Post by Captain America on Mar 29, 2015 20:53:33 GMT -5
As BBSBL enters its 20th season, only 4 pitchers have been enshrined into the BBSBL Hall of Fame. Greg Maddux, Alex Fernandez, Jim Pittsley and Mike Lincoln are the first four pitchers to get in, but in the coming seasons, there should be a lot more on the way.
First, let's give some shout outs to some honorable mentions that missed the cut:
- Heath Bell
- Ernest Czech
- Chris Gissell
- Dicky Gonzalez
- Rich Harden
- Todd Noel
- Roy Oswalt
- Leon Sabin
- Kip Wells
- Carlos Zambrano
There is no guarantee that all these players will get inducted, but the majority more than likely will at some point.
And now, the top 15!
15. CL Mike Adams
Career Stats: 85-69, 2.70 ERA, 520 SV, 744 K, 981.2 IP
More often than not, closers would not be compared to starters for the HOF or any other prestigious honors, but Mike Adams is without question an exception to this.
No closers are a part of the BBSBL HOF yet, but Adams should certainly have the resume to be inducted after he retires. Simply put, Adams is the most dominant closer BBSBL has ever seen. The guy already has 520 saves and he could still pitch a few more seasons. That you just do not see much, if at all in OOTP leagues. He is one of a kind. Originally drafted by the Twins, Adams rose to fame with the Cubs and anchored the bullpen in their 2005 championship run. He later got traded to the Red Sox and continued piling on the saves. Amazingly, Adams has only led the league in saves 3 times throughout his career. But his consistency and longevity definitely helped along the way.
If any closer will get a HOF induction here, it will be Adams. I'll be surprised if this league sees another closer like him ever again.
14. SP Gerik Baxter
Career Stats: 221-120, 2.96 ERA, 3275 K, 3069.1 IP, 21 SHO
Debuting the year after the Blue Jays' 2003 championship run, Gerik Baxter quickly became one of BBSBL's premier power pitchers, averaging nearly 298 strikeouts through his first 11 seasons. His 3,275 strikeouts already rank 7th all time and that number should continue to rise for at least the next few seasons. He has led the AL 4 times in strikeouts and the NL 3 times after being traded to the Braves and later, the Giants. And he has done all that with a career 2.96 ERA. He was a big part of the Giants' World Series run in 2013 and has a career 3.31 ERA in 18 postseason starts.
Baxter shouldn't have too much trouble becoming a HOF pitcher, whether it's through OOTP or from a GM vote. Most likely, he would get in on the first ballot because of how much of a power pitcher he has been.
13. SP Jeremy Affeldt
Career Stats: 253-135, 3.15 ERA, 3950 K, 3759.0 IP, 38 SHO
Before Baxter emerged, Jeremy Affeldt was the most well known power pitcher around. Already 3rd all-time in strikeouts, he should easily eclipse 4,000 strikeouts in the 2015 season. He led the NL in strikeouts 6 times and more recently, the AL 3 times. His 353 strikeouts in 2003 remain a BBSBL single season record. The fact that he racked up over 300 strikeouts in a season 6 times and only eclipsed 300 innings once is remarkable in itself. Affeldt has a career 3.69 postseason ERA and was a big part of the 2008 and 2009 Marlins teams that won the first two of four consecutive championships.
With all his strikeouts in particular, I don't see Affeldt having too much trouble becoming a part of the HOF. The ERA may be above 3.00, but his strikeouts and longevity should be enough to get in.
12. SP Grant Balfour
Career Stats: 244-146, 2.89 ERA, 1958 K, 3669.0 IP, 19 SHO
If anyone on this ranking has been under-appreciated throughout his career, it is Grant Balfour. Maybe it's because until today, he spent his entire career on the Indians and DRowe didn't hype him up too much. Maybe it's because he was never traded until just the other day. Who knows. The bottom line is Balfour more than deserves to be considered among the best pitchers in BBSBL history.
In his 15-year career thus far, Balfour has won 20+ games 4 times and had a sub-3.00 ERA 7 times. He got snubbed a few times for the All-Star Game and only ended up going to 4 of them. But through all this time, he has quietly put up some great numbers and helped lead the Indians to 4 consecutive AL Central titles from 2008-2011, including 2 AL pennants.
Balfour will very likely become a member of the HOF in his first ballot, but if he doesn't, it would be a shame.
11. SP Jake Peavy
Career Stats: 229-124, 2.78 ERA, 2318 K, 3410.1 IP, 24 SHO
Another elite pitcher in BBSBL over the past 13 seasons has been Jake Peavy. Peavy was originally drafted by the Mets, but after a change in ownership from James to Danchevy, Peavy was shipped to the Diamondbacks, where he has been ever since. But in Arizona, that's when Peavy took the next step and became a true ace. He led the Diamondbacks to their first ever postseason appearance in 2012 that ended with an NL pennant over the mighty Marlins. In 7 career postseason starts, Peavy has sported a 1.18 ERA.
Peavy has a pair of no-hitters under his belt that occurred in 2005 and 2008, respectively. He hasn't always been a workhorse, but certainly has been one more recently. He also has the single season WHIP record at 0.681, which he set in 2007.
More than likely, Peavy will have an easy time becoming a Hall of Famer. It would be a surprise if he isn't in on the 1st ballot.
10. SP Roy Halladay
Career Stats: 303-227, 3.37 ERA, 4262 K, 4636.0 IP, 46 SHO
Yet another one of the most dominant pitchers in BBSBL history has been Roy Halladay. He is the all-time leader in strikeouts by a large margin and won the 2004 AL Cy Young Award. Despite only leading the AL in strikeouts 5 times, Halladay has been as consistent with the K's as anyone in his 18-year career thus far. He's also 5th all-time in wins and tied for 5th in shutouts. Halladay was the Blue Jays' ace on the 2003 World Series championship team and stayed with Toronto for 13 years before being moved to the Reds, Angels, A's, and currently, the Mets.
Halladay should be a very easy call for the HOF. 300+ wins and being the all-time leader in strikeouts should be more than enough despite what may be a high career ERA.
9. SP Francisco Rodriguez
237-120, 2.91 ERA, 2970 K, 3319.1 IP, 28 SHO
Francisco Rodriguez was a longtime ace for the Mariners and has had success with the Mets, Giants, Cubs and Tigers as well. His resume is as well rounded as anyone's, hence why he's where he is on the list. Rodriguez's ERA has been under 3.00 7 times in his 12-year career and he won 20 or more games in 7 of his first 9 seasons. Rodriguez is closing in on the top 10 in career strikeouts and despite only leading the AL once in strikeouts, he's been in top 5 in every season of his career except 2004.
Rodriguez should certainly make it into the Hall of Fame and most likely on his first ballot.
8. SP Josh Beckett
Career Stats: 207-116, 2.52 ERA, 2679 K, 3169.1 IP, 26 SHO
Arguably one of, if not the best pitcher in BBSBL history to never win a Cy Young Award (yet), Josh Beckett has been among the league's best for over a decade now. His 2.52 career ERA ranks 8th all-time at the moment and his ERA has been under 3.00 in 9 of his first 12 seasons. He's even had a pair of sub-2.00 ERA seasons as well in 2006 and 2008 with the Reds. Beckett was one of the very few bright spots on some rebuilding Reds teams from 2003-2010 before being shipped to the Expos, and later, the Marlins and Yankees. In 2013, he tied Jordan Zimmermann's BBSBL single season record with 33 wins and led the NL in strikeouts in 2010 and 2013.
Beckett's resume isn't the most complete of all the pitchers listed, but his ERA and strikeout totals should be enough to become a part of the HOF.
7. SP Jonathan Papelbon
Career Stats: 224-79, 2.40 ERA, 1881 K, 2918.2 IP, 36 SHO
More recently, Jonathan Papelbon has evolved from a very good pitcher into one of BBSBL's best. He has a GM-voted Cy Young Award under his belt and 2 in-game Cy Young Awards as well. Papelbon is currently 4th in career ERA and is tied for 9th in career shutouts. His .7392 winning percentage is terrific and among the top 5 all-time as well. He was a huge part of 2 championship teams with the Mariners in 2007 and the Yankees in 2012. Papelbon set a career high in 2014 with 31 wins and has a great chance to eclipse 250 career wins in the 2015 season.
Like the 6 guys ahead of him, Papelbon should be an easy shoe-in for the Hall of Fame. Multiple Cy Young Awards, multiple championships and a current top 5 career ERA are more than enough for a 1st ballot induction.
6. SP Mark Prior
Career Stats: 263-99, 2.51 ERA, 2574 K, 3377.0 IP, 32 SHO
One could certainly make a case that Mark Prior would have been higher on this list if he not gotten injured as often as he did. But when healthy, few pitchers have been better than him. Prior was the longtime ace for the Pirates until he got traded to the Mariners midway through the 2011 season, where he continued to dominate.
Prior had a spectacular career season in 2010 that included 30 wins, a 1.79 ERA, 256 strikeouts, 8 shutouts, and a well deserving NL Cy Young Award. He helped lead the Pirates to an NL pennant in 2003 and after enduring a season ending injury halfway through 2012, he bounced back in 2013 to lead the Mariners to an AL pennant. His postseason stats include 10 wins and a 2.52 ERA in 22 starts.
Prior is another 1st ballot shoe-in for the HOF. He might not be a unanimous selection, but I can't see him going to a 2nd ballot.
5. SP Joseph Jackson
Career Stats: 246-119, 2.35 ERA, 2419 K, 3373.2 IP, 47 SHO
Easily the best non-real life pitcher in BBSBL history, Joseph Jackson emerged out of nowhere as one of the premier aces in the mid-late 2000s. He bounced around a lot between the Padres (twice), Expos, Pirates, and Giants (twice), plus two brief stints each with the Dodgers and Yankees. Jackson won the 2005 NL Cy Young Award with the Padres and had 26 wins, a 1.74 ERA, 237 strikeouts and 10 shutouts that year. He's been a consistent workhorse and has thrown over 300 innings in a season 7 times. Jackson has had a sub-2.50 ERA 8 times in his 12-year career and his 2.35 career ERA ranks 4th all-time. The 9-time All-Star was also a big part of the Giants' 2013 championship.
Jackson is easily a Hall of Fame pitcher and at 38 years old right now, this could potentially be his final season.
4. SP CC Sabathia
Career Stats: 342-139, 2.50 ERA, 3746 K, 4522.1 IP, 65 SHO
Now is when we really get to the cream of the crop within the cream of the crop. CC Sabathia has had an amazing 15-year career thus far and is showing no signs of slowing down. Originally drafted by the Reds, Sabathia was traded to the Marlins in a deal Stutter probably still regrets. He came up in 2000 and has been stellar ever since.
Sabathia's career accomplishments include an NL Cy Young Award in 2002, 8 All-Star nominations, 12 seasons with 20+ wins, 10 seasons with a sub-2.50 ERA, a top ERA in 2004, 3 strikeout titles, and 9 seasons with 300+ innings pitched. Sabathia's career 2.50 ERA ranks 6th all-time, while his 342 wins are 3rd, his 3746 strikeouts are 4th and his 65 shutouts are 3rd.
Sabathia ended up spending 2 separate stints with the Marlins, as well as time with the Cubs, Angels, Expos, Yankees and Giants. He has pitched just as well in the postseason too, with 26 wins, a 2.35 ERA and 6 shutouts in 46 starts. He was a big part of 3 Marlins championship teams from 2008-2010 and got a 4th ring while helping lead the Yankees to their 2012 championship.
Sabathia is a no-brainer 1st ballot entry. Spoiler alert: the 3 remaining pitchers all are as well.
3. SP Kerry Wood
Career Stats: 363-159, 2.41 ERA, 3925 K, 4972.2 IP, 63 SHO
Throughout the early-mid 2000s, Kerry Wood was widely considered the best pitcher around. And the right-handed side of the Cubs' longtime 2-headed monster atop their rotation certainly was. Wood won his 4 NL Cy Young Awards within a 5-year stretch in 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2007. He also took home the NL MVP Award in 2004 and 2006.
The 9-time All-Star has won 20+ games 12 times, including a 31 win season in 2006. Speaking of 2006, that season of Wood's is arguably one of the best ever for a BBSBL pitcher, which included those 31 wins, a 1.42 ERA (3rd best single season ERA ever), 251 strikeouts and 7 shutouts. Wood's 363 wins rank 2nd all-time, his 3925 strikeouts are 3rd, and his 63 shutouts are 4th.
After spending the first 11 seasons of his career with the Cubs, Wood got traded to the Giants in 2008, where he spent 3 seasons before bouncing around to the Angels, Tigers, Red Sox and currently, the crosstown White Sox. He helped lead the Cubs to his only World Series title in 2005 and in 33 postseason starts, has 13 wins, a 2.67 ERA and 2 shutouts. Wood has declined a bit the past few years, but during his best years from 1999-2010, few, if any were better than him. And there is no question that he was the most dominant pitcher around in the mid 2000s. I think we already covered that though.
Wood is a 1st ballot Hall of Famer. Not much more really needs to be said about that. Anything short of a unanimous vote would be disappointing.
2. SP Mark Buehrle
Career Stats: 339-106, 2.23 ERA, 2071 K, 4264.2 IP, 75 SHO
It took Mark Buehrle a few seasons to become a top 3 all-time BBSBL pitcher, but at this point, there is no question he is one of, if not the best pitcher we have ever seen here. Buehrle has won 6 Cy Young Awards (4 in AL and 2 in NL), which is by far the most of any pitcher in BBSBL history. He also won a pair of MVP Awards in 2008 and 2012 (one in each league). He has won 20+ games in 12 of his 14 seasons and has had a sub-2.00 ERA in 6 different seasons. He set a new BBSBL single season record in 2012 with a remarkable 1.28 ERA.
In his career, Buehrle's 2.23 ERA ranks 2nd all-time, he is 5th in wins with 339, and the leader in shutouts with 75. The workhorse ace has eclipsed 300+ innings 10 times, including a single season record 362.1 innings in 2009. He also leads all pitchers with 12 All-Star nominations.
Buehrle made his mark after getting traded from the Expos to the A's, where he won his first 2 Cy Young Awards. He won his next 2 with the Giants and after spending one season with the Pirates, Buehrle went back to the AL and won Cy Young Awards [HASH]5 and 6 with the Red Sox. He then got traded to the Rays, whom he plays for today. Buehrle also threw 2 no-hitters in 2008 and 2011.
Buehrle has been great in the postseason too. In 35 starts, he has 16 wins, a 2.23 ERA and 4 shutouts. He won his lone World Series title with the A's in 2006.
If Buehrle isn't a unanimous 1st ballot HOF selection, that would be shocking, to say the least.
1. SP Johan Santana
Career Stats: 385-133, 2.12 ERA, 3327 K, 5213.0 IP, 73 SHO
Johan Santana has clearly been the most consistent pitcher in BBSBL history. While Wood and Mark Buehrle have had more dominant stretches in their careers and have won more hardware, Santana has always, and I mean always been in the mix for Cy Young voting year in and year out. Santana is the all-time leader in wins with 385 and should easily surpass 400 in the 2015 season. He also ranks 6th in career strikeouts and 2nd in career shutouts.
In his 17-year career, the 11-time All-Star has yet to have an ERA at 3.00 or higher. In fact, his worst ERA ever was 2.85 in 2001. That's how incredibly consistent Santana has been. He is the all-time career ERA leader at a remarkable 2.12 and has had a sub 2.00 ERA in 8 seasons. How he has done all this and only come away with 3 Cy Young Awards is amazing in itself. But this goes back to my original point. Santana hasn't always been the most dominant pitcher, but he sure as hell has been the most consistent and that's why I consider him the best pitcher in BBSBL history over Buehrle and Wood (but not by much!).
Santana has spent his entire career with the Cubs and was the left-handed side of the Cubs' longtime two-headed monster with Wood. He helped lead the Cubbies to their 2006 championship that finally broke their 98-year title drought. But even as he has aged, Santana hasn't missed a beat. He put together his best season in 2013 at the age of 33 with 27 wins, a 1.40 ERA (2nd best single season ERA ever) and 8 shutouts. Santana's postseason numbers include 14 wins, a 2.60 ERA and 1 shutout in 35 starts.
I highly doubt there will ever be another pitcher in this league that will be as consistent as Santana. With that being said, there is no doubt that he is a unanimous 1st ballot HOF selection.
