10 former MLB star pitchers that should be in the Hall of Fame but aren't

Of 273 players in the MLB Hall of Fame, there are 84 who were inducted as pitchers, far outpacing any single position on the diamond. Pitchers like Don Drysdale, Tom Seaver, Whitey Ford, Cy Young, and Pedro Martinez among many others left an indelible mark on the game and have been rewarded for their pitching excellence.

While the spotlight quite easily landed and came to rest on these 84, there are many others who deserve their fair share of the spotlight. Today, we will try shining a fragment of it towards a few of these studs while highlighting what makes them qualified for a spot in the Hall of Fame. But how do we determine what makes a pitcher qualified for a HOF spot?

For the sake of comparison, we’ll use the statistical cumulative career averages of every pitcher in the HOF (disclaimer: pitching stats include some pitchers inducted for hitting). The average HOF pitcher played for 18 years, threw 3534 innings, posted a 3.01 ERA, struck out 2044 batters, accumulated a WAR value of 66, and collected 237 wins with a Win/Loss ratio of .591. While everything here is useful information, we will focus mainly on ERA, strikeouts, WAR, and Win/Loss ratio.

However, comparing pitchers to the average HOF pitcher is very flawed. For one, the numbers include pitchers from the dead ball era where rules and the environment baseball was played in worked against batters. Babe Ruth pitched the vast majority of his innings in the dead ball era and owns the 10th-lowest ERA in the HOF with a 2.28. Of the HOF pitchers ranking 1-13 in ERA, only one pitched beyond 1927 (besides Ruth, who threw only 31 innings from 1920 to 1933). That pitcher would be Mariano Rivera (ninth), making him the only modern hurler who cracks the top 13 HOF pitchers in the ERA standings.

Secondly, the average HOF pitcher threw 233 complete games with 37 shutouts, which is mind-blowing nowadays.

So, what could we use as a measuring stick?

There is no one metric or feat of baseball greatness that truly qualifies anyone for a spot in the HOF, but a track record of success is a great place to start. The highest career ERA in the HOF is owned by Jack Morris with a 3.90. Morris never had a year where he pitched to an ERA lower than 3.05. But it may have been his workhorse ability, win totals, and World Series MVP performance against the Braves in 1991 that earned him his spot in the HOF. He might be a good benchmark to use when assessing each HOF should-be. But still, it’s important to remember that the HOF carries a lofty standard of approval. Not every pitcher with a career ERA below Morris’ are HOF-worthy.

As one can imagine, there are plenty of pitchers that may have been overlooked on the HOF ballot and it would be hard to find and name all of them. So, we’ll highlight the careers of 10 in no particular order and run through some honorable mentions. But keep in mind, there are more out there that deserve the recognition.

10. RHP Orel Hershiser

Among the greatest lifetime pitchers not in the HOF is Dodger great, Orel Hershiser. In his career spanning 18 years, Hershiser threw four seasons of sub-3.00 ERA ball. His lowest single-season ERA came in 1985 when he posted a 2.03 ERA. But Hershiser also has a reputation as a workhorse. He led the NL in innings pitched for three seasons straight, topping out at 267 in 1988. That year, en route to his only Cy Young award, he led the MLB in complete games and shutouts while leading the NL in wins and acquiring his only Gold Glove award. Hershiser also led the NL in shutouts in 1984 and led the MLB in Win-Loss ratio the very next year. His ERA+ in 1989 led the NL.

Hershiser retired with a career 3.48 ERA, 2014 strikeouts, 56 WAR value, and a Win/Loss ratio of .576. In addition to his one Cy Young and Gold Glove awards, Hershiser also named World Series MVP and NLCS MVP in 1988, ALCS MVP in 1995, Silver Slugger in 1993, and strangely, was only selected to three All-star games.

Hershiser fell off the ballot after two years never reaching more than an 11.2 percent share of the vote. He failed to get any votes in the Era Committee (formerly the Veterans Committee).

9. RHP Andy Messersmith

Andy Messersmith is one of those lost gems you don’t hear much about anymore, but his dominant career is definitely one that shouldn’t be forgotten. Messersmith is probably best known as the player who ended the reserve clause and, more importantly, from his days as the Braves’ walking advertisement. That rather funny story came as a result of Ted Turner’s brilliant marketing ingenuity.

Still, Messersmith’s performance was nothing to laugh about. Through his rather short 12-year career, Messersmith threw for an ERA lower than 2.00 seven times (once mostly as a reliever, only 81.1 IP and five game starts in 1968), the lowest of which was 2.29 (as a starter, not including Messersmith’s 2.21 ERA from 1968). He led the NL in wins and WHIP in 1974 prior to leading the league in innings pitched, complete games, and shutouts in 1975, also the same year he posted his 2.29 ERA.

Messersmith retired with a 2.86 ERA, 1625 strikeouts, a WAR value of 40.2, and a Win/Loss ratio of .568 percent. He won consecutive Gold Gloves in 1974 and 1975, his best two years. His career 6.9 hits per 9 IP is the sixth lowest in baseball history. Had Messersmith lasted longer in the majors, he might have been in the HOF today. His longevity aside, when we look at his career ERA, we can see he demolishes the HOF average of 3.01. His HOF case heavily depends on his ERA, but it hasn’t been enough.

Messersmith spent two years on the BBWAA ballot never topping 0.8 percent. The Era Committee is yet to take up his case.

8. RHP Curt Schilling

Curt Schilling spent 20 years in the MLB and is remembered for pitching important games while injured and still doing a great job. He fought a stiff neck to throw a one-hitter with a career-high 17 strikeouts against the Brewers and battled through two bloody sock incidents with a torn tendon to win both an ALCS game and a World Series game.

Throughout his 20-year career, Schilling threw five seasons worth of sub-3.00 ERA ball (one of which as a reliever; only 46 IP) recording his lowest ERA in 1992 with a 2.35. Schilling had numerous notable achievements, leading the MLB in wins twice, complete games once (led only the NL three separate times), innings pitched twice, strikeouts once (led the NL one separate time), WHIP once (led the NL one separate time), and strikeout to walk ratio three times (led his league two separate times). He also led the AL in Win/Loss ratio once.

Schilling retired with a 3.46 ERA, 3116 strikeouts, 79.5 WAR value, and a Win/Loss ratio of .597. Among his accolades are World Series MVP, NLCS MVP, and six All-Star selections. Though he never won a Cy Young, he was a runner up three times.

Schilling fell off the HOF ballot in his final year of eligibility, garnering a 71.1 share of the vote on his best run.

7. LHP Tommy John

Tommy John is best known as the scariest two words in baseball. When uttered, it likely means someone is out for the season. But back in the day, Tommy John wasn’t a surgery, but a pitcher. In 1974, John suffered an elbow injury that likely meant the end of his career. However, Dodgers’ physician, Frank Jobe, utilized a surgery method used on polio victims. John missed all of the 1975 season but pitched effectively for several more years. Thus, the revolutionary Tommy John surgery was born.

Despite his experimental procedure, Tommy John spent a whopping 26 years in the majors. Across seven different seasons, John pitched to a sub-3.00 ERA (not including 1986; only 70.2 IP) reaching as low as a 1.98 ERA in 1968. He led the NL in Wins/Loss ratio in 1973 and led the MLB in that same metric the following year. John also led the MLB in shutouts for two straight seasons in 1966 and 1967.

John retired with a 3.34 career ERA, 2245 strikeouts, 61.6 WAR value, and a Win/Loss ratio of .555. His four All-Stars selections stand alone as his only career accolades; however, he was Cy Young runner up twice and maintained an impressive 2.65 postseason ERA. On the MLB leaderboards, only two pitchers in the top 29 in career wins are not in the HOF. Those would be Roger Clemens (9th, steroids) and Tommy John (25th).

John reached a high of 31.7 percent vote share in his last year on the ballot. Four attempts in the Era Committee have failed to produce a single vote for John.

6. LHP Ron Guidry

Ron Guidry has more of a borderline case for a HOF spot as his career wasn’t excessively long and his years of excellence were few though he flashed his talent throughout most of his career, but what he did in those instances was remarkable.

Guidry spent 14 years in the MLB, all with the Yankees. In those 14 years, Guidry posted four seasons with an ERA below 3.00. His lowest ERA came in 1978 when he threw for a 1.74 ERA en route to a Cy Young season. That year, he led the majors in ERA, wins, Win/Loss percentage, shutouts, ERA+, and WHIP among other more modern stats while leading just the AL in WAR.

Guidry continued his dominance leading the MLB in both WHIP and K/BBs in 1981 as well as complete games in 1983 while leading the AL in wins and Win/Loss percentage in 1985.

Guidry retired with a 3.29 ERA, 1778 strikeouts, a 47.8 WAR value, and a Win/Loss ratio of .651. Over his career, Guidry won two ERA titles, five Gold Gloves, and was selected to four All-Star games. His Cy Young in 1978 was his only one.

Guidry fell off the ballot after nine years never reaching higher than 8.8 percent of the vote. He failed to gain any votes in the Era Committee in only one round of elections.

5. RHP (sometimes LHP)/OF/3B Tony Mullane

That brings us to our one pre-1900s pitcher (also pre-dead ball era) in Tony Mullane. Mullane was an outfielder, third baseman, and ambidextrous pitcher though he mainly threw right-handed. He spent 13 years in baseball (skipping 1885).

Mullane posted seven seasons of sub-3.00 ERA, his lowest being 1.88 in 1882. What was even more special, though not at the time, was that pitchers would throw over 400 and 500 innings in a season. He led baseball in Win/Loss percentage once, shutouts twice, and saves three times (saves weren’t that common, Mullane led his league twice with only one save each). He also led his league in strikeouts and ERA+ once. Though it isn’t in his favor, Mullane holds the record for career wild pitches with 343.

Mullane played before any award was conceived or All-Star game was played. So, there aren’t any real accolades to Mullane’s name besides a great career that speaks for itself as a testament to an accomplished pitcher who never received the type of fanfare today’s sports environment carries.

Mullane retired with a 3.05 ERA, 1803 strikeouts, a 66.6 WAR value, and a Win/Loss ratio of .563. Only one round of HOF voting with Mullane’s name in the mix has taken place. That was done by the Era Committee in 2013. Mullane failed to receive any votes.

4. LHP Vida Blue

There isn’t much of an excuse to leave Vida Blue out of the HOF. In his 17-year career (Blue missed 1984), Blue posted an ERA below 3.00 six times (not including 1970; only 34.2 IP). In his first full year as a starter (1971), Blue won both the Cy Young and MVP awards along with his only ERA title. He finished the year with a league-leading 1.82 ERA and 0.952 WHIP with an MLB-best eight shutouts in workhorse fashion having pitched 312 innings.

Blue retired with a 3.27 ERA, 2175 strikeouts, a 45.1 WAR value, and a Win/Loss ratio of .565. In addition to his Cy Young, MVP, and ERA title, Blue was selected to six All-Star games.

Vida Blue fell off the HOF ballot after four years never peaking above 8.7 percent support and later failed to garner any support in the Era Committee.

3. RHP Luis Tiant

Luis Tiant is another example of an outstanding performer whose name has been widely lost in the annals of MLB history having been wrongfully snubbed from the halls of baseball royalty.

Throughout his 19 MLB seasons, Luis Tiant posted six seasons worth of sub-3.00 ERAs, two of which were below 2.00 reaching a career best of 1.60 in 1968. Tiant led the AL in ERA that year and led the MLB with a 1.91 ERA in 1972. He also led the AL twice in ERA+ as well as both WAR and WHIP once.

Tiant retired with a 3.30 ERA, 2416 strikeouts, a 66.1 WAR value, and a Win/Loss ratio of .571. Among his accolades are two ERA titles and only three All-Star selections. If the low number of All-Star selections sounds weird, the fact that Tiant never rose higher than fourth place in Cy Young voting is even weirder. He didn’t even receive any votes for the Cy Young when he threw for an ERA of 1.60. However, he did come in fifth in the MVP voting that year.

While it is very strange he didn’t accrue more accolades during his career, it does seem as though he has earned one more after his career. Tiant gained a respectable 30.9 percent share of the vote on his first HOF ballot appearance but never reached that high again in his 15 years on the ballot. In five runs on the Era Committee ballot, Tiant never reached above 20.3 percent support and has failed to get votes the last three times.

2. RHP Jonathan Papelbon

Relievers generally don’t get the volume of HOF votes that starters get unless it’s Mariano Rivera who was the undisputed best closer of all time. Today, Billy Wagner has the best shot at becoming only the ninth reliever in the HOF. This is his last year to do so on the BBWAA ballot. But rather than discuss the compelling case for Wagner, we’re going to dive into the credentials of someone who did something that neither Wagner nor the Sandman himself have accomplished.

Jonathan Papelbon is remembered best for his steely stare. However, it was his exceptional relief work that made the stare truly menacing. Papelbon’s career wasn’t very long, lasting just 12 years. However, in those 12 years, Papelbon threw for a sub-3.00 ERA 10 times (including one season with only 34 IP). Of those 10 seasons, Papelbon threw for a 1.85 ERA twice and a 0.92 ERA once.

If there’s one thing neither Rivera nor Wagner accomplished in their illustrious careers, it was an ERA below 1.00. While both of them may have been better than Papelbon over the long run, Papelbon’s dominance is hard to dispute.

Papelbon retired with a 2.44 ERA, 808 strikeouts, 368 saves, and a 23.3 WAR value. In 417 save opportunities, Papelbon recorded a save over 88 percent of the time. He was selected to six All-Star games.

Since it is difficult to compare relief pitchers to starters in WAR, we’ll use another HOF reliever to compare. Bruce Sutter retired with a 24.42 WAR. Like Papelbon, he too pitched 12 years, but he pitched 316.1 more innings. Had Papelbon pitched effectively for a little while longer, his case would be much stronger.

Papelbon fell off the ballot after one year garnering just 1.3 percent of the vote share.

1. LHP Johan Santana

The main problem with several of our star pitchers has been longevity. This might also be the case with Johan Santana.

Santana spent 12 years in the majors (not including 2011 when he missed the season with injury). In those twelve years, Santana posted six years’ worth of sub-3.00 ERAs, the lowest of which was 2.53. He led the MLB twice in ERA (leading the AL just once), wins once, strikeouts twice (led AL once), WAR twice (led AL once), ERA+ twice (led AL once), and WHIP once (led AL three times). He also led his league in innings pitched twice.  

Santana retired with a 3.20 ERA, 1988 strikeouts, a WAR value of 51.7, and a Win/Loss ratio of .641. Over his decorated career, he won two Cy Young awards, three ERA titles, a pitching triple crown, a Gold Glove, and was selected to four All-Star games.

Santana fell off the ballot after only one year garnering 2.8 percent support.

Honorable mentions: Tug McGraw, David Cone, Roy Oswalt, Billy Wagner, Fernando Valenzuela