Sunday, March 05, 2006
A Baker's Dozen, 13 Brilliant Hall of Fame Caliber Pitchers Who'll Never Get There Do to Their Late-Starting Careers
We all make mistakes in life, but when baseball people misjudge talent and keep great players in the minor leagues for years , they end up robbing those great players of any chance of being elected into the Hall of Fame (HOF).
The average HOF pitcher gets his career started around age 22. He ends up with a career winning percentage of .589, having pitched to 82% of the league's ERA, while moving his team forward an average of .055 (pitcher's winning % above that of the team(s) he pitched for).
The thirteen pitchers I'm presenting here got their careers going at an average age of 28. They ended up averaging .631 for their career winning percentage, having pitched to 85% of the league ERA, while moving their teams forward an average of .061. As you'll see, every one of these pitchers were better than some HOF pitchers, and some of them were as good as anybody who ever played the game. The only thing these pitchers are lacking, compared to virtually all HOF pitchers, is the first five to ten years of their careers, most of which were wasted playing in the minors. (The average record of the thirteen pitchers over the first 3 years of their late-starting careers was 44-25 (.638), clearly indicating they were all ready for the majors long before they were given the chance.)
There are actually 7 pitchers who got their careers going late and still made it into the HOF. Four of them, Mordecai (Three Finger) Brown, Stan Coveleski, Jesse Haines and Phil Niekro were all 26 when they finally got their careers going. Two others, Joe McGinnity and Hoyt Wilhem, were over 28 when their careers started. Wilhelm, of course, was a reliever and a knuckleballer to boot. McGinnity pitched in a different era, and averaged 38 starts and 47 appearances a year, so he was able to make up for time lost. The only pitcher whose career really got going after he was 30 years old (31 actually) and still made it to the HOF was Dazzy Vance. A pitcher very similar to the Baker's Dozen.
Two other pitchers, Dolf Luque (28 years old) and Charlie Root (27 years old), also got late starts and might very well be in the HOF had they gotten earlier starts, but they simply were not the same caliber pitcher as the Baker's Dozen. Two more late-starting pitchers, Harry Brecheen (28 years old) and Mort Cooper (26 years old), were the same caliber pitcher as the Baker's Dozen, but only if you include their records against inferior competition during the war years.
THE BAKERS DOZEN - Part I (Presented in 4 parts, alphabetically)
JOHNNY ALLEN - pitched mainly for the Yankees and the Indians from 1932 until 1944. He was 26 before he made his major league debut, and turned 27 during his first year. He went on to post a career record of 142-75. That's a career winning percentage of .654, which puts Allen 22nd on the current list, and 17th on the retired list. He pitched to 85% of the league's ERA over the course of his career, and moved his teams forward by a very high number, .088, which is 14th among retired pitchers. Allen's typical year was 14-7. Using that as a basis, if his career had gotten started 5 years earlier, his career record would have ended up something like 212-112. With a career record like that, he'd be in the HOF. As it is, he clearly belongs in the Hall of Excellence for pitchers. (His record over the first 3 years of his career was 37-13.)
SPUD CHANDLER - pitched his entire career for the Yankees from 1937 until 1947. He basically missed two years of his career due to the war. He was 29 when he made his debut in 1937, and turned 30 that season. His lifetime record is 109-43. A career winning percentage of .717, which makes Chandler the winningest pitcher of all-time. Chandler pitched to just 73% of the league ERA over his career, and moved the Yankees forward .082, which is 18th on the retired list. Chandler's typical year was 14-5. Using that as a basis, if his career had gotten started 7 years earlier, his career record might have been something like 203-80. With a career record like that, he'd be in the HOF today. Chandler had a winning record every year he pitched. (His record over the first 3 years of his career was 24-9.)
ALVIN CROWDER - pitched from 1926 until 1936 with the Senator's, Tigers, and Browns. He was 27 years old when he made his major league debut. He compiled a 167-115 record, a winning percentage of .592, while pitching to 95% of the league's ERA, and he moved his teams forward .039. A typical year for Crowder was 17-12. Using that as a basis, if his career had started 5 years earlier, his career record might have been something like 254-175. Would the HOF keep out a pitcher with a record like that? Probably not. (His record over the first 3 years of his career was 35-21.)
The average HOF pitcher gets his career started around age 22. He ends up with a career winning percentage of .589, having pitched to 82% of the league's ERA, while moving his team forward an average of .055 (pitcher's winning % above that of the team(s) he pitched for).
The thirteen pitchers I'm presenting here got their careers going at an average age of 28. They ended up averaging .631 for their career winning percentage, having pitched to 85% of the league ERA, while moving their teams forward an average of .061. As you'll see, every one of these pitchers were better than some HOF pitchers, and some of them were as good as anybody who ever played the game. The only thing these pitchers are lacking, compared to virtually all HOF pitchers, is the first five to ten years of their careers, most of which were wasted playing in the minors. (The average record of the thirteen pitchers over the first 3 years of their late-starting careers was 44-25 (.638), clearly indicating they were all ready for the majors long before they were given the chance.)
There are actually 7 pitchers who got their careers going late and still made it into the HOF. Four of them, Mordecai (Three Finger) Brown, Stan Coveleski, Jesse Haines and Phil Niekro were all 26 when they finally got their careers going. Two others, Joe McGinnity and Hoyt Wilhem, were over 28 when their careers started. Wilhelm, of course, was a reliever and a knuckleballer to boot. McGinnity pitched in a different era, and averaged 38 starts and 47 appearances a year, so he was able to make up for time lost. The only pitcher whose career really got going after he was 30 years old (31 actually) and still made it to the HOF was Dazzy Vance. A pitcher very similar to the Baker's Dozen.
Two other pitchers, Dolf Luque (28 years old) and Charlie Root (27 years old), also got late starts and might very well be in the HOF had they gotten earlier starts, but they simply were not the same caliber pitcher as the Baker's Dozen. Two more late-starting pitchers, Harry Brecheen (28 years old) and Mort Cooper (26 years old), were the same caliber pitcher as the Baker's Dozen, but only if you include their records against inferior competition during the war years.
THE BAKERS DOZEN - Part I (Presented in 4 parts, alphabetically)
JOHNNY ALLEN - pitched mainly for the Yankees and the Indians from 1932 until 1944. He was 26 before he made his major league debut, and turned 27 during his first year. He went on to post a career record of 142-75. That's a career winning percentage of .654, which puts Allen 22nd on the current list, and 17th on the retired list. He pitched to 85% of the league's ERA over the course of his career, and moved his teams forward by a very high number, .088, which is 14th among retired pitchers. Allen's typical year was 14-7. Using that as a basis, if his career had gotten started 5 years earlier, his career record would have ended up something like 212-112. With a career record like that, he'd be in the HOF. As it is, he clearly belongs in the Hall of Excellence for pitchers. (His record over the first 3 years of his career was 37-13.)
SPUD CHANDLER - pitched his entire career for the Yankees from 1937 until 1947. He basically missed two years of his career due to the war. He was 29 when he made his debut in 1937, and turned 30 that season. His lifetime record is 109-43. A career winning percentage of .717, which makes Chandler the winningest pitcher of all-time. Chandler pitched to just 73% of the league ERA over his career, and moved the Yankees forward .082, which is 18th on the retired list. Chandler's typical year was 14-5. Using that as a basis, if his career had gotten started 7 years earlier, his career record might have been something like 203-80. With a career record like that, he'd be in the HOF today. Chandler had a winning record every year he pitched. (His record over the first 3 years of his career was 24-9.)
ALVIN CROWDER - pitched from 1926 until 1936 with the Senator's, Tigers, and Browns. He was 27 years old when he made his major league debut. He compiled a 167-115 record, a winning percentage of .592, while pitching to 95% of the league's ERA, and he moved his teams forward .039. A typical year for Crowder was 17-12. Using that as a basis, if his career had started 5 years earlier, his career record might have been something like 254-175. Would the HOF keep out a pitcher with a record like that? Probably not. (His record over the first 3 years of his career was 35-21.)
