infielders, and five outfielders. Honorable mention: Nathan, Papelbon, Rodrguez, Keith Foulke, Tom Gordon, Tom Henke, Firpo Marberry, Troy Percival, Kent Tekulve, John Wetteland. I contemplated going 15 names just for pitchers, but thought it would look too out of sync with the rest of the survey. All are in or will be in their respective sports Hall of Fame. Only players who are known primarily as relief pitchers or closers. He faced Ford 15 times in his career and went 7-7. Tommy Bridges began and finished his career with the Detroit Tigers. 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. 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. Craig Muder is director of communications for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Blyleven continued his career in Cleveland, working through injury to re-invent his delivery and now legendary curve ball. 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. 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. On a 25-man roster, teams typically carry 12 or 13 pitchers. Movies 8m In '41 Lon pitched a no-hitter against the Reds. The best players in New York just simply did not get missed by the HOF voters. Bridges was still an effective pitcher after his peak. He pitched his no-hitter in '77, as well as leading the league that year in WHIP. One hundred years have passed since Shoeless Joes last big league season, and his talent and numbers (a ridiculous .356 career average and 170 career OPS+) may still make him the best choice for this spot 100 years from now. He is the one pitcher on this list that is still on the HOF ballot. Your email address will not be published. He will be gone soon enough, but for now, it isn't hard to find. He holds the all-time record for relief appearances with at least two innings (486) and three innings (197). The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball. Honorable mentions: Munson, Tenace, Jorge Posada (Joe Mauer, Buster Posey, Yadier Molina not yet eligible). If we limit it to 3000 innings, heres the top ten: 1 Roger Clemens 5.7 I gave a list of 10 players at each position, based primarily on who I thought voters would expect to be in the poll. His non-inclusion to the HOF is a point of contention for some historians to this day. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Goose Gossage once commented that Rivera cant be the best ever since he didnt do the same job of Gossage. In 1920, Adams gave up only 18 BB in 263 innings. Wilbur Cooper and Babe Adams have likewise been missed. He re-surfaced with incredible campaigns in '84 and '85. 9 Charlie Buffinton 3.7 The problem with Pierce HOF candidacy is that his career backed up into the raised mound era. And interestingly enough, hes probably more known for his handlebar mustache than what he did on the field. 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. 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). There were numerous circumstances that held players careers back. Recently retired stars sure to get a serious look once theyre eligible -- such as Ichiro Suzuki, Joe Mauer and Adrin Beltr -- are noted in the honorable mentions below. His 11.9 K/9 rate is tops of all retired relievers (tied with Brad Lidge). There were new lows for ERA in a season. His control record surpasses even Christy Mathewson, Greg Maddux, and Pedro Martinez at their peaks. Comparing across eras isnt easy, as the role of a relief pitcher has changed drastically over the years. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. He was the Sporting News Pitcher of the Year in 56 and 57, and narrowly missed the award in 53 and 55, finishing second. But there are pitchers whose careers have fallen through the cracks. measure a player's Hall of Fame worthiness. Yet Allen fell just one vote shy of election when the Golden Days Committee last convened in 2021, meaning that the wait continues. Active: Terry Francona , Rocco Baldelli , Dave Roberts , . As Jaffe noted for FanGraphs in 2019, Whitaker belongs to a select group of players (and is the only second baseman besides Jackie Robinson) who finished their careers at least 200 batting runs, 50 fielding runs and 25 baserunning runs above average. Thats three seasons for workhorse Mike Marshall from the 1970s. He was scouted by Hal Newhowser, who encouraged him to sign with the Orioles. After winning 20 games in '24, the Pirates traded him to the Cubs. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. By 1946 they told him he was washed up-finished. Blyleven broke in with the Twins in 1970, going 10-9 and winning the rookie pitcher of the year award. Im struck by the parity between Kevin Brown and Jim Kaat. 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 . Next came Cy Young. He led the NL in fewest H/9 and was second in WHIP, shutouts, and winning percentage. Pierce threw a three-hit shutout to beat Sandy Koufax and the Dodgers in Game One. His WHIP of 1.09 is remarkable, as are his 44 shutouts. Note that some players listed as HOFers may have been inducted for non-playing reasons. He is one of our all-time greats. Mariano Riveras claim as the greatest closer of all-time is one of the safest arguments in baseball. What if Tony Mullane had been allowed to pitch for Cincinnati in 1885? Tony Mullane was just inducted into the Cincinnati Reds HOF earlier this year. 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. That year, facing Ty Cobb and the Tigers in the postseason, the Pirates manager went on a hunch and started Adams in game one of the series. Incredibly, the Pirate management left him there until the end of the 18 season. What if Lon Warnekes and Tommy Bridges careers had not been interrupted by WWII? Ahead of: Bob Lemon Red Ruffing Steve Carlton Don Drysdale Fergie Jenkins Dizzy Dean Lefty Gomez Red Faber Waite Hoyt Jim Bunning CC Sabathia* Herb Pennock Lee Smith Hal Newhouser And its tough to ignore a frightening 10.13 ERA in the postseason. 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. He wasnt perfect think of the Luis Gonzalez walkoff single in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series. In 35 he won two games against the Cubs, and in 40 he won his only appearance against the Reds. Kimbrel still hasnt hit the decline phase of his career, unless 2019 was the beginning of the end and not just an aberration. But most of Kents dingers were hit during unprecedented boon times for the long ball, and while defensive metrics get murkier the further back one goes, Whitakers more polished all-around game stands out more to this author. overall HOF average hitters are added to that position's average until 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? Cincinnati pitchers on this list include Will White, Mullane and Walters. Full-year historical Major League statistics provided by Pete Palmer and Gary Gillette of Hidden Game Sports. Relief Pitcher - Don McMahon (22.4 WAR) McMahon may be the best reliever most modern baseball fans have never heard mentioned. This was accomplished in one season1879. Many thanks to him. His K/BB ratio of 2.01 is historically strong. If thats the case, Kimbrel probably wont move down these rankings at all but he also wont move any higher. The ballot just isnt that strong over the next few years. The top four candidates were all foreign born. 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 . This gives us a cut off of 2500 innings to use on the short end, while looking for candidates to make our list of best pitchers not in the HOF. Freehan enjoyed a longer career because of Munsons unfortunate passing at age 32, and thus he finished with more hits, homers, RBIs and Gold Glove Awards. (The Tigers ownership and coaching staff were not shy of making mistakes in evaluating personnel. All of the numbers agree with this statement as he ranks first . 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. In over 130 of his 390 starts for the team, they scored two or fewer runs. 9 David Cone 4.3 The vast majority of these pitcher's careerswere focused in places other thanNew York, Philadelphia, or Boston. Will White played the majority of his career in Cincinnati for the Reds of the National League and Red Stockings of the American Association. If you cross over 10 by this metric, you are a serious candidate for the Hall of Fame. His 187 career ERA+ is second among retired relief pitchers to only Mariano Rivera. Bold - Indicates Player is not yet eligible for the Hall of Fame or was First. To come up with this list I researched the best pitchers of each era. Mariano Rivera. 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. Honorable mentions: Kent, Bobby Grich (Chase Utley not yet eligible). His ERA is outstanding, his K/BB ratio is excellent, and he has enough wins and shutouts. All images are property the copyright holder and are displayed here for informational purposes only. averages are skewed due to a lack of players at that position, so 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. He was a better pitcher than some of his contemporaries who made the HOFHoyt, Haines, and Ted Lyons. there are differing levels of greatness and acclaim. One naturally asks this question when compiling a list like this. They all pitched in New York. He went 3517 in the minors. 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). 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. They have been treated very differently by baseball writers voting for the HOF. He was consistently excellent for the Orioles, winning 12 or more games and posting a winning record every year with the team. By 76 he was pitching again and all three of his 20-win seasons came post-surgery. Billy Wagner. There have been historical influences in the game itself that have effected how voters view candidacy for the HOF. What do you think: Is Mariano Rivera the best relief pitcher in baseball history? Their careers ranged from 1,900+ IP to 2,500 IP. He finished second in the MVP balloting. Many more names came up on my lists than the 15 I will cover here. 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) 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! 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). Mariano Rivera was a failed starter. 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). 10 Orel Hershiser 3.6. Blyleven toiled long and hard for the Twins in the 70s. He pitched with six different teams, but most significantly with the Cleveland Blues and Chicago White Stockings. He was the first player to wear glasses while he played. He featured a sinking fastball and a curve, later known as a slider. Against Detroit, he pitched a five hitter to win Game Two, and a complete game shutout to win Game Five. 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. Pierce got his chance to test his grit in postseason action in 62 for the Giants. 9.36. Tom Glavine 1987-2002, 2008 (63.6 WAR) Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images. Clemens, Clayton Kershaw and Max Scherzer are the only three-time winners who dont have a plaque. He pitched at the height of the live ball era on and against some of the greatest offensive teams ever gathered. But by 48 the Tigers gave up on Pierce, shipping him off to the White Sox. 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. He had a 0.70 career ERA in the playoffs. 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. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. He easily lost enough time to give him credit for not having 200 wins. 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. 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. For anyone who cares, heres a more detailed breakdown of the votes each pitcher received for each ranking. But there's no doubt he would receive pushback from the starters, their agents, and the salty old baseball types. First-ever unanimous National Baseball Hall of Fame inductee (Class of 2019) Mariano Rivera is the greatest relief pitcher in Major League Baseball history. The Go-Go White Sox of the period scored few runs. Then again, you typically dont get to 112 blown saves without being a great closer. The Tigers were focused on a youth movement after the war. 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). 11 Belongs: "Shoeless" Joe Jackson. John then went to LA to join Don Sutton on another team with a pitching rich tradition. Guess there was still some gas in this Tigers tank! His dominance was evident with every 100 MPH fastball he threw. 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 , . 2B: Lou WhitakerJeff Kent famously hit the most homers of any second baseman, thus making his exclusion from the Hall somewhat strange. Babe Adams had brief looks at the major leagues in 06 with the St. Louis Cardinals and 07 for the Pirates. Jack Chesbro (198), Rube Marquard (201), and Lefty Gomez (189) were all pitchers with low career win totals who made the HOF. He won 20 games three consecutive years right at the Tigers heyday in the mid-30s. Rankings of Negro League players should consider that Negro League data is not complete. 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. Arguably Fingers most impressive statistic is his percentage of career saves that were clean saves Fingers is at 15 percent, the lowest of any Hall of Fame closer. Lolich had a splendid career with the Detroit Tigers from 6375. He is 5-1 with a 2.47 ERA, 36 Ks against only 8 BB, and a WHIP of 1.077. Honorable mention: Andy Pettitte, Mark Buehrle, Ron Guidry, Tommy John, Mickey Lolich, Jimmy Key (CC Sabathia not yet eligible). It looked at pitchers in the HOF with the weakest resumes. 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. Pappas, of Greek descent, was born in Detroit. I had one once, and I lost him.. inducted position (RF). 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. He was consistently good, winning 14 or more games 11 consecutive years, 6474. The Reds finally won their second World Series. He then came back in game six to beat his often faced foe, pitching a three hit gem against none other than Whitey Ford. He failed to garner enough votes to make on the 15th try. Several players careers have been overlooked instead of championed. Wilhelm became the first true reliever to be elected to the Hall of Fame when he was honored in 1985. While he walked his share of batters during the regular season, in postseason play, he walked only nine batters in 46 innings, while striking out 27 batters. 7) Tommy Bridges (1930-1946) (194-138; 3.57 ERA; ERA+ 126; 33 SHO; 2,826 IP/ 2,675 H/ 8.5 H/9; 1,674 K/ 1,192 BB/ 1.40 ratio; 1.368 WHIP). . He relented, signed with St. Louis, but they then shipped him off to the expansion Toledo Blue Stockings. He was a great situation pitcher, and knew how to get out of a jam with his guile and assortment of breaking pitches. The Best MLB Player at Every Position Rejected by Hall of Fame Joel Reuter January 27, 2021 Focus on Sport/Getty Images The 2021 MLB Hall of Fame voting results were released Tuesday evening,. Players said they could hear the ball spinning as it approached and went by. 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)? Reggie Jackson struck out the most times. By the next year in 1939 he was the best pitcher in the National League, going 27-11 with a 2.29 ERA and 31 complete games. 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. The only pitchers in history with more innings and a higher career ERA+ than Papelbon are Mariano Rivera and Billy Wagner. Honorable mentions: Sammy Sosa, Dwight Evans, Reggie Smith, Gary Sheffield, Dave Parker, Bobby Abreu (Ichiro Suzuki not yet eligible). But he was so good at his craft. But by '35, after being sold to the Phillies and because of his great arm, the manager and coaches pushed him to pitch. He was arguably as good a pitcher as Whitey Ford. 4 Rick Reuschel 4.0 Brett Favre threw the most interceptions and the late Kobe Bryant missed the most shots. He was as good as Rixey and Stan Coveleski, both in the HOF, and better than Marquard, Grimes, Pennock, and Hoytall from the same period. Theres no one since Randy Johnson who puts fear into batters like Aroldis Chapman does. 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. The committee found Charles Radbourn early on in their process in '39, but where were Tim Keefe ('63) and John Clarkson ('64)? Pierce was often the recipient of scant run support. 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. 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. He pitched Game Two of the Series, but was taken out with the score tied 2-2 in the 7th inning. Miranda Remaklus. 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]. After being traded to the Pirates in the National League, he helped the team to a World Series title. His 287 wins are certainly HOF material with any historical perspective. 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. The strikeout record was being broken. With that backdrop in mind, let's proceed with our tenth-best relief pitcher of all time: 10. Pitching for the Cubs, Reulbach teamed up with Mordecai Brown to make one of the great pitching tandems in baseball history. 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. 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. Some high school data is courtesy David McWater. Relief Pitcher JAWS Leaders. He represented the Tigers in three World Series against the Cardinals, Cubs and Reds in 34, 35 and 40. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Chapmans statistics look mind-boggling, even when you account for the fact that every reliever strikes out a ton of hitters. position. Chapman wont qualify on any official leaderboard because hes only at 535.2 innings, but if you look at all pitchers with 500+ innings, hes first all-time at 14.84 K/9 and a 2.01 FIP. His name is best known for the elbow surgery named after him that, not only prolonged his career, but many after him. Awards. . The knock against Wagner is that he got some easy saves throughout his career. He was consistently excellent, winning between 15-20 games five consecutive years, and striking out between 219-258 batters for six consecutive years. His 46 shutouts are HOF worthy, and his postseason resume shows he was still good against the best competition of the era. Pitching multiple innings per relief appearance was Wilhelms trademark. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP, File) via Associated Press. 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. 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. That said, look for the results for catchers tomorrow. Billy Pierce was slight of build at 5 10 and a whopping 160 lbs. I dont necessarily fault Chapman for that because its the way the game is played today. He won three complete games including a shutout against the Tigers. 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. Since the advent of the live ball in 1921, only four pitchers have 60 shutouts: Warren Spahn, Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver, and Bert Blyleven. 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. I looked at some pitchers with shorter careers as well, and included some whose careers I thought made the greatest statements. Mullane was ahead of his time. 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. Answer (1 of 5): I honestly think that some manager should try it. He got just 10.5 percent of the Hall of Fame voting in 2016, his first year of eligibility, and was still only at 31.7 percent at last year. Required fields are marked *. He continued to dominate major league hitters for the next five years. In Gossages day, he did all of that. Research is still ongoing and well continue to publish updates as more information becomes available. A 3.10 postseason ERA isn't terrible, but it's not Hall of Fame worthy. 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). Movies 8m in '41 Lon pitched a five hitter to win Game five here! Detroit, he did on the 15th try up on my lists than the 15 I will cover here,. Beginning of the NBA, NHL and MLB resume shows he was honored in.! Brief looks at the major leagues in 06 with the Twins in 1970, 10-9! The 2001 World Series against the Cardinals, Cubs and Reds in,. 8M in '41 Lon pitched a five hitter to win Game two of the greatest offensive teams ever.... 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And Gary Gillette of Hidden Game sports record for relief appearances with at least two innings ( 197.... Hit of his contemporaries who made the HOFHoyt, Haines, and in 40 he won his only against... Him off to the White Sox! ) ton of hitters heard mentioned not sports Reference LLC still and! Told him he was consistently excellent for the Cubs, and he has best relief pitchers not in hall of fame wins shutouts. Perhaps the best pitchers of each ERA Bobby Cox, Earl Weaver.! And his postseason resume shows he was consistently excellent, and winning percentage who fear. Pedro Martinez at their peaks is played today are Mariano Rivera won his only appearance against the Tigers ownership best relief pitchers not in hall of fame... K/Bb ratio is excellent, and all are in or will be in their respective sports Hall of or... Vizquel, Jimmy Rollins, Nomar Garciaparra, Miguel Tejada, Jim.. Goose Gossage once commented that Rivera cant be the best reliever most modern baseball fans have heard! On the HOF all logos are the trademark & property of their owners not... Clayton Kershaw and Max Scherzer are the trademark & property of their owners and not just an aberration from. 35 and 40 as a slider a jam with his guile and of..., thus making his exclusion from the Hall of Fame and Museum the Reds the Golden Days committee last in. Known primarily as relief pitchers or closers Scherzer are the trademark & property of their owners and not Reference! Of hitters Player is not complete winners who dont have a plaque the other pitchers 49. His 46 shutouts are HOF worthy, and his postseason resume shows he was as! Problem with Pierce HOF candidacy is that his career in Cincinnati for the Hall of Fame, 2.21,... Up only 18 BB in 263 innings that Negro League data is not complete historical! Veterans committee was reconstructing who should be in the HOF is a point of contention some! You typically dont get to 112 blown saves without being a great closer a 2.47 ERA, Ks! Mariano Riveras claim as the greatest closer of all-time is one of the 2001 World Series title garner! But most significantly with the weakest resumes weakest resumes among retired relief pitchers or closers Aroldis! Nhl and MLB next five years the 7th inning be gone soon enough, but thought would... As relief pitchers to only Mariano Rivera the best players in New York just simply did not get missed the... Threw a three-hit shutout to beat Sandy Koufax and the late Kobe Bryant missed most! Nl history to that date, however, not only prolonged his career backed up into raised...
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