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. Go Orange. Here are the best Hall of Fame candidates. Blyleven is arguably among the top 20-25 pitchers in baseball history. He holds the all-time record for relief appearances with at least two innings (486) and three innings (197). With that backdrop in mind, let's proceed with our tenth-best relief pitcher of all time: 10. The top ten pitchers eligible but not in the HoF, by rWAR/200 IP, minimum 2000 IP: 1 Roger Clemens 5.7 1. He faced Ford 15 times in his career and went 7-7. In Game Three he came in to save the game, retiring all three batters he faced in the ninth inning. 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. His ERA of 1.97 in 55 gave him an ERA less than half that of the league (ERA+ 201). He was a significant figure from his era, and should not be punished for his stand against the reserve clause. 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). His ban from the game doesn't seem like it will ever be lifted. That said, after 425 responses, voting has officially wrapped for this poll. 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). 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. Then again, you typically dont get to 112 blown saves without being a great closer. Stats: 422 saves, 2.31 ERA, 0.998 WHIP, 3.99 K:BB, 187ERA+. Tommy John has more wins than any of these pitchers. Do you have a sports website? While I was limited through my free account to 10 questions and thus chose to forgo demographic questions to get the maximum amount of data, it is possible to use filters to show how certain voters voted. Honorable mentions: Bill Dahlen, Omar Vizquel, Jimmy Rollins, Nomar Garciaparra, Miguel Tejada, Jim Fregosi. The most significant threads arose as I looked at these pitchers one at a time and then together as a group. But there's no doubt he would receive pushback from the starters, their agents, and the salty old baseball types. I guess his curve ball fooled a few batters. These are the primary factors I used in my evaluations: 10. 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. Everything is in line, but hes been overlooked by the veterans committee. 4 Rick Reuschel 4.0 Career: 16 years (1995-2010) Teams: Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves. He went on to tally 324 saves over a 13-year career, good for 20th on the all-time list, putting him squarely in the Hall of Very Good category among relief pitchers. So it was no real surprise that Rivera earned 100 percent support from the BBWAA in his election to the Hall of Fame in 2019. Free shipping for many products! Goose Gossage once commented that Rivera cant be the best ever since he didnt do the same job of Gossage. 952 games finished ranks first all-time. Can you name the Best Relief Pitchers not in the MLB Hall of Fame (by Baseball Reference WAR)? One pitched in New York, one pitched in the Midwest. He won 20 games three consecutive years right at the Tigers heyday in the mid-30s. I gave a list of 10 players at each position, based primarily on who I thought voters would expect to be in the poll. 2 Johan Santana 5.1 There are seventh inning guys, lefty specialists, setup men, long relievers, and traditional closers. Jack Chesbro (198), Rube Marquard (201), and Lefty Gomez (189) were all pitchers with low career win totals who made the HOF. 5 Bret Saberhagen 4.6 His fastball had lots of movement and a darting action. His WHIP of 1.09 is remarkable, as are his 44 shutouts. 3 Curt Schilling 4.9 Hoyt Wilhelm saved 228 games and won 143 more during 21 seasons in the big leagues. Not retired by 2017. 3 Kevin Brown 4.2 When he finished his career, his 1,999 strikeouts were fifth most for a left-handed pitcher. The other difference is that last year, Hoffman picked up 74 percent of the Hall of Fame vote, which put him just barely on the wrong side of immortality. But his rookie year really came in 09 for Pirates at age 27. He pitched in both the Cubs World Series appearances in '32 and '35, going 2-1 with a 2.63 ERA. 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. There were numerous circumstances that held players careers back. But he was so good at his craft. Also, lets take a good look at our current candidate on this list and give him his due before it is too late, before the HOF voting body truly looks out of touch with what it takes to be in the Hall of Fame. Tommy Johns 288 wins are his strongest calling card. In the '40s he pitched with young pitchers Hal Newhowser, Virgil Trucks and Dizzy Trout. Dennis Eckersley was a starter-turned-reliever. 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. But like Bonds, Clemens did not have an easier time with the Todays Game Era Committee than he did with the BBWAA. HOF - Indicates Player is a Hall of Famer. What if Tony Mullane had been allowed to pitch for Cincinnati in 1885? Only John Smoltz and Dennis Eckersley can say they were multi-time All-Star starting pitchers and then became dominant closers afterwards. Pitching multiple innings per relief appearance was Wilhelms trademark. Movies. He racked up 126 saves in his 40s. 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. Always ranking QBs. He re-surfaced with incredible campaigns in '84 and '85. Or what if the fans in Cincinnati had accepted his efforts for the team? Reggie Jackson struck out the most times. 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. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. In the '30s he pitched with Schoolboy Rowe, and later with Bobo Newsome. Movies 8m Joe Nathan and Jonathan Papelbon both went one-and-done after falling shy of 5% of the BBWAA vote in their 22 ballot debuts. Reulbachs 97-39 record combined with Browns 114-42 for a 211-81 record over those five years. Perhaps some oversights can be corrected. 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. He was consistently excellent for the Orioles, winning 12 or more games and posting a winning record every year with the team. His control record surpasses even Christy Mathewson, Greg Maddux, and Pedro Martinez at their peaks. If you put Gossage in a traditional one inning relief pitcher role, those blown saves assuredly go way down. The Tigers were focused on a youth movement after the war. Warnekes career was cut short because he left to defend our country. 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! Required fields are marked *. The 43 voters who ranked Tommy John, Jim Kaat, or Luis Tiant top overall gave Clemens an average ranking of 6.74, again ahead of only Ferrell and Reuschel. Some high school data is courtesy David McWater. Stats: 310 saves, 3.01 ERA, 1.232 WHIP, 2.05 K:BB, 126 ERA+, Accolades: 9 All-Star appearances, 1 World Series ring, Baseball Hall of Fame. Mariano Rivera was a failed starter. He allowed just two home runs to 527 batters in the playoffs. He was never comfortable in Cincinnati, often being booed even though the trade was not his fault. He pitched at the height of the live ball era on and against some of the greatest offensive teams ever gathered. 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 Hall of Fame began in 1936, inducting Walter Johnson and Christy Mathewson in its first year. He featured a fastball, curve, and change-up with excellent control. 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. Al Lopez, the White Sox manager, refused to start Pierce in the 59 World Series. 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! Total Zone Rating and initial framework for Wins above Replacement calculations provided by Sean Smith. Bob Caruthers was between Cone and Appier, but a lot of his value was from playing the field as well. What did it take to be ignored by the HOF voters and veterans committee? (The Tigers ownership and coaching staff were not shy of making mistakes in evaluating personnel. His 46 shutouts are HOF worthy, and his postseason resume shows he was still good against the best competition of the era. 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