Bleacher Report - MLB History

Bert Blyleven Makes Another Pitch at Cooperstown

Jeremiah Graves — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 18:54:26 -0500

Bert Blyleven belongs in the Hall of Fame.

In fact, he’s belonged in the Hall of Fame for 12 years.

Yet, for 12 years in a row, the Baseball Writers Association of American has erred by leaving him out in the cold when the voting results are announced.

Now in his 13th year of eligibility, Blyleven is down to his final three strikes.

Blyleven’s inability to get inducted has never been a case of talent.

For Bert Blyleven, the numbers have always been there, however, the votes have not.

In a 22-year career that spanned five teams and both leagues, “The Flying Dutchman” put up some very impressive numbers.

Those impressive numbers include 287 career wins, which is good enough for 27th on the all-time list. Almost every eligible player ahead of Blyleven on the wins list is enshrined in Cooperstown.

In fact, plenty of pitchers with less wins that Blyleven have be inducted. Some notable examples include: Jim Palmer, Juan Marichal, Whitey Ford, Don Drysdale, and Catfish Hunter, among others.

Wins aren’t the only statistic where Blyleven’s numbers are Hall-worthy.

Blyleven’s 3,701 career strikeouts rank him fifth all-time, he’s 11th in games started with 685, he’s ninth all-time with 60 shutouts, and he’s 13th on the all-time innings pitched list with 4,970.

Blyleven’s career 3.31 earned run average tops current Hall of Famers Phil Niekro, Fergie Jenkins, Robin Roberts, and Dennis Eckersley.

Clearly the numbers are there, so what’s the issue?

It seems that voters haven’t yet made a big push to get Blyleven in because of his lack of the so-called “benchmarks” for entry into the Hall of Fame.

Blyleven never won a Cy Young Award, he didn’t reach the 300-win plateau, he was only an All-Star twice in 22 years, he won 20 games in a season just once, and he only led the league in one of the key pitching categories once, in 1985 when he paced the American League with 206 strikeouts.

Despite his lack of a standout season or any of the archaic benchmarks, one needs only look so far as his overall body of work in comparison to his modern-day counterparts to see that he belongs.

How many starters will ever reach 287 career wins?

How many starters will ever strike out more than 3,000 batters again, let alone reach his lofty mark?

How many starters—in the age of pitch counts, specialty relievers, and the six-inning quality start—will ever come close to pitching 242 complete games or 60 shutouts?

Blyleven’s already rock-solid numbers, although unchanged since he retired following the 1992 season, figure to grow more impressive as the era of the workhorse pitcher fades farther into the past.

Blyleven was a pitcher cut from a different cloth.

He wanted to start and finish a game on the mound with the ball in his hand. Too many pitchers now are content to earn the quality start and hit the showers.

Take for instance Blyleven’s 242 complete games and 60 shutouts.

Randy Johnson is the active leader in complete games pitched with 100. The modern-era workhorse, Roy Halladay has just 49.

Johnson is also the active leader in shutouts with 37, followed by Tom Glavine with 25.

No one is going to catch Blyleven any time soon, meaning that his lofty, Hall of Fame-worthy rankings will remain intact long passed the end of his 15th year of eligibility.

Arguments can be made that Blyleven’s numbers are a product of his lengthy career, that he lost too many games, or that he never had one standout season to hang his hat on.

All of those arguments could be valid, but all are easily disputed by simple facts.

Blyleven’s career spanned just as many years as Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, Randy Johnson, and Roger Clemens. All of whom are considered to be first-ballot Hall of Famers.

No one would ever claim that their successes were a result of pitching for two decades, as opposed to raw talent.

All four of the aforementioned pitchers also had the good fortune to pitch for winning, playoff-caliber teams for most of their careers.

Blyleven pitched in two World Series, in 1979 with Pittsburgh and in 1987 with Minnesota. He only played in the postseason one other time, in the 1970 ALCS with the Twins.

Most of his career was spent toiling for mediocre clubs that hovered at or below the .500 mark, no doubt that impacted his won-loss record in a big way.

Finally, the lack of a standout season is a moot point. How many pitchers have won a Cy Young Award or 20 games only to fade into oblivion?

A pitcher’s Hall-worthiness shouldn’t hinge on whether or not he had one stellar year somewhere along a 22-year journey that saw him finish among the game’s elite in numerous categories.

Blyleven didn’t need to win an award or have a standout year to show that he belongs in the Hall of Fame.

The numbers, as they always have been, are there.

Now it’s time for the BBWAA writers to finish what Blyleven, and his infamous curveball, started and vote him into the Hall of Fame.

The voters, despite not yet making the right decision, have been moving in the right direction.

After receiving just 17.5 percent of the vote in 1998, his first year of eligibility, his totals have grown nearly every year.

Last year he finished with 338 total votes for 62.7 percent, still shy of the 75 percent required for induction to the Hall of Fame.

Blyleven’s slow march toward the 70 percent mark is important as well, because every player who has reached 70 percent of the vote has subsequently been elected to the Hall of Fame.

Even more encouraging is that since 1980, only four players have received over 60 percent of the vote and not ended up in Cooperstown.

All signs point toward Blyleven’s eventual induction.

With no sure-fire first-ballot Hall of Famers on the ticket this year and a whole slew of holdovers, this could finally be the year that Blyleven gets his due.

Read more MLB History news on BleacherReport.com

Top 10 First Basemen of All Time

Gavin Andrews — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 20:39:57 -0500

It's late November, which means the NFL is in full swing, the college football season is coming down the home stretch, and all I can think about is baseball.

Don't get me wrong; I love football, but the Winter Meetings up ahead are getting me very excited. However, after the meetings are over, it's back to Bowls, NFL Playoffs, and March Madness until baseball season begins again. That isn't so bad.

I started this top ten series a couple months ago, did the catchers, and never got around to continuing it. After doing a ton of research, I have returned with the top 10 first basemen of all time. I have taken every steroid offender out of consideration for all of my rankings, so no Mark McGwire or Rafael Palmeiro here.

Prototypical first basemen hit fourth, drive in one hundred runs, and are leaders. Derrek Lee is the epitome of this today, which is why he is the cover picture of this article.

The stories of these players come from Tales from the Ballpark , and More Tales from the Dugout , both by Mike Shannon.

Without further adieu, here are your top ten first basemen of all time. The stats are their career stat line first, then their 162 game average.

Apologies to:

Jim Thome , Cleveland/Philadelphia/Chicago (AL)/Los Angeles (NL)

1991-present day

Thome was my 11th ranked first baseman, and I desperately wanted to put him in here, but decided that because of the era he played in, the pitchers he faced, and his defense caused him to barely miss this list.

.277, 564 homers, 1565 RBIs, 2138 hits, .404 obp, .557 slg, .961 ops, 4290 tb, 1486 r

.277, 40 homers, 111 RBIs, 152 hits, .404 obp, .557 slg, .961 ops, 304 tb, 105 r

Five ASG, one SS, four Top 10 MVP Finishes

10. Harmon Killebrew , Washington (AL)/Minnesota (AL)/Kansas City (AL)

1954-1975

From his first full season in 1959 until his last season in 1975, Killebrew hit over 40 homers eight times, and over 30 homers 10 times. Very comparable to Ryan Howard, Killebrew was a stout power hitter that struck out a lot and was a very inconsistent average hitter, hitting anywhere from .240 to .280 in his prime, usually hovering around .270.

If he had played with Thome, he would've probably had better numbers, which is partially why I put Killebrew in ahead of Thome.

.256, 573 homers, 1584 RBIs, 2086 hits, .376 obp, .509 slg, .884 ops, 4143 tb, 1283 r

.256, 38 homers, 105 RBIs, 139 hits, .376 obp, .509 slg, .884 ops, 276 tb, 85 r

11 ASG, 7 Top Ten MVP Finishes, 1 MVP

9. Hank Greenberg , Detroit/Pittsburgh

1933-1947, served 1942-1944

Looking back, Greenberg is a very underrated player, as he would've had around 440 homers if he hadn't missed time due to WWII. He hit over 40 homers four times, and 30 homers six times, but what set him apart during his era was his batting average.

He hit over .300 nine times, and when he was healthy, he could have a monster year. He had four absolutely monster seasons, with lines of .328, 36, and 170, .337, 40, and 183, .315, 58, and 146, and lastly .340, 41, and 150.

He was arguably the best Tiger on those ferocious Tiger teams in the mid to late 1930s. He was a man of his faith, and as a Jewish man, he never played on the Sabbath. Greenberg wasn't very athletic, but was very smart, and an extremely hard worker.

.313, 331 homers, 1276 rbis, 1628 hits, .412 obp, .605 slg, 1.017 ops, 3142 tb, 1051 r

.313, 38 homers, 148 rbis, 189 hits, .412 obp, .605 slg, 1.017 ops, 365 tb, 122 r

Four ASG, six MVP Top 10 Finishes, two MVPs

8. Johnny Mize , St. Louis (NL)/New York (NL)/New York (AL)

1936-1953, served 1942-1944

Another first baseman that took time out of his prime to serve, Johnny Mize was even more underrated than Greenberg, even unknown by many baseball fans. Mize hit over .300 nine times, but didn't hit for as much power as Greenberg.

However, Mize was healthier and more consistent than Greenberg. His year for year stats aren't as good as Greenberg's, but he was more athletic, a better defender, and more consistent.

.312, 359 homers, 1337 rbis, 2011 hits, .397 obp, .562 slg, .959 ops, 3621 tb, 1118 r

.312, 31 homers, 115 rbis, 173 hits, .397 obp, .562 slg, .959 ops, 311 tb, 96 r

10 ASG, six MVP Top 10 Finishes

7. Willie McCovey , San Francisco

1959-1980

This will be a controversial placing of McCovey, and the stats don't necessarily all back up my high ranking of Stretch, but since these are my rankings, I will place him here. McCovey was tall and long, with a swooping swing that should've led to a ton of strikeouts, but for some reason, it didn't.

McCovey didn't have the huge years that Greenberg did, but he was much more consistent than Greenberg, and had more big years than Mize did. He hit over 20 homers 12 times, more than 30 homers seven times, and more than 40 homers twice. Today, he compares to Adrian Gonzalez, and Mark Texeira with a lesser average. He could hit 40 homers every year if he played in the last 20 years.

San Francico sportswiters were always impressed with McCovey's ability to hit for power, but didn't believe he could field well. After a game that McCovey had made an amazing fielding play, the writers surrounded his locker, and tried to get a reason from McCovey for why he was able to make that play. He simply looked at the writers and said "I never said i couldn't field. You guys did."l

.270, 521 homers, 1555 rbis, 2211 hits, .374 obp, .515 slg, .889 ops, 4219 tb, 1229 r

.270, 33 homers, 97 rbis, 138 hits, .374 obp, .515 slg, .889 ops, 264 tb, 77 r

Six ASG, ROY, four MVP Top 10 Finishes, one MVP

6. Eddie Murray , Baltimore/Los Angeles (NL)/New York (NL)/Cleveland/Anaheim

1977-1997

If you haven't noticed, I give a lot of credit to consistent greatness, and Eddie Murray is the model of consistency. Murray hit more than 20 homers 16 times, better than .290 10 times, and hit more than 90 runs in 12 times.

He did all of this from both sides of the plate, establishing himself as one of the best switch hitters of all time, grouping himself with Mantle, Rose, and Chipper Jones. By the way, did I mention that he had over 3,200 hits, and almost 5,400 total bases?

When Murray came up for Baltimore, the veterans were watching him take cuts in the cage, hoping he didn't play their position. When Murray picked up his first baseman's mitt, Lee May was given looks that said, "You're in trouble now!" Sure enough, Murray took over for Lee May at first, and went on to win three gold gloves.

.287, 504 homers, 1917 rbis, 3255 hits, .359 obp, .476 slg, .836 ops, 5397 tb, 1627 r

.287, 27 homers, 103 rbis, 174 hits, .359 obp, .476 slg, .836 ops, 289 tb, 87 r

5. Jeff Bagwell , Houston

1991-2005

One of my favorite players, Bagwell was a hard working, smart ball player, similar to Kevin Youkilis, with more power. He hit over .300 six times, more than 30 homers nine times, drove in 100 runs eight times, and stole double digit bags 10 times. Traded from Boston to Houston, he came up as a third baseman, but moved over to first before he hit the bigs.

.297, 449 homers, 1529 rbis, 2314 hits, .408 obp, .540 slg, .948 ops, 4213 tb, 1517 r, 202 steals

.297, 34 homers, 115 rbis, 174 hits, .408 obp, .540 slg, .948 ops, 317 tb, 114 r, 15 steals

Four ASG, six Top 10 MVP Finishes, ROY, one GG, three SS, one MVP

4. Frank Thomas , Chicago (AL), Oakland, Toronto

1990-2008

One of my earliest memories of Frank Thomas was watching a White Sox game with my dad, and seeing this gigantic man that made bats look like toothpicks hit three homers in one game.

As I got older, I realized just how great Frank Thomas was. Not only was he one of the best power hitters of all time, but he was one of the best hitters of all time. He hit over 30 homers nine times, 40 homers five times, over .300 nine times, and drove in 100 runs eleven times. He had an ops of over 1.000 seven years. The Big Hurt was just raked year, after year, after year.

.301, 521 homers, 1704 rbis, 2468 hits, .419 obp, .555 slg, .974 ops, 4550 tb, 1494 r

.301, 36 homers, 119 rbis, 172 hits, .419 obp, .555 slg, .974 ops, 317 tb, 104 r

3. Albert Pujols , St. Louis

2001-present day

Through nine seasons of his young career, Pujols has already propelled himself to number three on the greatest first basemen of all time. I almost put him ahead of Foxx, but decided that Pujols would still need to show me more seasons of dominating National League pitching before I put him ahead of Double X.

However, No. 2 is very plausible for Pujols, as someone who has hit over .314 and 32 homers every year of his career.

.334, 366 homers, 1112 rbis, 1717 hits, .427 obp, .628 slg, 1.055 ops, 3230 tb, 1071 r, 61 steals

.334, 42 homers, 129 rbis, 199 hits, .427 obp, .628 slg, 1.055 ops, 374 tb, 124 r, 7 steals

Eight ASG, nine MVP Top 10 Finishes, ROY, five SS, one GG, three MVPs

2. Jimmie Foxx , Philadelphia (AL)/Boston (AL)/Chicago (NL)/Pittsburgh

1925-1945 (not in baseball 1943)

Double X was known as the right handed Babe Ruth. He was an extremely feared power hitter that continued to hit for a ton of power despite hitting in the massive Shibe Park.

He dominated the AL pitching for 12 years, so if Pujols can continue to dominate for longer than 12, Foxx is in trouble, but until then, Foxx remains here. He struck out more than Pujols, but he still lead the league in average twice, and homers four times.

.325, 534 homers, 1922 rbis, 2646 hits, .428 obp, .609 slg, 1.038 ops, 4956 tb, 1751 r, 87 steals

.325, 37 homers, 134 rbis, 185 hits, .428 obp, .609 slg, 1.038 ops, 347 tb, 122 r, 6 steals

Nine ASG, six MVP Top 10 Finishes, three MVPs

1. Lou Gehrig , New York (AL)

1923-1939

Even if Pujols goes on to dominate baseball for the next ten years, I'm not so sure Gehrig won't give up his death grip on the number one spot. The Iron Horse's numbers are noticeably better than Pujols, and he would've gone on to continue to produce great numbers had it not been for the horrible disease he became the namesake for.

Gehrig hit over .300 12 of his 14 full years, more than 30 homers ten years, and put up an ops higher than 1.000 eleven years. Gehrig was a quiet man, and loved the fact he got to play with Ruth, who took the spotlight. Because of an injury to Wally Pipp, baseball gave us its best first baseman of all time.

.340, 493 homers, 1995 rbis, 2721 hits, .447 obp, .632 slg, 1.080 ops, 5060 tb, 1888 r, 102 steals

.340, 37 homers, 149 rbis, 204 hits, .447 obp, .632 slg, 1.080 ops, 379 tb, 141 r, 8 steals

Seven ASG, nine MVP Top 10 Finishes, two MVPs

Read more MLB History news on BleacherReport.com

History Unblurred: The 10 Best Starting Pitchers from the 2000s

Michael W — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 18:25:02 -0500

Now that the decade of the 2000s has just ended, I thought it would be a good time to make a list of the best starting pitchers from this era.

Now keep in mind, this list is a list of the best careers, so far. Pedro Martinez is certainly and obviously the best starting pitcher from this era. However, he's NOT the best right now, as he's past his prime. This needs to be kept in mind while reading this list.

A minimum of 200 games is required to be considered for this list. There are easily a good half dozen that have not yet reached 200 games that appear to be on their way to great careers. Having not yet reached 200 games, they will not be considered for this list.

There were 98 starting pitchers from the 2000s that reached at least 200 games. That is more than any other era.

Some are still Pitching, some aren't. If a player does not appear on this list of 98, then they either haven't reached 200 games or I consider them a starting pitcher from the 1990s. The 1990s will be covered in a separate article. Starting pitchers will only be in one decade. For example, Pedro Martinez will appear in my 2000s article. So, he will NOT appear in my 1990s article, which I will write later.

An Explanation of the Stats

The statistics that I include will be Games Pitched, Games Started, Innings Pitched, ERA, ERA+, W%+, H/9 (OBA), WHIP (OOB%), SHO/40 (per 40 Games Started) and K/BB (ratio). I will also letter grade their length of career. Most of these letter grades for length of career are so far, since most are still Pitching.

First , I will include their raw career numbers first. These are simply their career numbers, to this point.

Second , I will include their adjusted career numbers, if they have had a long career (which most haven't). Adjusted career is this: Let's take Jamie Moyer for example. Moyer has had a long career. So in order to find his real numbers, I have to exclude some late seasons during his career to find the numbers that he really carried during his career, since he has pitched past his prime.

With Moyer, I'd exclude his 2004, 2007 and 2009 seasons. That is his adjusted career. Again, this can only be done with long career players. If I don't list an adjusted career under a player's raw career numbers, then it means they haven't played long enough to adjust for their long career or it means they haven't had any bad seasons yet.

Third , I will include peak career numbers. Many like short peaks, not me. I include the best seasons equalling at least 200 games for a peak. It takes away the possibility of a pitcher having one or two lucky seasons. The 200-game peak will tell us how good the pitcher was at his best.

Note: W%+ is a statistic that I have invented. It takes the teams W% into account. It is very complicated as different weights go more or less on seasons depending on how many Games and Innings Pitched a Pitcher Pitched during a single season. Having said that, here's the simple version.

If a starting pitcher has a career .500 W% and that Pitcher Pitched for the Yankees. Well, .500 is not good. But, if that pitcher pitched for the Royals, then .500 is good. This is the reasoning behind W%+. It is to W% what ERA is to ERA+. It's not full proof, but either is ERA+, just another piece of the puzzle and far, far more important then raw W%. OK.

The 98 Starting Pitchers

Here are the 98 Starting Pitchers from the 2000s that reached at least 200 games (listed in alphabetical order): Bronson Arroyo, James Baldwin, Josh Beckett, Kris Benson, Mark Buehrle, A.J. Burnett, Paul Byrd, Chris Carpenter, Matt Clement, Bartolo Colon, Doug Davis, Ryan Dempster, Adam Eaton, Scott Elarton, Shawn Estes, Josh Fogg, Casey Fossum, Freddy Garcia, Jon Garland, Roy Halladay, Mike Hampton, Aaron Harang, Jimmy Haynes, Rick Helling, Mark Hendrickson, Dustin Hermanson, Livan Hernandez, Orlando Hernandez, Tim Hudson, Jason Jennings, Jason Johnson, Randy Johnson, Joe Kennedy, John Lackey, Cory Lidle, Jon Lieber, Ted Lilly, Jose Lima, Esteban Loaiza, Kyle Lohse, Derek Lowe, Jason Marquis, Pedro Martinez, Joe Mays, Gil Meche, Kevin Millwood, Eric Milton, Brian Moehler, Matt Morris, Jamie Moyer, Mark Mulder, Mike Mussina, Brett Myers, Hideo Nomo, Tomo Ohka, Ramon Ortiz, Russ Ortiz, Roy Oswalt, Vicente Padilla, Chan Ho Park, Carl Pavano, Jake Peavy, Brad Penny , Odalis Perez, Andy Pettitte, Joel Pineiro, Sidney Ponson, Brad Radke, Mark Redman, Nate Robertson, Glendon Rusch, C.C. Sabathia, Johan Santana, Jason Schmidt, Aaron Sele, Ben Sheets, Carlos Silva, John Smoltz, Steve Sparks, Jeff Suppan, John Thomson, Brett Tomko, Steve Trachsel, Ismael Valdez, Claudio Vargas, Javier Vazquez, Tim Wakefield, Jarrod Washburn, Jeff Weaver, Kip Wells, Jake Westbrook, Woody Williams, Randy Wolf, Kerry Wood, Jamey Wright, Jaret Wright, Carlos Zambrano and Barry Zito.

The Honorable Mentions

Here are the 10 Starting Pitchers that just missed the top 10 for various reasons. I will list them in alphabetical order: Mark Buehrle, Bartolo Colon, Jake Peavy, Andy Pettitte, C.C. Sabathia, Jason Schmidt, Javier Vazquez, Kerry Wood, Carlos Zambrano and Barry Zito.

The Top 10

10. Tim Hudson (1999-Present) Career Length Grade: D+ (so far)

Raw Career: 311 G, 310 GS, 2,059.2 IP, 3.49 ERA, 126 ERA+, 118 W%+, 8.6 H/9, 1.26 WHIP, 1.4 SHO/40 and 2.2 K/BB

Peak Career: 208 G, 207 GS, 1,404.2 IP, 3.17 ERA, 139 ERA+, 119 W%+, 8.4 H/9, 1.21 WHIP, 1.5 SHO/40 and 2.4 K/BB (exclude his 2000, 2005, 2006 and 2009 seasons)

Between Oakland and Atlanta, Hudson has quietly had a great career to this point. He was injured for much of last season, but he'll be back and in form next season. That is the hope. He pitched less than 10 games last season.

We'll see what happens next season. Hudson has a great sinker ball, split fingered fast ball, and change up. These three pitches are the main reasons that he makes $15.5 million per season, and he's worth it.

This final spot was tough because the difference between Hudson and some of the HM players was purely academic and it came down to length of career against some of them. Sabathia and Peavy have had shorter career's than Hudson, to this point, but they are arguably just as good, just a shorter career. We'll see how long and how good they pitch in the future.

Hudson's 126 ERA+ and 118 W%+ are great numbers for any decade. He helped lead his teams to the playoffs during five of the first six seasons of this decade. Led the league with 20 wins and a .769 W% during the 2000 season. He's a winner.

In fact, he has never had a losing season. He's had at least a .520 W% during all 11 of his seasons to this point. He also led the League in SHO during the 2003 and 2004 seasons.

He's the real deal, quietly.

9. Jamie Moyer (1986-Present) Career Length Grade: A+

Raw Career: 667 G, 609 GS, 3,908.2 IP, 4.22 ERA, 105 ERA+, 109 W%+, 9.3 H/9, 1.32 WHIP, 0.6 SHO/40 and 2.1 K/BB

Adjusted Career: 570 G, 518 GS, 3,344.4 IP, 4.07 ERA, 109 ERA+, 111 W%+, 9.3 H/9, 1.31 WHIP, 0.7 SHO/40 and 2.1 K/BB (exclude his 2004, 2007 and 2009 seasons)

Peak Career: 225 G, 212 GS, 1,429.4 IP, 3.54 ERA, 128 ERA+, 123 W%+, 8.7 H/9, 1.20 WHIP, 1.1 SHO/40 and 2.7 K/BB (include his 1993, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002 and 2003 seasons)

I have hills in my backyard that are younger than Moyer. He's been playing forever and will likely pitch next season. 2009 was one of the worst seasons of his career. But so was 2007, and he came back in 2008 and pitched fine. The same thing could happen again. 2009 was bad, but he still went 12-10 with a .545 W%. A lot of starting pitchers would have taken those numbers.

Here's a quick little story about Moyer that I like. I'll give you the quick condensed version. After the 1991 season, he'd pitched in just under 150 games at that point in his career. Many around him told him to hang it up. They said you're OK, but really not that good, maybe you could coach or something.

Moyer didn't pitch in 1992. He came back and pitched one of the best seasons of his career in 1993, and, between 1993 and 2003, he was quietly one of the best pitchers in the league. That's the quick condensed version. I've always wondered if people telling him he didn't quite have it motivated him. Either way, he was a great starting pitcher when he came back in 1993, and really has been ever since.

Moyer is a great attitude in the club house. He's an "A+" length of career pitcher, but he'll do what the team needs. He's a starter, but he'll pitch a game in relief here and there, whatever the team needs, and he won't complain about it, really. It's the kind of guy Moyer is, a class act. An old school pitcher in a new school league.

His numbers have slipped ever so slightly because of his long career. You can see, his adjusted numbers are a bit better than his raw numbers. He was really never the calibre starting pitcher that Tim Hudson in 10th is, but that "A+" length of career puts him ahead of Hudson.

Though, when Moyer was at his peek, the calibre difference actually wasn't that much different.

What a career, so far, we'll see what he does in 2010.

8. Derek Lowe (1997-Present) Career Length Grade: C- (so far)

Raw Career: 567 G, 289 GS, 2,135 IP, 3.84 ERA, 117 ERA+, 101 W%+, 9.1 H/9, 1.29 WHIP, 0.4 SHO/40 and 2.3 K/BB

Adjusted Career: 533 G, 255 GS, 1,940.1 IP, 3.75 ERA, 121 ERA+, 100 W%+, 8.9 H/9, 1.27 WHIP, 0.5 SHO/40 and 2.3 K/BB (exclude his last season)

Peak Career: 214 G, 66 GS, 631.1 IP, 2.81 ERA, 163 ERA+, 115 W%+, 7.6 H/9, 1.07 WHIP, 0.6 SHO/40 and 3.1 K/BB (include his 1999, 2000, 2002 and 2008 seasons)

Lowe just had arguably the worst season of his career last year, we'll see what happens. I think he'll bounce back. He still went 15-10 with a .600 W%, guess it wasn't that bad. But most of his other numbers were down. But the season before, 2008, was arguably the best season of his career. We'll see what happens in 2010.

He was mostly a relief pitcher during his first five or six seasons. He's been a starter ever since. He's now pitched 13 seasons. Spring chickens are certainly younger than Lowe and he likely only has one or two good seasons left in him. So he needs to bounce back from his subpar season and quickly.

How about his peek career. His peak is two seasons of relief and two seasons as a starter. Check out those numbers. A 2.81 ERA, 163 ERA+, 115 W%+, 7.6 H/9, 1.07 WHIP and 3.1 K/BB. Those numbers are nearly off the charts. Obviously, when he's on, he's among the best of the decade.

He's a two-time All Star, including his 2000 season as a relief pitcher when he led the league with 42 saves. He also led the league in Wins in 2006. Really, he should have made the All Star team four or five times. He's always kind of fallen under the radar with many casual fans.

But managers and owners know he's the real deal; it's why he's making $15 million out there in Atlanta right now. Though, they didn't pay him $15 million to pitch like he did last year, we'll see what happens.

7. Roy Oswalt (2001-Present) Career Length Grade: D- (so far)

Raw Career: 283 G, 271 GS, 1,803.1 IP, 3.23 ERA, 135 ERA+, 127 W%+, 8.8 H/9, 1.20 WHIP, 0.9 SHO/40 and 3.6 K/BB

Peak Career: 221 G, 209 GS, 1,413.1 IP, 3.07 ERA, 143 ERA+, 128 W%+, 8.7 H/9, 1.20 WHIP, 0.8 SHO/40 and 3.6 K/BB (exclude his last 2 seasons)

His 135 ERA+ is 13th all time in the history of Major League Baseball for a starting pitcher. He's tied in 13th with the Hall of Fame starting pitchers Christy Mathewson, Grover Alexander, and Rube Waddell. Need I say more. ERA+ is arguably the most important starting pitching stat that exists, and he is tied in 13th with three of the most respected and highly rated starters ever.

This is what you can not say about starters like CC Sabathia. Sabathia is great, don't get me wrong, but Oswalt is better, it's just the way it is. It's why Sabathia is on the HM list and Oswalt is in the top 10. Sabathia is more famous, but Oswalt, well...he's more better, as my three-year-old niece would say.

It's not just his ERA+ that is great. They're all good, his W%+, WHIP and K/BB, they're great too.

Having said that, Oswalt has just had the two worst seasons of his career during his last two seasons. He's still good, but the numbers are down relative to Oswalt numbers. He had a dismal 119 ERA plus in 2008. That's amazing, bad for Oswalt is a 119 ERA+, great for most Starters. He needs to turn it around and put up the old Oswalt numbers.

6. Mike Mussina (1991-2008 ) Career Length Grade: B+

Raw Career: 537 G, 536 GS, 3,562.2 IP, 3.68 ERA, 123 ERA+, 116 W%+, 8.7 H/9, 1.19 WHIP, 1.7 SHO/40 and 3.6 K/BB

Adjusted Career: 479 G, 479 GS, 3,231 IP, 3.57 ERA, 127 ERA+, 118 W%+, 8.6 H/9, 1.17 WHIP, 1.8 SHO/40 and 3.7 K/BB (exclude his 2005 and 2007 seasons)

Peak Career: 232 G, 232 GS, 1,583.2 IP, 3.13 ERA, 143 ERA+, 129 W%+, 8.3 H/9, 1.14 WHIP, 2.1 SHO/40 and 3.5 K/BB (include his 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001 and 2008 seasons)

Many fans were surprised after Mussina retired after the 2008 season. He had a nice long career, but the surprise was because he Pitched arguably the best season of his career in 2008, his last season. He hung it up while he was still on top.

He pitched arguably the worst season of his career in 2007 and many were begging him to retire after the 2007 season. Came back and arguably had the best season of his career in 2008 and those same fans were begging him not to retire. It's the way the fans are, huh?

Mussina was a work horse with an arsenal of pitches. He threw three or four different types of fastballs, which were all good, two seamers, four seamers, cutters. And he threw twp or three different types of curveballs, which were all good, too.

One of his curveballs was held, more or less, like a knuckleball, but it acted as a curveball. His pitch arsenal was incredible, just his fast and curve ball arsenal, and he threw other pitches, too.

I already miss watching him pitch; what a player.

5. Roy Halladay (1998-Present) Career Length Grade: D+ (so far)

Raw Career: 313 G, 287 GS, 2,046.2 IP, 3.43 ERA, 133 ERA+, 132 W%+, 8.8 H/9, 1.20 WHIP, 2.1 SHO/40 and 3.3 K/BB

Peak Career: 206 G, 204 GS, 1,471.1 IP, 2.94 ERA, 153 ERA+, 140 W%+, 8.3 H/9, 1.09 WHIP, 2.4 SHO/40 and 4.6 K/BB (exclude his 1999, 2000, 2004 and 2007 seasons)

Halladay is a Hall of Fame Starting Pitcher, as long as he Pitches a bit longer. And he should, he should have a good five or six seasons left. His 133 ERA+ is 18th all time in the history of Major League Baseball for a starting pitcher. It amazed me that the Yankees picked up his teammate, A.J. Burnett because they could have gotten Halladay.

Burnett and Halladay are the same age. They payed Burnett $16 million, Halladay make $14 million. Burnett is good, but not nearly as good as Halladay. Who's complaining, the Yankees won the World Series with Burnett. With that Yankee offense, you don't need Halladay, Burnett will do.

Halladay has good numbers all around. Obviously, his ERA+ is one of the 20 best of all time and his W%+ is as good as they get, he's one of the greats of this era, unquestionably.

4. Johan Santana (2000-Present) Career Length Grade: D- (so far)

Raw Career: 310 G, 234 GS, 1,709.2 IP, 3.12 ERA, 143 ERA+, 128 W%+, 7.5 H/9, 1.11 WHIP, 1.0 SHO/40 and 3.7 K/BB

Peak Career: 207 G, 167 GS, 1,194.1 IP, 2.77 ERA, 161 ERA+, 129 W%+, 7.1 H/9, 1.04 WHIP, 1.2 SHO/40 and 4.1 K/BB (exclude his 2000, 2001, 2007 and 2009 seasons)

Easily one of the 20 best left-handed Starting Pitchers in the history of Major League Baseball. Right now, he's a "D-" in the length of career category. The longer he Pitches, the more you will hear historians talk about him. He'll likely move up to third on this list by the time it's all said and done.

He should have seven or eight seasons left. He did have an arm injury last season; I hope he recovers well. We'll see.

He's a two time Cy Young award winner and a four-time All Star.

His 143 ERA+ is sixth all time in the history of Major League Baseball for a starting pitcher. That's incredible.

He's actually tied in sixth with Roger Clemens, tied without the fancy vitamins! Sixth behind only these five Starting Pitchers: Walter Johnson, Ed Walsh, Pedro Martinez, Lefty Grove and Smoky Joe Wood. Those five are kind of a who's who of great starting pitchers. A litmus test that most fail.

His 1.11 WHIP is 16th all time in the history of Major League Baseball for a starting pitcher and his 7.5 H/9 is 20th all time in the history of Major League Baseball for a starting pitcher.

So, he's in the top 20 all time in three of the most important starting pitcher stats in history. And he's done it during the single worst decade in the history of Major League Baseball for starting pitcher stats, the 2000s.

It's why it amazes me when fans bad mouth Santana. What are they watching? What are they wanting?

He's led the league in WHIP four times, ERA three times, ERA+ three times, H/9 three times, Ks 3 times and Wins once.

Because of his dominance, he's fourth on my list, even with his short career thus far.

3. John Smoltz (1988-Present) Career Length Grade: A- (so far)

Raw Career: 723 G, 481 GS, 3,473 IP, 3.33 ERA, 125 ERA+, 103 W%+, 8.0 H/9, 1.18 WHIP, 1.3 SHO/40 and 3.1 K/BB

Adjusted Career: 708 G, 466 GS, 3,395 IP, 3.26 ERA, 127 ERA+, 105 W%+, 7.9 H/9, 1.17 WHIP, 1.4 SHO/40 and 3.0 K/BB (exclude his last season)

Peak Career: 202 G, 66 GS, 594.4 IP, 2.69 ERA, 163 ERA+, 119 W%+, 7.5 H/9, 1.04 WHIP, 2.4 SHO/40 and 5.3 K/BB (include his 1996, 1998, 2003, 2004 and 2008 seasons)

Smoltz has had a long career and it wasn't until this last season that he finally had a bad season. That's impressive. His peek career includes five seasons, three as a starter and two as a reliever. What an incredible peak. 2.69 ERA, 163 ERA+, 1.04 WHIP, and 5.3 K/BB. That's an amazing peak.

He's a former Cy Young award winner that has led the league twice in Wins, twice in W% and twice in Ks. An eight-time All Star and he'll be a Hall of Famer, too. The question is, will he pitch next season after finally having a bad season in 2009?

2. Randy Johnson (1988-Present) Career Length Grade: A (so far)

Raw Career: 618 G, 603 GS, 4,135.1 IP, 3.29 ERA, 136 ERA+, 124 W%+, 7.3 H/9, 1.17 WHIP, 2.5 SHO/40 and 3.3 K/BB

Adjusted Career: 481 G, 471 GS, 3,309.5 IP, 3.04 ERA, 147 ERA+, 130 W%+, 6.9 H/9, 1.16 WHIP, 3.1 SHO/40 and 3.3 K/BB (exclude his 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2009 seasons)

Peak Career: 200 G, 198 GS, 1,457.1 IP, 2.45 ERA, 190 ERA+, 137 W%+, 6.8 H/9, 1.04 WHIP, 3.2 SHO/40 and 4.7 K/BB (include his 1995, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002 seasons)

His peak career is off the charts, just look at it again. Wow.

Randy Johnson is the best left-handed starting pitcher in the history of Major League Baseball, even better than Lefty Grove and Sandy Koufax. I'll admit, never been a Johnson fan.

Never got over that Yankee/reporter fiasco when he signed in New York. I'm probably being unfairly hard on the guy. Funny, the things that stick with you. The things you forget and the things you don't.

Like him or not, he's the best lefty of all time and one of the 10 best starting pitchers ever...righty or lefty.

His 136 ERA+ is 12th all time in the history of Major League Baseball for a starting pitcher. The fact that he has put up these numbers during the single worst era in the history of Major League Baseball for starting pitcher numbers makes it even all the more impressive.

He hasn't pitched well during his last couple of seasons. I think he'll pitch next season and then hang it up. We'll see.

1. Pedro Martinez (1992-Present) Career Length Grade: C+ (so far)

Raw Career: 476 G, 409 GS, 2,827.1 IP, 2.93 ERA, 154 ERA+, 125 W%+, 7.1 H/9, 1.05 WHIP, 1.7 SHO/40 and 4.2 K/BB

Adjusted Career: 424 G, 357 GS, 2,541 IP, 2.72 ERA, 166 ERA+, 129 W%+, 6.8 H/9, 1.02 WHIP, 1.9 SHO/40 and 4.3 K/BB (exclude his 2006, 2008 and 2009 seasons)

Peak Career: 206 G, 204 GS, 1,436 IP, 2.21 ERA, 212 ERA+, 140 W%+, 6.5 H/9, 0.95 WHIP, 2.2 SHO/40 and 5.6 K/BB (include his 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2007 seasons)

His 154 ERA+ is the best ERA+ in the history of Major League Baseball for a starting pitcher. What else can you say? His 1.05 WHIP is fourth all time in the history of Major League Baseball for a starting pitcher and his 7.1 H/9 is eighth all time in the history of Major League Baseball for a starting pitcher.

So he's in the top 10 all time in three of the most important stats for a starting pitcher and he's done it during the single worst era in history for starting pitcher numbers.

His peak career is up there with the best of all time...period.

He's simply one of the ten best starting pitchers to ever grace the fields of Major League Baseball, even with his "C+" length of career, thus far.

He hasn't pitched well during his last couple of seasons and his days of dominance are likely over. He did go 5-1 last season, but his other numbers were down. He's still good, don't get me wrong, he's just not good compared to the Pedro of old. He'll likely pitch a couple more seasons and then hang it up.

There you go. The 10 best starting pitchers from the 2000s.

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10 Reasons Baltimore Orioles Fans Can Still Be Thankful

Dean Hybl — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 20:38:26 -0500

Yes, the last dozen years have been particularly painful for Baltimore Orioles fans, but as we observe the Thanksgiving Holiday we still have much to be thankful for.

As an Orioles fan for 40 years, I’ve compiled a list of the 10 things I think Orioles fans can be thankful for. If you are a fan of the Orioles, I’d welcome hearing other things you think we should appreciate during this time of thankful reflection.

10. Buck Martinez —I don’t know what other Orioles fans think of Buck Martinez as a broadcaster of Baltimore games, but I hope they like and appreciate him. Personally, I think the world of him after he took 10 minutes out of his hectic schedule before a game between the Orioles and Rays in St. Petersburg this past summer to give me a personal interview. He did an amazing job giving me the rundown on the young players and key needs of the Orioles and didn’t care that I was writing for sports blogs instead of a major newspaper. For that I am most appreciative and thankful.

9. Boog Powell — My all-time favorite Oriole. I am thankful not just for the 303 home runs Boog hit for the Orioles, but also for his great personality as an advertising legend on the Lite Beer Commercials. I also am thankful for the great Boog’s Barbecue that has become a staple of Camden Yards.

8. Chuck Thompson —Most cities have a sports broadcaster from history who is most associated with that city. In Baltimore, Chuck Thompson was the voice of the Orioles and Colts long before those franchises became successful. His recognizable voice brought the action to fans for decades and he will always be considered the "Voice of the Orioles and Colts."

7. Jim Palmer —I sometimes think that the greatness of Jim Palmer has been forgotten by much of the sports world. While Orioles fans know him as the best pitcher in franchise history, because he didn’t win 300 games he often gets overlooked in the conversation of best of all-time. After his career ended, he also has been a standout broadcaster for 25 years, but again has been lost by the rest of the country. I really don’t understand why he no longer does national broadcasts considering that he is 10 times better than Tim McCarver.

6. Andy MacPhail — I know there are some Orioles fans who will be looking to run him out on a rail if the Orioles don’t start winning in the next two seasons. However, I truly believe that he has built a solid foundation for the future and it will just be a matter of time before the team starts winning. If he can sign Roy Halladay or some other pitching ace this off-season I will be even more thankful for his presence.

5. Nick Markakis, Adam Jones and Nolan Reimold —Sure the Orioles may not have ended 2009 with a winning record, but the play of these three young and talented outfielders has certainly provided hope for the future. If all three are able to harness their potential and live up to their early performances, the Orioles could end up with one of the best outfield units in baseball for years to come.

4. The Ripken Family —As a fan of a sports team, you have to be most appreciative of those who spent their entire careers striving to make your team better. Cal Ripken Jr. and Cal Ripken Sr. both did exactly that. And while Billy Ripken wasn’t quite as vital to the Orioles as his famous father and brother, he still was a solid team player for a number of years.

3. Matt Wieters and the young pitching staff —I may be looking at things with orange colored glasses, but after his performance over the final months of the 2009 season, I truly believe that Matt Wieters will be the next Joe Mauer and maybe even better than the current league MVP. Wieters has the potential to be more of a power hitter than Mauer and while he may never win a batting title, I think Wieters can be a regular .300 hitter. When combined with the many young guns the Orioles have in their pitching staff, I think the Birds could have a great pitch and catch combo for years to come.

2. Frank & Brooks Robinson —It is relatively rare in sports that two people with the same last name play for the same team at the same time, but even rarer that they were not related. However, during the glory years of the 1960s and early 1970s, the Baltimore Orioles rode the talent of future Hall of Famers Frank and Brooks Robinson to two World Series titles and four World Series appearances. The Orioles have truly been blessed to have these two super people and super athletes as representatives of their franchise.

1. Oriole Park at Camden Yards —There have been a lot of nice ballparks built since the Orioles opened the doors of Oriole Park at Camden Yards in 1992, but there still is not a better baseball stadium in the league. Camden Yards was the standard barer for the modern baseball stadium and is an amazing place to watch a ball game. The Orioles may not have been the best team on the field in the last decade, but they at least play in the best stadium.

This article is an original story from Baltimore Sports Then and Now , which w as created to give passionate sports fans a place where they can analyze and discuss current sports topics while also remembering some of the great athletes, moments, teams and games in sports history all at one site. If you haven't been there yet, check it out today.

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Team 83: The 1960 Tigers

Blake VandeBunte — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:00:35 -0500

Year: 1960

Record: 71-83

Win Percentage: .461

Win Percentage Change: -33

Run Differential: -11

Pythagorean Record: 76-78

AL Finish: 6th of 8

Manager: Jimmie Dykes, Billy Hitchcock and Joe Gordon

Best Transaction: Traded Steve Demeter to the Indians for Norm Cash. Demeter never did a thing in the big leagues, I mean nothing. Cash on the other hand was a staple in Detroit for 15 seasons. Cash hit 18 homers in 1960 and ended up hitting 373 homers for the Tigers, making him one of the most prolific power hitters in franchise history. Cash’s 1961 season remains one of the greatest seasons ever for a Tiger.

Worst Transaction: Nothing really to speak of. Most of the moves made in 1960 either worked out or were a complete draw.

Upper: Jim Bunning and Rocky Colavito each put up pretty good individual seasons. Colavito led the team with 35 homers and drove in 87 runs. Meanwhile, Bunning was the staff ace despite having a pedestrian win-loss record of 11-14. Bunning posted an ERA of 2.79 (ERA+ 143) and struck out 201 batters, one of the best totals in the American League. Sadly, neither player lasted in Detroit for all that long. Colavito lasted for only four years in Detroit and Bunning was shipped out of town for Don Demeter in a terribly lopsided trade against the Tigers.

Downer: This was arguably Al Kaline’s worst season with the Tigers. This is being a bit critical, but I think it’s worth making note of. Kaline retired with an OPS+ of 134 and his total in 1960 was only 108, just a bit above league average. The Hall of Famer Kaline hit only 15 homers and his batting average of .278 was one of the worst marks of his career. The Tigers offense struggled as a whole in 1960 so I’m not trying to pin this thing on Kaline, it just was not a great year for the offense.

Summary: The years before 1960 were unimpressive. The Tigers hovered right around the .500 mark before seeing the bottom fall out a bit in 1960. Norm Cash was a pleasant surprise at 1st base and had one of the best OPS+ numbers in the league. Eddie Yost and Charlie Maxwell each had decent seasons at the plate in 1960 to help the offense finish in last place in team batting average. Bunning and Frank Lary were the only Tigers starting pitchers to stay healthy for the entire season as injuries and inconsistencies plagued the pitching staff. Lary led the team with 15 wins and Hank Aguirre had a pretty stellar season out of the bullpen. Things would turn around in 1961 as the Tigers won 101 games in one of the best seasons in club history.

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