MLB History Unblurred: The 10 Best Pitchers from the 1870s and 1880s

I recently wrote two articles. One was on the 10 best starting pitchers from the 1990s and the other was on the 10 best from the 2000s.

So, between the two articles, I basically covered the best starting pitchers from the last 20 seasons of Major League Baseball.

I wanted to do the same thing with this article, on the other side of the era spectrum. The 10 best pitchers from the first 20 seasons of MLB (the 1870s and 1880s). I will combine the two decades for this article.

A minimum of 200 games is required to be considered for the list.

There were 34 pitchers from the combined 1870s and 1880s that reached at least 200 games. That is the lowest number of any decade in the history of Major League Baseball, even combining the two decades.

This is, in large part, because the league was much smaller back then. It is also due to the fact that most teams went with two- or three-man rotations.

There are some that argue the competition during the first 20—30 seasons of MLB wasn’t as good as it was post—1800s. There are various reasons that historians argue this point—of—view and, truthfully many of the arguments are logical and hold some weight.

Though, it must be pointed out that most historians who argue this will also claim that it was close and that the caliber of the average player was not grossly different than the post—1800s.

There are numerous reasons they say this and one point they usually bring up is the fact that the very nature of the league being smaller almost forced it to be chalked full of high—caliber players. This is also a point of view that is logical and holds some weight.

Many believe that this almost balances the lack of talent and it’s why most that do believe the competition was slightly less than today are the same ones that also believe that the great pitchers like Clarkson, Keefe and Radbourn would still be among the greats if they pitched today, or in the 1970s or in the 1940s.

They still rate them, more or less, relative to the era they pitched in.

The 1870s and the 1880s were both good decades for pitching numbers, though the 1870s were slightly better than the 1880s. Some even pitched into the early/mid—1890s and the 1890s were not a good decade for pitching numbers.

There were a number of rule changes that were changed during the first 20 seasons of MLB and a couple that I want to point out. The number of balls it took to record a walk was lowered to four balls and the pitching mound was moved farther away from home plate to where it is today.

Some pitchers were better before these rule changes and some were better after. Some were better or worse because of these changes and some were better or worse because of coincidence.

What was expected of pitching numbers changed with the rule changes and this was adjusted for and taken into account when I rated these pitchers.

Now, back to the 34 pitchers from the 1870s and 1880s. If a player does not appear on this list of 34, then they either didn’t reach 200 games or I consider them a pitcher from the 1890s. The 1890s will be covered in a separate article. Pitchers will only be in one decade. For example, Tim Keefe will appear in my 1870s and 1880s article.

So, he will not appear in my 1890s 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.

First, I will include their raw career numbers. These are simply their career numbers.

Second, I will include their adjusted career numbers, if they had a long career (which most have). Adjusted career is this: Let’s take Mickey Welch for example. Welch 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 pitched past his prime.

With Welch, I'd exclude his last two seasons. That is his adjusted career. Again, this can only be done with players with long careers. If I don’t list an adjusted career under a player’s raw career numbers, then it means they didn’t play long enough to adjust for their long career, or it means they didn’t have any bad seasons.

Third, I will include their peak career numbers. Many like short peak seasons; not me. I include the best seasons equaling 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 let us know how good the pitcher was at his best.

Note: W%+ is a statistic that I have invented. It takes the team's winning percentage into account. It is very complicated as different weights go more or less on seasons depending on how many games and innings a pitcher pitched during a single season. Having said that, here’s the simple version.

Let's say a starting pitcher has a career .500 W% during the 2000s 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 winning percentage what ERA is to ERA+. It’s not full proof, but neither is ERA+, just another piece of the puzzle and far, far more important than raw winning percentage. OK.

The 34 Starting Pitchers

Here are the 34 Starting Pitchers from the 1870s and 1880s that reached at least 200 games (listed 1870s first and 1880s second; in alphabetical order): 1870s: Tommy Bond, George Bradley, Bobby Mathews, Dick McBride and George Zettlein 1880s: Jersey Bakely, Henry Boyle, Charlie Buffington, Bob Caruthers, Dan Casey, John Clarkson, Larry Corcoran, Ed Crane, Dave Foutz, Jim Galvin, Charlie Getzien, John Healy, Guy Hecker, Hardie Henderson, Tim Keefe, Jack Lynch, Jim McCormick, Ed Morris, Tony Mullane, Hank O’Day, Henry Porter, Charley Radbourn, Toad Ramsey, Dupee Shaw, John Ward, Mickey Welch, Will White, Jim Whitney and Stump Wiedman.

The Honorable Mentions

Here are the seven pitchers that just missed the top 10 for various reasons. I will list them in alphabetical order: Tommy Bond, Charlie Buffington, Bob Caruthers, Larry Corcoran, Dave Foutz, John Ward and Jim Whitney.

The Top 10

10. Ed Morris (1884-1890) Career Length Grade: D

Raw Career: 311 G, 307 GS, 2,678 IP, 2.82 ERA, 115 ERA+, 114 W%+, 8.3 H/9, 1.11 WHIP, 3.8 SHO/40 and 2.4 K/BB

Peak Career: 234 G, 233 GS, 2,046 IP, 2.33 ERA, 132 ERA+, 116 W%+, 7.6 H/9, 1.01 WHIP, 4.7 SHO/40 and 3.1 K/BB (exclude his 1887, 1889 and 1890 seasons)

Morris was the best left—handed pitcher during the first 30 seasons of Major League Baseball. The best from the 1800s, period.

He really remained as the best lefty in the history of the game until some powerhouse lefties came along during the first decade of the 1900s, like Eddie Plank, Rube Waddell and Doc White.

There have now been so many great left-handed pitchers that have come along, that Morris is no longer even one of the 20 best left-handed starting pitchers in history. But, the fact remains, he was the best from the 1800s.

He had an extremely good fastball, change-up and curveball. Unlike today, everyone didn’t throw a curveball (though, more than you may think did). Either way, he had a good curve to go along with his fastball and change—up.

His repertoire of pitches is part of the reason that he ended his career with a 1.11 WHIP and that 1.11 WHIP still ranks as the 16th best WHIP in the history of MLB for a starting pitcher.

Morris has the shortest career of any pitcher on this list and there are good arguments for just about every pitcher on my HM list to have this 10th spot.

The fact that Morris was the best left—handed pitcher from the first 30 seasons of MLB, and the fact that his WHIP is still in the top 20 all time for a starting pitcher, are part of the reasons that he gets the nod for this 10th and final spot, even with a shorter career than some on the HM list.

He is, perhaps, the most overlooked pitcher from the first 20 seasons of MLB.

9. Jim Galvin (1875-1892) Career Length Grade: A+

Raw Career: 697 G, 682 GS, 5,941.1 IP, 2.87 ERA, 107 ERA+, 112 W%+, 9.6 H/9, 1.19 WHIP, 3.3 SHO/40 and 2.4 K/BB (exclude his first season)

Adjusted Career: 630 G, 617 GS, 5,383.1 IP, 2.73 ERA, 110 ERA+, 110 W%+, 9.5 H/9, 1.17 WHIP, 3.3 SHO/40 and 2.7 K/BB (exclude his 1875, 1889 and 1890 seasons)

Peak Career: 254 G, 250 GS, 2,201.1 IP, 2.42 ERA, 128 ERA+, 108 W%+, 9.2 H/9, 1.13 WHIP, 3.8 SHO/40 and 3.7 K/BB (include his 1881, 1883, 1884 and 1886 seasons)

First of all, I exclude his 1875 season from all of his stats because many (including MLB) don’t recognize stats until the 1876 season. Some argue that MLB really started in 1876; some argue it started in 1871.

So, to save debate, I excluded his 1875 stats. Speaking of 1875, Galvin started pitching that season as a high school—aged, 18—year—old.

There are some on my HM list that were higher caliber pitchers than Galvin. Don’t get me wrong, Galvin was darn good. But, it’s the fact that he had the longest career of any pitcher from the 1870s and 1880s that puts him in the top 10. Likely, it’s also what put him in the Hall of Fame.

He was darn good and he pitched a ton of games and innings.

8. Guy Hecker (1882-1890) Career Length Grade: C-

Raw Career: 334 G, 320 GS, 2,906 IP, 2.92 ERA, 114 ERA+, 128 W%+, 9.0 H/9, 1.17 WHIP, 1.9 SHO/40 and 2.3 K/BB

Peak Career: 224 G, 217 GS, 1,960.2 IP, 2.44 ERA, 139 ERA+, 115 W%+, 8.1 H/9, 1.05 WHIP, 2.2 SHO/40 and 2.9 K/BB (exclude his 1883, 1888, 1889 and 1890 seasons)

He was arguably the best hitting pitcher in the history of MLB. He led the league with a .341 BA during his 1886 season and it’s the only time in history that a pitcher has ever captured a batting title and, as you may suspect, no historian ever expects it to happen again.

Being a truly good hitting pitcher is really only going to affect one pitching stat. That stat is W%+. Hecker ended his career with a 128 W%+, the best of any pitcher from the 1800s and one of the best W%+s ever.

I’m not putting Hecker in the eighth spot because he had good hitting numbers; I’m putting him in the eighth spot because he had great pitching numbers. Pitching numbers that were positively impacted by his own hitting.

He ended his career with a 118 OPS+. That would be an extremely good OPS+ for a first baseman or a right fielder, off the charts for a pitcher.

He won 52 games during the 1884 season and that is still third on the all time single season list. That same season he also led the league with a 1.80 ERA, 171 ERA+ and 0.87 WHIP. He also led the league in H/9 and WHIP during his rookie season in 1882.

7. Tony Mullane (1881-1894) Career Length Grade: B

Raw Career: 555 G, 504 GS, 4,531.1 IP, 3.05 ERA, 118 ERA+, 104 W%+, 8.3 H/9, 1.24 WHIP, 2.4 SHO/40 and 1.3 K/BB

Adjusted Career: 479 G, 438 GS, 3,949.1 IP, 2.89 ERA, 123 ERA+, 106 W%+, 8.2 H/9, 1.20 WHIP, 2.6 SHO/40 and 1.5 K/BB (exclude his 1891 and 1894 seasons)

Peak Career: 248 G, 238 GS, 2,113.1 IP, 2.42 ERA, 141 ERA+, 108 W%+, 7.9 H/9, 1.10 WHIP, 3.5 SHO/40 and 1.9 K/BB (include his 1882, 1883, 1884, 1887 and 1890 seasons)

It has almost become a national pastime for historians to place Mullane near the top of the most overlooked and underrated starting pitchers list. There is good reason he is often on that list: he was great.

If you remain on that list for as long as Mullane has, then it becomes hard to argue that he is still overlooked and underrated.

Does that make any sense? He’s been complained about being overlooked and underrated for so long that he’s no longer overlooked and underrated.

Who’s truly overlooked and underrated from this era?

There are a few from the HM list that are usually overlooked and underrated, like Charlie Buffington, Guy Hecker in the eight spot, Ed Morris in the 10 spot and even Jim McCormick in the four spot. These are the pitchers from this era that are generally overlooked by the casual fan of today.

Most respected historians will rate these guys very respectably. So, I suppose they’re more overlooked than underrated.

Mullane was a truly great pitcher and I’ll let his numbers speak for themselves. The numbers paint a good picture, almost a masterpiece.

6. Mickey Welch (1880-1892) Career Length Grade: A-

Raw Career: 565 G, 549 GS, 4,802 IP, 2.71 ERA, 114 ERA+, 105 W%+, 8.6 H/9, 1.23 WHIP, 3.0 SHO/40 and 1.4 K/BB

Adjusted Career: 542 G, 533 GS, 4,637 IP, 2.65 ERA, 116 ERA+, 106 W%+, 8.5 H/9, 1.21 WHIP, 3.1 SHO/40 and 1.5 K/BB (exclude his last 2 seasons)

Peak Career: 213 G, 208 GS, 1,849.2 IP, 2.25 ERA, 137 ERA+, 105 W%+, 7.6 H/9, 1.14 WHIP, 3.7 SHO/40 and 1.7 K/BB (include his 1884, 1885, 1888 and 1889 seasons)

Welch is in the HOF where he belongs.

He was another pitcher from this era that was throwing curveballs when many weren't being thrown. He also had an extremely good fastball and change—up to go along with his curve.

Welch recorded almost 310 Wins by the time his career was through and had a peak career ERA of 2.25.

His numbers are great and he put them up while having a nice long career with over 4,800 IP.

5. Will White (1877-1886) Career Length Grade: C+

Raw Career: 403 G, 401 GS, 3,542.2 IP, 2.28 ERA, 120 ERA+, 103 W%+, 8.7 H/9, 1.11 WHIP, 3.6 SHO/40 and 2.1 K/BB

Adjusted Career: 400 G, 398 GS, 3,516.2 IP, 2.26 ERA, 121 ERA+, 104 W%+, 8.7 H/9, 1.11 WHIP, 3.6 SHO/40 and 2.1 K/BB (exclude his last season)

Peak Career: 247 G, 245 GS, 2,205 IP, 1.87 ERA, 139 ERA+, 105 W%+, 8.3 H/9, 1.05 WHIP, 3.8 SHO/40 and 2.3 K/BB (include his 1878, 1879, 1882 and 1883 seasons)

His 2.28 ERA still ranks as the 11th best ERA in the history of Major League Baseball for a starting pitcher.

His 1.11 WHIP still ranks as the 16th best WHIP in the history of Major League Baseball for a starting pitcher.

So, that puts White in the top 20 all—time in two of the most important starting pitcher stats in history.

He also recorded 75 complete games during his 1879 season and that is still the all time single season record.

It’s why White and his numbers have almost collected a cult—like following as more and more time has gone by, kind of like Smoky Joe Wood and his numbers.

Not only are his raw career ERA and WHIP in the top 20 all—time, but check out his peak career. First of all, it’s about 250 of his 400 games, 60-65 percent of his career. A 1.87 ERA and 1.05 WHIP. Those numbers are nearly off the charts.

He led the league in wins with 40 and 43 in 1882 and 1883. He led the League in SHO for three consecutive seasons from 1882-1884.

All of these facts in combination are part of the reasons that he is easily one of the 20 best starting pitchers in the history of Major League Baseball that is not in the Hall of Fame.

4. Jim McCormick (1878-1887) Career Length Grade: B-

Raw Career: 492 G, 485 GS, 4,275.2 IP, 2.43 ERA, 118 ERA+, 106 W%+, 8.6 H/9, 1.13 WHIP, 2.7 SHO/40 and 2.3 K/BB

Adjusted Career: 456 G, 449 GS, 3,953.1 IP, 2.28 ERA, 123 ERA+, 107 W%+, 8.5 H/9, 1.11 WHIP, 2.9 SHO/40 and 2.5 K/BB (exclude his last season)

Peak Career: 225 G, 222 GS, 1,916.1 IP, 2.18 ERA, 136 ERA+, 111 W%+, 8.2 H/9, 1.09 WHIP, 3.6 SHO/40 and 2.8 K/BB (include his 1880, 1883, 1884 and 1886 seasons)

He led the League twice in ERA, twice in ERA+, twice in wins and twice in W%.

He recorded at least 20 wins during every season of his career, except for his first season and his last season. Recorded over 30 wins four times and recorded at least 40 wins twice.

He was every bit as good as his career 2.43 ERA, 118 ERA+ and 1.13 WHIP would lead you to believe. That career 2.43 ERA is the second best ERA of any of these pitchers in the top 10, not to mention his 2.18 peak career ERA.

It borders on amazing that he is as overlooked as he is because, with the numbers he posted, he’s arguably one of the 10 best starting pitchers in the history of Major League Baseball that is not in the Hall of Fame.

3. John Clarkson (1882-1894) Career Length Grade: B+

Raw Career: 531 G, 518 GS, 4,536.1 IP, 2.81 ERA, 133 ERA+, 106 W%+, 8.5 H/9, 1.21 WHIP, 2.8 SHO/40 and 1.7 K/BB

Adjusted Career: 495 G, 483 GS, 4,241.1 IP, 2.70 ERA, 136 ERA+, 107 W%+, 8.4 H/9, 1.19 WHIP, 3.1 SHO/40 and 1.8 K/BB (exclude his 1893 season)

Peak Career: 212 G, 210 GS, 1,827.2 IP, 2.31 ERA, 154 ERA+, 108 W%+, 7.9 H/9, 1.10 WHIP, 4.0 SHO/40 and 2.5 K/BB (include his 1884, 1885, 1886 and 1889 seasons)

He’s in the HOF and many consider him to be a top tier HOF pitcher.

His 133 ERA+ still ranks as the 17th best ERA+ in the history of Major League Baseball for a starting pitcher.

Some historians would have Clarkson first on this list and there’s a good and logical argument for any of these top three to have the No. 1 spot.

Depending on which historian you talk to, you’ll see either Clarkson, Radbourn, or Keefe on the top of every historian's list from this era, one of the three.

Clarkson pitched more seasons in the 1890s than Radbourn or Keefe, and pitching more in the 1890s negatively affected some of his numbers because it was a bad decade for pitching numbers, unlike the 1880s.

It’s a big reason why Clarkson has the worst ERA of the three, but he has the best ERA+ of the three.

Even adjusting for the fact that he pitched a bit more in the 1890s than Radbourn and Keefe, his numbers still fall slightly to the other two. Though, I’ll admit, the difference between the three is almost purely academic.

Clarkson led the league in wins three times and he led the League in SHO twice. His 53 wins in 1885 is still second on the all—time single season list.

2. Charley Radbourn (1881-1891) Career Length Grade: B

Raw Career: 528 G, 503 GS, 4,535.1 IP, 2.67 ERA, 120 ERA+, 110 W%+, 8.6 H/9, 1.15 WHIP, 2.8 SHO/40 and 2.1 K/BB

Adjusted Career: 478 G, 455 GS, 4,110.1 IP, 2.58 ERA, 124 ERA+, 109 W%+, 8.6 H/9, 1.14 WHIP, 2.8 SHO/40 and 2.2 K/BB (exclude his 1888 and 1891 seasons)

Peak Career: 206 G, 193 GS, 1,785 IP, 1.81 ERA, 163 ERA+, 108 W%+, 7.7 H/9, 0.97 WHIP, 4.4 SHO/40 and 4.7 K/BB (include his 1882-1884 seasons)

Radbourn recorded 59 wins during the 1884 season and it is still the single season record. The year before that in 1883, he led the League with 48 wins. That’s almost 110 wins in two seasons. Today, it takes a good pitcher about eight seasons to win that many games.

The year before that in 1882, he recorded 33 wins. That’s 140 wins in three seasons. That’s a fairly good career today. Radbourn recorded almost 310 wins by the time his career was through.

He’s a HOFer and he was a winner. He also led the League in W% twice.

Check out his peak career. A 1.81 ERA, 163 ERA+, 0.97 WHIP and 4.7 K/BB. Those numbers are off the charts and it’s a better peak career than even Keefe, in first. But, not as much weight goes toward the peak career and it’s why Keefe edges out Radbourn when the forest is looked at through the trees.

1.Tim Keefe (1880-1893) Career Length Grade: A

Raw Career: 600 G, 594 GS, 5,047.2 IP, 2.62 ERA, 127 ERA+, 103 W%+, 7.9 H/9, 1.12 WHIP, 2.6 SHO/40 and 2.1 K/BB

Adjusted Career: 559 G, 555 GS, 4,736.1 IP, 2.51 ERA, 131 ERA+, 103 W%+, 7.8 H/9, 1.09 WHIP, 2.8 SHO/40 and 2.3 K/BB (exclude his 1891 and 1893 seasons)

Peak Career: 206 G, 205 GS, 1,735.2 IP, 1.90 ERA, 153 ERA+, 105 W%+, 6.9 H/9, 0.99 WHIP, 4.1 SHO/40 and 2.8 K/BB (include his 1880, 1884, 1885, 1888 and 1892 seasons)

By the time it was all said and done, Keefe led the league in H/9 six times, ERA three times, ERA+ three times, WHIP three times, Wins two times and Ks two times.

He recorded over 340 Wins by the time his career was through.

He’s in the HOF, of course.

During his rookie season in 1880, he recorded a 0.86 ERA and a 294 ERA+. Both of these marks still stand as the all—time single season records, and he did it as a rookie.

His career numbers and his adjusted numbers are certainly brow raising and his peak career is off the charts. A 1.90 ERA, 6.9 H/9 and 0.99 WHIP.

When looking at the big picture, Keefe was slightly better than Clarkson and Radbourn. I think historians generally put a little bit too much weight on length of career. But having said that, Keefe even had a longer career than Clarkson and Radbourn.

They were all three great, Keefe takes the cake. His numbers are undeniable and it’s why he’s one of the 20 best starting pitchers in the history of MLB, period.

There you go. The 10 best pitchers from the first 20 seasons of MLB.