then in Boston. He represented the Tigers in three World Series against the Cardinals, Cubs and Reds in 34, 35 and 40. Mark McGwire reached higher peaks, but Palmeiro nearly matched McGwires career homer total, almost doubled Big Macs hit total and was a more lauded defender, too. Nothing in his pitching resume says he doesnt belong in the HOF. He would hold the ball with both hands and then surprise the hitter. But like Bonds, Clemens did not have an easier time with the Todays Game Era Committee than he did with the BBWAA. He racked up 126 saves in his 40s. 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). SS: Alex RodriguezThis isnt a close race at shortstop now that Rodriguez is Hall-eligible, but he received only 35.7% of the vote in his second year on the BBWAA ballot in 2023. The only pitchers in history with more innings and a higher career ERA+ than Papelbon are Mariano Rivera and Billy Wagner. That said, after 425 responses, voting has officially wrapped for this poll. The Baseball Writers Association of America has elected the newest Hall of Famer, with third baseman Scott Rolen officially getting the call on Tuesday and joining Fred McGriff -- previously elected by the Contemporary Baseball Era Players Committee -- in the Class of 2023. The top ten pitchers eligible but not in the HoF, by rWAR/200 IP, minimum 2000 IP: 1 Roger Clemens 5.7 "Billy the Kid was part of the Tigers post-war youth movement, getting a look with the club at age 18 in 45. His ERA+, curve ball, postseason record and H/9 all speak of a pitcher who was one of the best of his era. He re-surfaced with incredible campaigns in '84 and '85. Bridges is only six wins shy of the requisite 200 to be considered for the HOF. It also includes "Black" Sox pitcher Eddie Cicotte who is banned from baseball, and not eligible for the HOF. 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. The strikeout record was being broken. Billy Wagner. Were there a clear consensus, someone would be closer to 1 here. Blyleven continued his career in Cleveland, working through injury to re-invent his delivery and now legendary curve ball. He pitched with six different teams, but most significantly with the Cleveland Blues and Chicago White Stockings. Full-year historical Major League statistics provided by Pete Palmer and Gary Gillette of Hidden Game Sports. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. 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. Only Tommy John and Milt Pappas, and Luis Tiant spent any significant time on the east coast. First-ever unanimous National Baseball Hall of Fame inductee (Class of 2019) Mariano Rivera is the greatest relief pitcher in Major League Baseball history. 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). Trevor Hoffman is getting a lot of love this year, and Lee Smith did really well by the voters . getting voted into the Hall of Fame is difficult for relief . His ERA is outstanding, his K/BB ratio is excellent, and he has enough wins and shutouts. 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 only question now is whether enough voters will eventually warm to Beltrn's case, given his ties to the 2017 Astros sign-stealing scandal. There have been historical events that have influenced voting. 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! 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. Fingers career ERA+ of 120 is lower than youd expect (24th among 30 closers with at least 300+ saves). That said, look for the results for catchers tomorrow. Pitchers who, for one reason or another, never got the votes or attention needed to make it in. Brett Favre threw the most interceptions and the late Kobe Bryant missed the most shots. His 46 shutouts are HOF worthy, and his postseason resume shows he was still good against the best competition of the era. Some high school data is courtesy David McWater. 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. And interestingly enough, hes probably more known for his handlebar mustache than what he did on the field. He would have had more wins if he hadnt been held back to face the Yankees, or had been given better run support . The committee found Charles Radbourn early on in their process in '39, but where were Tim Keefe ('63) and John Clarkson ('64)? But he might not be on this list much longer. Will pitched a very respectable 3500 innings, but crammed most of it into eight years of pitching. Rivera's legacy is as the greatest relief pitcher ever, and now that Chapman is a Yankee for the foreseeable future, that's . One naturally asks this question when compiling a list like this. 9 Charlie Buffinton 3.7 Being a relief pitcher often means you take an unconventional route. More about data coverage. Babe went on to pitch the rest of his career for Pittsburgh. Adams was perhaps the most extreme control pitcher in the history of the game. Since the advent of the live ball in 1921, only four pitchers have 60 shutouts: Warren Spahn, Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver, and Bert Blyleven. 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. But for some reason, he was not free of the reserve clause which stated he had to re-sign with St. Louis after Toledo folded. Thats three seasons for workhorse Mike Marshall from the 1970s. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? He was never comfortable in Cincinnati, often being booed even though the trade was not his fault. 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." 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. He went 3517 in the minors. 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. Total Zone Rating and initial framework for Wins above Replacement calculations provided by Sean Smith. 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. Cooper was slender and had a remarkable smooth and graceful delivery. Career Span/Primary Team(s) Player Wins Above Replacement; 1986-2007/Pirates, Giants: 178.3: 1984-2007/Red Sox, Blue Jays, Yankees, Astros: 133.9: 1991-2005/Astros How many relief pitchers are on a baseball team? 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. He won 21 games with an ERA of 1.60 and led the league in shutouts with nine. 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. career WAR averaged with their 7-year peak WAR. He easily lost enough time to give him credit for not having 200 wins. Here are the best Hall of Fame candidates. He allowed just two home runs to 527 batters in the playoffs. He proved it often enough. His career stands up nicely against contemporary HOF pitchers Bob Lemon and Hal Newhowser. But he was so good at his craft. In an era when everyone posts gaudy relief statistics, the trick is figuring out how rare and special Wagner really was. Hoffman never won a Cy Young but finished second twice. All rights reserved. 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. He had exceptionally large hands which helped with gripping and releasing the ball with greater spinning revolutions on its way to the plate. He faced Ford 15 times in his career and went 7-7. Recent history doesnt recognize Billy Wagner for how dominant he was. He simply does not have the statistics or the longevity. 3 Curt Schilling 4.9 Initials. In Chicago he helped them to two championships, mostly as a second pitcher. It's fitting that Smoltz, Maddux, and Tom Glavine came back-to-back-to-back on this list, because for over a decade . The Hall of Fame began in 1936, inducting Walter Johnson and Christy Mathewson in its first year. Then again, you typically dont get to 112 blown saves without being a great closer. Only John Smoltz and Dennis Eckersley can say they were multi-time All-Star starting pitchers and then became dominant closers afterwards. Honorable mentions: Sammy Sosa, Dwight Evans, Reggie Smith, Gary Sheffield, Dave Parker, Bobby Abreu (Ichiro Suzuki not yet eligible). Dennis Eckersley, 1987-1998 (as reliever), Stats (as reliever): 390 saves, 2.85 ERA, 0.999 WHIP, 6.29 K:BB, 136 ERA+, Accolades (as reliever): 4 All-Star appearances, 1 Cy Young award, 1 MVP award, 1 World Series ring, 1 ALCS MVP award, 2x Rolaids Relief award, Baseball Hall of Fame. In the '30s he pitched with Schoolboy Rowe, and later with Bobo Newsome. 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. His 187 career ERA+ is second among retired relief pitchers to only Mariano Rivera. Relief Pitcher JAWS Leaders. His devastating curve also made him one of hardest pitchers to hit of his generation. 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