Post by Sha-Le Unique on Jun 8, 2014 20:12:53 GMT -5
With 5 seasons in the books, it's about time for some historical ranks to appear. I'll probably do this every 5-10 seasons going forward. There have been a lot of great pitchers here since we began, but which ones stood out as the cream of the crop? Let's find out!
To put this together, I used CATO to look up various career stats from 1953-1957, including wins, ERA, WHIP, as well as All-Star Game appearances and Cy Young Awards, which of course helps a lot.
First, a few Honorable Mentions:
- Chuck Stobbs
- Carl Erskine
- Ned Garver
- Art Houtteman
- Jackie Collum
- Don Larsen
- Robin Roberts
- Bobby Shantz
- Curt Simmons
I'm probably forgetting others worthy of being included, so I apologize in advance.
And now the top 10:
10. Mike Fornieles
Career Stats: 85-61, 3.43 ERA, 1.293 WHIP, 647 K, 4x All-Star
Best Season: 1957 (17-14, 2.81 ERA, 155 K)
We'll start this off with Mike Fornieles of the White Sox. Fornieles recently got an amazing PD that makes him currently among the most valuable pitchers in the entire league, but as far as stats go, Fornieles barely squeaks into the top 10. Nonetheless, Fornieles has been a very solid #2 SP for the White Sox for years and at 26, he should be a mainstay for a long time.
9. Mike Garcia
Career Stats: 96-66, 3.26 ERA, 1.212 WHIP, 685 K, 3x All-Star
Best Season: 1953 (21-13, 2.57 ERA, 143 K)
At 9th is Alex Garcia of the Indians, who has been the team's ace for years. Garcia's numbers have gone slightly down in the past two seasons, but he has still been one of the best AL pitchers around for a long time. At 33, Garcia may not have too many more great seasons left in him, but when that time comes, those will be big shoes for the Indians to fill.
8. Vinegar Bend Mizell
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Career Stats: 83-38, 2.99 ERA, 1.272 WHIP, 869 K, 2x All-Star
Best Season: 1957 (19-7, 2.68 ERA, 194 K)
Next is one of the former anchors to the Cardinals' rotation, Vinegar Bend Mizell. Mizell has been one of the most dependable southpaws thus far in HOFFBL history. He helped the Cardinals win their two recent championships in 1954 and 1956, before getting traded to the Yankees and winning his third ring in 1957. At 26, look for Mizell to continue to improve with the Yankees for the foreseeable future.
7. Eddie Lopat
Career Stats: 77-40, 2.98 ERA, 1.130 WHIP, 358 K, 3x All-Star
Best Season: 1953 (25-6, 2.24 ERA, 105 K)
For years now, the Yankees have had amazing pitching and it's obviously a huge reason why they have won as many championships as they have. One of the many keys to their success was the left arm of newly retired southpaw Eddie Lopat. The veteran had a great 3-year run from 1953-1955 before age caught up to him. He had another solid season in 1956 with the Indians, but spent his final season in 1957 in the A's bullpen. The 3-year run from 1953-1955 though was certainly good enough for him to be ranked where he's at. Time will tell whether he continues to stay up here in future rankings. Enjoy retirement!
6. Mickey McDermott
Career Stats: 91-42, 3.10 ERA, 1.278 WHIP, 585 K, 3x All-Star, 1956 NL Cy Young Award winner
Best Season: 1956 (27-5, 2.59 ERA, 141 K)
Break has recently stated that the Red Sox will be the team to beat in the AL East this upcoming season. Will his team perform well enough to back up his words? It's obviously too early to tell, but the likelihood of it happening would probably be higher had Break not dealt Mickey McDermott to the Dodgers in 1954. Then again, McDermott was not really interested in returning to the Red Sox at the time, so you can't really blame Break for moving him then.
Anyway, ever since coming to the Dodgers, McDermott transformed from a very good pitcher into a star. He's been one of the most dominant NL pitchers in the past three seasons and won the NL Cy Young Award in 1956. In fact, he is the only NL Cy Young Award winner not named Warren Spahn thus far in HOFFBL history. He was the Dodgers' ace in both of their NL pennant-winning seasons in 1955 and 1957. And at 28, he should continue to be the Dodgers' ace out in Los Angeles for the long term future.
5. Whitey Ford
Career Stats: 103-56, 2.96 ERA, 1.209 WHIP, 803 K, 3x All-Star, 1956 AL Cy Young Award winner
Best Season: 1956 (26-11, 3.06 ERA, 166 K)
Another pitcher that has been huge in the Yankees' success is Whitey Ford, who already has an AL Cy Young Award and three World Series rings under his belt. Oh and he's only 28 at the moment, so his numbers should continue to improve even more for at least the next 5 seasons. Ford is also a workhouse and threw 327 regular season innings in his Cy Young season. He's a dependable lefty that any team would be fortunate to have. His career could certainly be special at this rate.
4. Jim McDonald
Career Stats: 98-51, 2.92 ERA, 1.218 WHIP, 536 K, 3x All-Star, 1955 AL Cy Young Award winner, 4x AL Gold Glove Award winner, 1957 Postseason MVP
Best Season: 1955 (26-5, 2.32 ERA, 114 K)
Yet another backbone to the Yankees' success has been Jim McDonald, who has an AL Cy Young Award of his own. McDonald has been among the most elite pitchers since this league began and he's been very clutch in the postseason as well, as shown by the Postseason MVP Award he won in 1957. The 30-year-old has been on all three of the Yankees' championship teams and could very well be part of more in the future.
3. Billy Pierce
Career Stats: 105-68, 2.71 ERA, 1.141 WHIP, 979 K, 2x All-Star, 1954 AL Cy Young Award winner
Best Season: 1954 (23-13, 2.41 ERA, 196 K)
At #3 is Billy Pierce, the longtime White Sox ace. Pierce has been a workhorse, with over 34 starts per season and 300+ innings pitched in four of the past five seasons. Pierce has been by far one of the most dominant AL starters for a long time and should have at least 4-6 great seasons left in him at this point.
2. Vic Raschi
Career Stats: 100-42, 2.78 ERA, 1.118 WHIP, 528 K, 4x All-Star, 1953 AL Cy Young Award winner, 1957 NL Gold Glove Award winner
Best Season: 1953 (28-5, 1.63 ERA, 109 K)
Vic Raschi was really the first great AL pitcher in HOFFBL history. His career best 1953 season is still one of the most complete single seasons for pitchers ever. Raschi had a remarkable 3-year stretch of dominance with the Yankees from 1953-1955 and then had another great season in 1956 after getting traded to the Cardinals. Age finally caught up to him in 1957, which ended up being his final season. He is now retired and should be an easy 1st ballot HOFFBL Hall of Famer (whenever we get that started). But despite being retired now, it will take an extraordinary career to ever dethrone Raschi of being among the top 10 best pitchers ever.
1. Warren Spahn
Career Stats: 123-36, 2.33 ERA, 0.963 WHIP, 759 K, 4x All-Star, 1953, 1954, 1955 and 1957 NL Cy Young Award winner
Best Season: 1957 (29-5, 1.61 ERA, 155 K)
This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. Warren Spahn has been the best pitcher in HOFFBL history and by a mile. Spahn is the career HOFFBL leader in wins, ERA and WHIP, among other categories. He also holds single season records in wins, ERA, shutouts and WHIP, among other categories. Spahn has been so dominant in the NL that he has won four of the first five NL Cy Young Awards. And just when you may have thought Spahn would decline at 36, he turned in the best single season in HOFFBL history.
It's unfortunate that despite all of Spahn's success, the Braves have only made one trip to the World Series in 1953. Will Spahn get another chance to win a ring before retirement? We will have to see. He is showing no signs of slowing down though, so even at his age, he is worth every penny the Braves are paying him. The Braves won't be the same once Spahn is gone, so Steve needs to do everything possible to win a championship while Spahn is still here.
Top 10 hitters ranking coming soon!
To put this together, I used CATO to look up various career stats from 1953-1957, including wins, ERA, WHIP, as well as All-Star Game appearances and Cy Young Awards, which of course helps a lot.
First, a few Honorable Mentions:
- Chuck Stobbs
- Carl Erskine
- Ned Garver
- Art Houtteman
- Jackie Collum
- Don Larsen
- Robin Roberts
- Bobby Shantz
- Curt Simmons
I'm probably forgetting others worthy of being included, so I apologize in advance.
And now the top 10:
10. Mike Fornieles
Career Stats: 85-61, 3.43 ERA, 1.293 WHIP, 647 K, 4x All-Star
Best Season: 1957 (17-14, 2.81 ERA, 155 K)
We'll start this off with Mike Fornieles of the White Sox. Fornieles recently got an amazing PD that makes him currently among the most valuable pitchers in the entire league, but as far as stats go, Fornieles barely squeaks into the top 10. Nonetheless, Fornieles has been a very solid #2 SP for the White Sox for years and at 26, he should be a mainstay for a long time.
9. Mike Garcia
Career Stats: 96-66, 3.26 ERA, 1.212 WHIP, 685 K, 3x All-Star
Best Season: 1953 (21-13, 2.57 ERA, 143 K)
At 9th is Alex Garcia of the Indians, who has been the team's ace for years. Garcia's numbers have gone slightly down in the past two seasons, but he has still been one of the best AL pitchers around for a long time. At 33, Garcia may not have too many more great seasons left in him, but when that time comes, those will be big shoes for the Indians to fill.
8. Vinegar Bend Mizell
Career Stats: 83-38, 2.99 ERA, 1.272 WHIP, 869 K, 2x All-Star
Best Season: 1957 (19-7, 2.68 ERA, 194 K)
Next is one of the former anchors to the Cardinals' rotation, Vinegar Bend Mizell. Mizell has been one of the most dependable southpaws thus far in HOFFBL history. He helped the Cardinals win their two recent championships in 1954 and 1956, before getting traded to the Yankees and winning his third ring in 1957. At 26, look for Mizell to continue to improve with the Yankees for the foreseeable future.
7. Eddie Lopat
Career Stats: 77-40, 2.98 ERA, 1.130 WHIP, 358 K, 3x All-Star
Best Season: 1953 (25-6, 2.24 ERA, 105 K)
For years now, the Yankees have had amazing pitching and it's obviously a huge reason why they have won as many championships as they have. One of the many keys to their success was the left arm of newly retired southpaw Eddie Lopat. The veteran had a great 3-year run from 1953-1955 before age caught up to him. He had another solid season in 1956 with the Indians, but spent his final season in 1957 in the A's bullpen. The 3-year run from 1953-1955 though was certainly good enough for him to be ranked where he's at. Time will tell whether he continues to stay up here in future rankings. Enjoy retirement!
6. Mickey McDermott
Career Stats: 91-42, 3.10 ERA, 1.278 WHIP, 585 K, 3x All-Star, 1956 NL Cy Young Award winner
Best Season: 1956 (27-5, 2.59 ERA, 141 K)
Break has recently stated that the Red Sox will be the team to beat in the AL East this upcoming season. Will his team perform well enough to back up his words? It's obviously too early to tell, but the likelihood of it happening would probably be higher had Break not dealt Mickey McDermott to the Dodgers in 1954. Then again, McDermott was not really interested in returning to the Red Sox at the time, so you can't really blame Break for moving him then.
Anyway, ever since coming to the Dodgers, McDermott transformed from a very good pitcher into a star. He's been one of the most dominant NL pitchers in the past three seasons and won the NL Cy Young Award in 1956. In fact, he is the only NL Cy Young Award winner not named Warren Spahn thus far in HOFFBL history. He was the Dodgers' ace in both of their NL pennant-winning seasons in 1955 and 1957. And at 28, he should continue to be the Dodgers' ace out in Los Angeles for the long term future.
5. Whitey Ford
Career Stats: 103-56, 2.96 ERA, 1.209 WHIP, 803 K, 3x All-Star, 1956 AL Cy Young Award winner
Best Season: 1956 (26-11, 3.06 ERA, 166 K)
Another pitcher that has been huge in the Yankees' success is Whitey Ford, who already has an AL Cy Young Award and three World Series rings under his belt. Oh and he's only 28 at the moment, so his numbers should continue to improve even more for at least the next 5 seasons. Ford is also a workhouse and threw 327 regular season innings in his Cy Young season. He's a dependable lefty that any team would be fortunate to have. His career could certainly be special at this rate.
4. Jim McDonald
Career Stats: 98-51, 2.92 ERA, 1.218 WHIP, 536 K, 3x All-Star, 1955 AL Cy Young Award winner, 4x AL Gold Glove Award winner, 1957 Postseason MVP
Best Season: 1955 (26-5, 2.32 ERA, 114 K)
Yet another backbone to the Yankees' success has been Jim McDonald, who has an AL Cy Young Award of his own. McDonald has been among the most elite pitchers since this league began and he's been very clutch in the postseason as well, as shown by the Postseason MVP Award he won in 1957. The 30-year-old has been on all three of the Yankees' championship teams and could very well be part of more in the future.
3. Billy Pierce
Career Stats: 105-68, 2.71 ERA, 1.141 WHIP, 979 K, 2x All-Star, 1954 AL Cy Young Award winner
Best Season: 1954 (23-13, 2.41 ERA, 196 K)
At #3 is Billy Pierce, the longtime White Sox ace. Pierce has been a workhorse, with over 34 starts per season and 300+ innings pitched in four of the past five seasons. Pierce has been by far one of the most dominant AL starters for a long time and should have at least 4-6 great seasons left in him at this point.
2. Vic Raschi
Career Stats: 100-42, 2.78 ERA, 1.118 WHIP, 528 K, 4x All-Star, 1953 AL Cy Young Award winner, 1957 NL Gold Glove Award winner
Best Season: 1953 (28-5, 1.63 ERA, 109 K)
Vic Raschi was really the first great AL pitcher in HOFFBL history. His career best 1953 season is still one of the most complete single seasons for pitchers ever. Raschi had a remarkable 3-year stretch of dominance with the Yankees from 1953-1955 and then had another great season in 1956 after getting traded to the Cardinals. Age finally caught up to him in 1957, which ended up being his final season. He is now retired and should be an easy 1st ballot HOFFBL Hall of Famer (whenever we get that started). But despite being retired now, it will take an extraordinary career to ever dethrone Raschi of being among the top 10 best pitchers ever.
1. Warren Spahn
Career Stats: 123-36, 2.33 ERA, 0.963 WHIP, 759 K, 4x All-Star, 1953, 1954, 1955 and 1957 NL Cy Young Award winner
Best Season: 1957 (29-5, 1.61 ERA, 155 K)
This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. Warren Spahn has been the best pitcher in HOFFBL history and by a mile. Spahn is the career HOFFBL leader in wins, ERA and WHIP, among other categories. He also holds single season records in wins, ERA, shutouts and WHIP, among other categories. Spahn has been so dominant in the NL that he has won four of the first five NL Cy Young Awards. And just when you may have thought Spahn would decline at 36, he turned in the best single season in HOFFBL history.
It's unfortunate that despite all of Spahn's success, the Braves have only made one trip to the World Series in 1953. Will Spahn get another chance to win a ring before retirement? We will have to see. He is showing no signs of slowing down though, so even at his age, he is worth every penny the Braves are paying him. The Braves won't be the same once Spahn is gone, so Steve needs to do everything possible to win a championship while Spahn is still here.
Top 10 hitters ranking coming soon!
