Every MLB Franchise's Mount Rushmore of Pitchers Since 1980
The Mount Rushmore debate in sports is always a fun one, limiting a large field of players to the four best of the best based on some predetermined criteria to form a hypothetical mountainside monument.
Earlier this week, we rolled out each team's Mount Rushmore of hitters going back to the 1980 season. You all responded with some great debate in the comment section, so it's time to follow-up with the pitcher version.
Only stats from 1980 forward were considered, and only stats accrued with the team they are representing were considered. Players were allowed to appear for multiple teams if the numbers supported their inclusion for both clubs.
Let's get to it.
In case you missed it: Every MLB Franchise's Mount Rushmore of Hitters Since 1980
Arizona Diamondbacks
1 of 30
RHP Zack Greinke
LHP Randy Johnson
RHP Curt Schilling
RHP Brandon Webb
The first three spots on the D-backs monument are no-brainers, with Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling helping to lead the team to a World Series title as two of the best pitchers in baseball during the early 2000s, while Brandon Webb took home NL Cy Young honors in 2006 and enjoyed a brief but dominant peak in Arizona.
The final spot could go to Zac Gallen as soon as next year if he can take home a Cy Young of his own this season, but for now Zack Greinke gets the nod with a 3.40 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in 714.2 innings with the club.
Honorable Mentions: LHP Patrick Corbin, RHP Zac Gallen, RHP Byung-Hyun Kim, LHP Robbie Ray
Atlanta Braves
2 of 30
LHP Tom Glavine
RHP Craig Kimbrel
RHP Greg Maddux
RHP John Smoltz
Who joins the Hall of Fame trio of Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz? That was the only real debate for Atlanta.
Tim Hudson received serious consideration for a terrific nine-year run that saw him go 113-72 with a 3.56 ERA in 1,573 innings, and Max Fried could stake his claim at some point in the next few years. For now, it goes to closer Craig Kimbrel, who won 2011 NL Rookie of the Year and had a dominant five-year run with the team. He led the league in saves four times while converting 186 of 205 save opportunities and posting a 1.43 ERA and 14.8 K/9 in 294 games.
Honorable Mentions: LHP Steve Avery, LHP Max Fried, RHP Tim Hudson, RHP Kevin Millwood, RHP Julio Teheran, RHP Mark Wohlers
Baltimore Orioles
3 of 30
RHP Mike Boddicker
LHP Zack Britton
RHP Mike Mussina
RHP Gregg Olson
The Orioles were a tough one, outside of Mike Mussina who spent the first 10 seasons of his Hall of Fame career as the ace of the staff in Baltimore after going No. 20 overall in the 1990 draft.
Gregg Olson (320 G, 160 SV, 2.26 ERA) and Zack Britton (306 G, 139 SV, 3.22 ERA) both turned in multiple dominant seasons in the closer's role, while Mike Boddicker ranks second to Mussina in wins (107) and WAR (17.4) since our cutoff line while tossing 1,273.2 innings with the team during the 1980s.
Honorable Mentions: RHP Jeremy Guthrie, RHP Jim Johnson, RHP Ben McDonald, RHP Scott McGregor, RHP Sidney Ponson
.png?w=256)
Boston Red Sox
4 of 30
RHP Roger Clemens
LHP Jon Lester
RHP Pedro Martinez
RHP Tim Wakefield
There are two spots up for debate here with Roger Clemens and Pedro Martinez taking their combined five Cy Young Awards in a Red Sox uniform straight to the mountain, and it's a compelling debate for those final slots. Tim Wakefield racked up 186 wins over 3,006 innings in 17 seasons with the team, establishing himself as one of the greatest knuckleball pitchers in MLB history, so pencil him in as No. 3.
That left the final spot down to Jon Lester vs. Josh Beckett vs. Chris Sale vs. Curt Schilling. Lester's combination of regular season body of work, peak performance and postseason track record was ultimately enough to edge out each of those guys who fell short in one of those categories.
Honorable Mentions: RHP Josh Beckett, RHP Derek Lowe, RHP Jonathan Papelbon, LHP Chris Sale, RHP Curt Schilling
Chicago Cubs
5 of 30
LHP Jon Lester
RHP Greg Maddux
RHP Kerry Wood
RHP Carlos Zambrano
The four guys mentioned above, 1984 Cy Young winner Rick Sutcliffe, 2015 Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta and 2016 Game 7 starter Kyle Hendricks were all serious contenders for the Cubs monument.
Carlos Zambrano (37.7) and Greg Maddux (33.7) were the only pitchers to tally at least 30 WAR since the 1980 cutoff, Kerry Wood went from young phenom to veteran ace to All-Star closer in one of the more unique career progressions of his era, and Jon Lester gets the final spot as the unquestioned ace of the 2016 World Series team and the missing piece that pushed that group over the top.
Honorable Mentions: RHP Jake Arrieta, RHP Kyle Hendricks, RHP Jon Lieber, RHP Mark Prior, RHP Lee Smith, RHP Rick Sutcliffe
Chicago White Sox
6 of 30
LHP Mark Buehrle
RHP Jon Garland
RHP Jack McDowell
LHP Chris Sale
There is a reasonable case to be made that Mark Buehrle is the best pitcher in White Sox history. Lefty Chris Sale finished in the top-six in AL Cy Young voting five years in a row with the White Sox and had a 3.00 ERA with 1,244 strikeouts in 1,110 innings, while Jack McDowell had a terrific five-year peak that included 1993 AL Cy Young honors.
The debate here was Alex Fernandez (79-63, 3.78 ERA, 114 ERA+, 1,346.1 IP) vs. Jon Garland (92-81, 4.41 ERA, 106 ERA+, 1,428.2 IP), and it's one that could go either way. Garland was the pick for his role on the 2005 World Series winners, including a complete game victory in the ALCS and seven strong innings in Game 3 of the World Series.
Honorable Mentions: RHP Alex Fernandez, RHP Roberto Hernández, RHP Esteban Loaiza, LHP José Quintana
Cincinnati Reds
7 of 30
RHP Bronson Arroyo
RHP Johnny Cueto
RHP Aaron Harang
RHP José Rijo
José Rijo was the ace of the staff for the 1990 World Series winners, and he put together an extremely underrated career, going 116-91 with a 3.24 ERA (121 ERA+) in 1,880 innings. He was an easy choice, as was Johnny Cueto who had a pair of top-five NL Cy Young finishes and a 20-win season in his eight years with the club.
From 2006 to 2010, Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo were one of the best one-two punches in baseball. Arroyo averaged 211 innings over his eight full seasons in Cincinnati, while Harang logged eight strong seasons of his own in a Reds uniform, including a 2006 campaign where he led the NL in wins (16) and strikeouts (216).
Honorable Mentions: RHP Tom Browning, RHP Luis Castillo, LHP Aroldis Chapman, RHP Rob Dibble, LHP John Franco, RHP Mario Soto
Cleveland Guardians
8 of 30
RHP Corey Kluber
LHP Cliff Lee
RHP Charles Nagy
LHP CC Sabathia
Corey Kluber (x2), CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee each won a Cy Young Award in Cleveland, and it was tempting to make it a clean sweep and go with 2020 winner Shane Bieber in the fourth spot, but Charles Nagy deserves some love.
The 1990s Cleveland teams were built on a high-powered offense, but Nagy was a quality staff ace on those clubs. An All-Star in 1992, 1996 and 1999, he went 129-103 with a 4.51 ERA (101 ERA+) in 1,942.1 innings, and he won at least 15 games six different times.
Honorable Mentions: RHP Shane Bieber, RHP Tom Candiotti, RHP Carlos Carrasco, RHP Bartolo Colon, RHP Doug Jones, RHP José Mesa, LHP Greg Swindell
Colorado Rockies
9 of 30
RHP Aaron Cook
LHP Jorge De La Rosa
LHP Brian Fuentes
RHP Ubaldo Jiménez
Ubaldo Jiménez is the Rockies all-time pitching WAR leader (18.9), Jorge De La Rosa is the club's wins leader (86) and Aaron Cook tops the leaderboard for innings pitched (1,312.1) while earning an All-Star selection in 2008.
Current starters Kyle Freeland and Germán Márquez were both solid candidates for the final spot, but instead the nod goes to lefty closer Brian Fuentes who made three straight All-Star appearances in 2005, 2006 and 2007, and is Colorado's all-time leader with 115 saves.
Honorable Mentions: RHP Jhoulys Chacin, LHP Jeff Francis, LHP Kyle Freeland, RHP Jon Gray, RHP Germán Márquez, RHP Steve Reed
Detroit Tigers
10 of 30
RHP Jack Morris
RHP Max Scherzer
LHP Frank Tanana
RHP Justin Verlander
Jack Morris led all pitchers during the 1980s with 162 wins and he is in the Hall of Fame wearing a Tigers hat, so he's a good place to start on the Detroit monument. Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer are both future Hall of Famers who established themselves as frontline starters and each won a Cy Young Award in Detroit, so they are easy picks as well.
Left-hander Frank Tanana was at his best during the 1970s with the California Angels, but he had a solid eight-year run at the end of his career in Detroit where he went 96-82 with a 4.08 ERA in 1551.1 innings, and with a steep drop-off after those first three guys that's enough to earn him the final spot.
Honorable Mentions: RHP Mike Henneman, RHP Willie Hernández, RHP Dan Petry, RHP Rick Porcello, RHP Justin Thompson
Houston Astros
11 of 30
RHP Roy Oswalt
RHP Nolan Ryan
RHP Mike Scott
RHP Justin Verlander
Roy Oswalt is Houston's all-time leader in pitching WAR (45.7) and deserves to be the first face carved into the Astros mountain. Nolan Ryan spent nine terrific seasons of his Hall of Famer career in Houston, Mike Scott had 110 wins and won 1986 AL Cy Young and Justin Verlander won AL Cy Young in 2019 and 2022.
Roger Clemens and Dallas Keuchel both won Cy Young Awards in Houston, but Clemens only spent three seasons with the team and Keuchel's peak season was an outlier relative to the rest of his career. Closer Billy Wagner was a tougher omission than either of those guys.
Honorable Mentions: RHP Roger Clemens, LHP Dallas Keuchel, RHP Darryl Kile, RHP Shane Reynolds, LHP Framber Valdez, LHP Billy Wagner
Kansas City Royals
12 of 30
RHP Kevin Appier
RHP Zack Greinke
RHP Dan Quisenberry
RHP Bret Saberhagen
Is there a more underrated pitcher in recent MLB history than Kevin Appier? In 13 seasons with the Royals, he had a 3.49 ERA, 130 ERA+ and 47.1 WAR, yet he only made one All-Star appearance.
Bret Saberhagen won AL Cy Young in 1985 and 1989, while Zack Greinke also took home the hardware in 2009 and his career has come full circle back to Kansas City. The final spot was a battle between closers Dan Quisenberry (573 G, 238 SV, 2.55 ERA, 25.3 WAR) and Jeff Montgomery (686 G, 304 SV, 3.20 ERA, 20.9 WAR), with the edge to Quiz.
Honorable Mentions: LHP Danny Duffy, RHP Tom Gordon, RHP Mark Gubicza, Greg Holland, RHP Jeff Montgomery, RHP Joakim Soria
Los Angeles Angels
13 of 30
LHP Chuck Finley
LHP Mark Langston
RHP Troy Percival
RHP Jered Weaver
Longtime teammates Chuck Finley and Mark Langston were obvious choices here, as was 2000s ace Jered Weaver who went 150-93 with a 3.55 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 1,598 strikeouts in 2,025 innings while finishing in the top-five in AL Cy Young voting three times.
Workhorse John Lackey was in the mix for the final spot, but in the end it came down to a pair of All-Star closers with Troy Percival (466 G, 316 SV, 2.99 ERA, 10.4 K/9, 4x All-Star) edging out Francisco Rodríguez (408 G, 208 SV, 2.35 ERA, 11.7 K/9, 3x All-Star).
Honorable Mentions: LHP Jim Abbott, RHP Bartolo Colon, RHP Bryan Harvey, RHP John Lackey, RHP Francisco Rodríguez, LHP Jarrod Washburn, RHP Mike Witt
Los Angeles Dodgers
14 of 30
RHP Orel Hershiser
RHP Kenley Jansen
LHP Clayton Kershaw
LHP Fernando Valenzuela
Considering all the good pitchers that have worn a Dodgers uniform over the last 50 years, this was a relatively easy one.
Clayton Kershaw is a no-brainer, Orel Hershiser ripped off a 59-inning scoreless streak during his Cy Young season in 1988 and was the staff ace for a decade, Fernando Valenzuela won Cy Young and Rookie of the Year in 1981 when he made his first of six straight All-Star appearances, and Kenley Jansen built a strong Hall of Fame case with 350 saves and 13.0 K/9 in 12 seasons as the Dodgers closer.
Honorable Mentions: RHP Chad Billingsley, RHP Eric Gagné, Chan Ho Park, RHP Ramón Martínez, RHP Hideo Nomo, RHP Bob Welch
Miami Marlins
15 of 30
RHP Sandy Alcantara
RHP José Fernández
RHP Josh Johnson
LHP Dontrelle Willis
Dontrelle Willis had an epic peak, Josh Johnson is the only pitcher in Marlins franchise history with at least 20 WAR, Sandy Alcantara won 2022 NL Cy Young and José Fernandez still resonates as one of the biggest what-if stories in recent memory following his tragic death as a budding superstar at the age of 24.
Kevin Brown only spent two seasons with the team, but he was absolutely dominant in 1996 (17-11, 1.89 ERA, 233 IP) and served as ace of the staff during the 1997 World Series run. Josh Beckett also deserves a shout out for living up to tremendous hype and winning World Series MVP in 2003.
Honorable Mentions: RHP Josh Beckett, RHP Kevin Brown, RHP A.J. Burnett, RHP Robb Nen, RHP Ricky Nolasco, RHP Aníbal Sánchez
Milwaukee Brewers
16 of 30
RHP Corbin Burnes
RHP Yovani Gallardo
LHP Teddy Higuera
RHP Ben Sheets
No team in baseball has a less definitive answer to the question of best pitcher in club history than the Brewers.
Teddy Higuera is the franchise leader in pitching WAR (30.3), Ben Sheets was a four-time All-Star who had a terrific eight-year run before injuries derailed his career in his 30s, Yovani Gallardo sits No. 1 on the team leaderboard with 1,226 strikeouts and Corbin Burnes won NL Cy Young honors in 2021 and is one of the best pitchers in baseball today.
Honorable Mentions: RHP Chris Bosio, RHP Cal Eldred, LHP Josh Hader, LHP Dan Plesac, RHP Bill Wegman, Brandon Woodruff
Minnesota Twins
17 of 30
RHP Joe Nathan
RHP Brad Radke
LHP Johan Santana
LHP Frank Viola
During the three-year span from 2004 through 2006, Johan Santana was arguably the best pitcher in baseball, going 55-19 with a 2.75 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 748 strikeouts in 693.1 innings. He won AL Cy Young in 2004 and 2006, won a pair of ERA titles, and led the league in strikeouts all three years during that span.
Frank Viola won 112 games and posted a 3.86 ERA in 1,772.2 innings, Joe Nathan tallied 260 saves and made four All-Star teams in seven years and Brad Radke is the franchise leader since 1980 in pitching WAR (45.6), wins (148), strikeouts (1,467) and innings pitched (2,451).
Honorable Mentions: RHP Rick Aguilera, RHP Scott Erickson, LHP Eddie Guardado, LHP Glen Perkins, RHP Kevin Tapani
New York Mets
18 of 30
RHP Jacob deGrom
RHP Dwight Gooden
LHP Al Leiter
LHP John Franco
Dwight Gooden and Jacob deGrom are the easy selections here, leaving two spots to be sorted out on the Mets' mountain. Southpaw John Franco made 695 appearances and tallied a franchise-record 276 saves as a staple in the bullpen for 14 seasons, and he was inducted into the team's Hall of Fame in 2012.
That left the final spot as a battle between Al Leiter (95-67, 3.42 ERA, 124 ERA+, 1,360 IP, 28.0 WAR), Sid Fernandez (98-78, 3.14 ERA, 113 ERA+, 1,584.2 IP, 27.6 WAR) and Ron Darling (99-70, 3.50 ERA, 101 ERA+, 1,620 IP, 16.0 WAR), and Leiter has the edge.
Honorable Mentions: RHP David Cone, RHP Ron Darling, LHP Sid Fernandez, RHP Matt Harvey
New York Yankees
19 of 30
RHP Mike Mussina
LHP Andy Pettitte
RHP Mariano Rivera
LHP CC Sabathia
There's zero debate that Mariano Rivera deserves one of the spots for the Yankees, and Andy Pettitte is also a lock. He was a fellow member of the Core Four, and is the franchise leader in wins (219), strikeouts (2,020) and innings pitched (2,796.1) since 1980.
CC Sabathia and Mike Mussina both started their impressive careers elsewhere, but they took their turns as aces of the Yankees staff while posting better overall numbers than guys like Jimmy Key, David Cone and Roger Clemens who also filled that role. Ron Guidry had his best seasons during the 1970s, including his 1978 AL Cy Young win.
Honorable Mentions: RHP Roger Clemens, RHP Gerrit Cole, RHP David Cone, RHP Rich Gossage, LHP Ron Guidry, RHP Orlando Hernández, LHP Jimmy Key, LHP Dave Righetti, RHP Masahiro Tanaka, LHP David Wells
Oakland Athletics
20 of 30
RHP Dennis Eckersley
RHP Tim Hudson
RHP Dave Stewart
LHP Barry Zito
Dave Stewart won 20 games in four straight seasons in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and he went 10-6 with a 2.84 ERA in 133 career postseason innings. Hall of Fame closer Dennis Eckersley was also a member of those stellar A's teams from that era, racking up 320 saves with the team and winning AL Cy Young and MVP in 1992.
That left only two spots for the "Big Three" of Barry Zito, Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder, and Zito and Hudson are the clear choices from that terrific homegrown staff. Tip of the cap to Bob Welch for his 27-win Cy Young season in 1990.
Honorable Mentions: RHP Sonny Gray, RHP Rich Harden, RHP Dan Haren, LHP Mark Mulder, RHP Bob Welch
Philadelphia Phillies
21 of 30
LHP Steve Carlton
RHP Roy Halladay
LHP Cole Hamels
RHP Curt Schilling
Steve Carlton was already 35 years old with 15 seasons and two Cy Young Awards under his belt when the 1980 season rolled around, but he had plenty left in the tank, adding 1980 and 1982 NL Cy Young honors to his resume.
Cole Hamels was a homegrown ace who won NLCS and World Series MVP honors in 2008 and Roy Halladay won 2010 NL Cy Young while tossing a no-hitter in the postseason that year. That left the final spot as a showdown between Curt Schilling (101-78, 3.35 ERA, 1,554 K, 1,659.1 IP, 36.8 WAR) and Aaron Nola (89-70, 3.71 ERA, 1,545 K, 1,388.2 IP, 31.4 WAR).
Honorable Mentions: LHP Cliff Lee, RHP Aaron Nola, RHP Zack Wheeler, LHP Randy Wolf
Pittsburgh Pirates
22 of 30
RHP Gerrit Cole
RHP Doug Drabek
RHP Mark Melancon
RHP Rick Rhoden
Outside of the Colorado Rockies, this was the weakest collection of pitchers on any team's Mount Rushmore.
Doug Drabek won NL Cy Young in 1990 and is the Pirates leader in pitching WAR (21.2) and wins (92) since 1980, while Rick Rhoden tops the leaderboard in strikeouts (850) and innings pitched (1,443) during that span. Gerrit Cole had a few ace-caliber seasons before he was traded to Houston and Mark Melancon was a three-time All-Star with 130 saves in four years.
Honorable Mentions: LHP John Candelaria, LHP Paul Maholm, RHP Rick Reuschel, RHP Jason Schmidt, LHP Zane Smith
San Diego Padres
23 of 30
RHP Andy Ashby
RHP Andy Benes
RHP Trevor Hoffman
RHP Jake Peavy
Jake Peavy is the greatest starting pitcher in Padres history and Trevor Hoffman is a Hall of Fame closer who racked up 552 of his 601 saves in San Diego, so it's a question of who fills the other two spots on the monument.
Andy Benes was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1988 draft, made his MLB debut the following year, and spent seven seasons as a workhorse starter atop the San Diego rotation with a 3.57 ERA in 1,235 innings. Andy Ashby had a 3.59 ERA in 1,212 innings with the Padres, and he was an All-Star in 1998 and 1999.
Honorable Mentions: RHP Heath Bell, LHP Mark Davis, RHP Greg Harris, LHP Bruce Hurst, RHP Eric Show, RHP Ed Whitson
San Francisco Giants
24 of 30
LHP Madison Bumgarner
RHP Matt Cain
RHP Tim Lincecum
RHP Jason Schmidt
The homegrown trio of Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain and Madison Bumgarner were the driving force behind the Giants' three World Series titles in a span of five years during the 2010. Lincecum had a brief but impressive peak that resulted in a pair of Cy Young Awards, Cain won 104 games with a 3.68 ERA and 1,694 strikeouts in 2,085.2 innings, and Bumgarner is the best postseason pitcher of his generation.
That left one spot available, and while it was tempting to go with one of the relievers from those 2010s squads like Sergio Romo or Brian Wilson, it has to be Jason Schmidt. He was a three-time All-Star in six seasons with the Giants, and he won the NL ERA title in 2003.
Honorable Mentions: RHP Rod Beck, LHP Shawn Estes, RHP Scott Garrelts, RHP Robb Nen, RHP Russ Ortiz, RHP Sergio Romo, LHP Kirk Rueter, RHP Brian Wilson
Seattle Mariners
25 of 30
RHP Freddy García
RHP Félix Hernández
LHP Randy Johnson
LHP Jamie Moyer
Hall of Famer Randy Johnson may have been at his best in a D-back uniform, but he was still awfully good in Seattle, winning 1995 AL Cy Young and finishing 130-74 with a 3.42 ERA and 2,162 strikeouts in 1,838.1 innings over 10 seasons. "King Felix" is also a lay-up selection as one of the best pitcher's of his era and the 2010 AL Cy Young winner.
Jamie Moyer was 33 years old when he joined the Mariners in 1996, but he still played 11 seasons with the team, going 145-87 with a 3.97 ERA in 2,093 innings, including a pair of 20-win seasons. The final spot goes to Freddy García who made a pair of All-Star appearances and had a 3.89 ERA in 1,096.1 innings in Seattle.
Honorable Mentions: RHP Edwin Díaz, Erik Hanson, RHP Hisashi Iwakuma, LHP Mark Langston, RHP J.J. Putz, RHP Kaz Sasaki
St. Louis Cardinals
26 of 30
RHP Chris Carpenter
RHP Jason Isringhausen
RHP Matt Morris
RHP Adam Wainwright
Matt Morris (1997-2005), Chris Carpenter (2004-2012) and Adan Wainwright (2005-now) each took their turn as ace of the staff for the Cardinals while each making multiple All-Star Game appearances, so those three are a good starting point in St. Louis.
The final spot could have gone to 1990s ace Bob Tewksbury, but instead it's All-Star closer Jason Isringhausen who gets the nod on the strength of a franchise-record 217 saves over seven seasons.
Honorable Mentions: RHP Joaquin Andújar, Lance Lynn, RHP Carlos Martínez, RHP Lee Smith, RHP Bob Tewksbury, LHP John Tudor, RHP Todd Worrell
Tampa Bay Rays
27 of 30
RHP Chris Archer
LHP David Price
RHP James Shields
LHP Blake Snell
The Rays have built a strong foundation of success despite one of the smallest payrolls in baseball thanks to their pitching staff, and they have shown a consistent knack for developing their own in-house arms and squeezing the most out of their outside additions.
The debate was Blake Snell vs. Scott Kazmir for the final spot, and while Kazmir threw almost 300 more innings for the team and was a more consistent starter during his time in Tampa Bay, Snell gets the nod thanks to his 2018 AL Cy Young win.
Honorable Mentions: RHP Alex Cobb, LHP Scott Kazmir
Texas Rangers
28 of 30
RHP Yu Darvish
RHP Charlie Hough
LHP Kenny Rogers
RHP Nolan Ryan
Pitching has been the Achilles' heel for the Rangers over the years, and the team doesn't have a clear-cut best pitcher in franchise history, which made this one of the more difficult foursomes to select.
Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan still had plenty left in the tank when he joined the team as a 42-year-old for the final five seasons of his career. Left-hander Kenny Rogers won 133 games with a 4.16 ERA in 1,909 innings over three separate stints with the team, knuckleballer Charlie Hough is the franchise leader in wins (139), WAR (32.6) and innings pitched (2,308) since 1980, and Yu Darvish edges out Kevin Brown and C.J. Wilson for the final spot.
Honorable Mentions: RHP Kevin Brown, RHP Rick Helling, LHP Derek Holland, RHP Jeff Russell, RHP John Wetteland, LHP C.J. Wilson
Toronto Blue Jays
29 of 30
RHP Roy Halladay
RHP Pat Hentgen
LHP Jimmy Key
RHP Dave Stieb
Dave Stieb was one of the best pitchers of the 1980s and is the Blue Jays all-time leader in wins (175), strikeouts (1,658), innings pitched (2,873) and WAR (56.9). He is an obvious first pick, followed closely by Roy Halladay who won 2003 AL Cy Young and laid the foundation of his Hall of Fame career over 12 seasons in Toronto
Did Roger Clemens back-to-back Cy Young wins in 1997 and 1998 in his only two seasons with the team earn him a spot? I said no, but there's certainly an argument to be made.
Honorable Mentions: RHP Jim Clancy, RHP Roger Clemens, RHP Juan Guzmán, RHP Tom Henke, RHP Marcus Stroman, RHP Duane Ward, LHP David Wells
Washington Nationals
30 of 30
LHP Gio González
RHP Max Scherzer
RHP Stephen Strasburg
RHP Jordan Zimmermann
Just like with the hitters' version of this article, we've opted to separate Nationals history from Expos history, which made selecting the top four here extremely easy. Talk about the bad contract all you want, but Stephen Strasburg had a fantastic career with the Nationals, living up to an almost impossible level of hype.
The Montreal Expos group would feature Dennis Martínez, Pedro Martínez, Jeff Reardon and Javier Vázquez, with honorable mentions for Ken Hill and John Wetteland.
Honorable Mentions: RHP Tyler Clippard, RHP Chad Cordero, RHP Doug Fister, RHP Tanner Roark
.png?w=480)
