So who’s your team’s iconic pitcher, the guy you want pitching in Heaven against Satan’s All-Stars? What follows is a list of each team’s leaders in wins as well as pitching WAR (just for fun and the sake of creating arguments and getting Trevor Hoffman and Mariano on the list). The flaws here are: wins are an imperfect way of judging pitchers, I couldn’t explain WAR coherently if my life depended on it, and both systems favor dead-ball era pitchers to a large degree (and I’m guessing nobody here saw Cy Young pitch). Anyway, who’s missing from this compendium?
Arizona Diamondbacks: Randy Johnson
**Atlanta Braves: **Warren Spahn by wins, the long-ago Kid Nichols by WAR Chicago Cubs: Fergie Jenkins by WAR, Charlie Root by wins (3-Finger Brown is 2nd) Cincinnati Reds: Eppa Rixey in wins; Noodles Hahn in WAR (so who’s the Reds best pitcher who was not likely ever to get to a game on a horse?) Colorado Rockies: Aaron Cook by wins, Ubaldo Jiminez edges him by WAR Houston Astros: Roy Oswalt by WAR, but Joe Niekro has one more win Los Angeles Dodgers: Don Sutton, Don Drysdale, and Dazzy Vance by wins; Dazzy Vance over Drysale and Koufax by WAR Miami Marlins: Ricky Nolasco in wins, Josh Johnson in WAR Milwaukee Brewers: Teddy Higuera by WAR, Jim Slaton by wins New York Mets: Tom Seaver Philadelphia Phillies: Steve Carlton in wins, Robin Roberts in WAR Pittsburgh Pirates: Babe Adams St. Louis Cardinals: Bob Gibson by a lot San Diego Padres: Trevor Hoffman by WAR, and Eric Show (huh?) by wins San Francisco Giants: Christy Mathewson … would be Juan Marichal for SF-based players
**Washington Nationals: **Steve Rodgers is way over Dennis Martinez in WAR and wins; the first Nat is (sorta) Livan Hernandez
Baltimore Orioles: Jim Palmer
**Boston Red Sox: **Roger Clemens (big WAR leads over Cy Young (no shit) & Pedro Martinez, and he’s tied with Cy in wins) Chicago White Sox: Ted Lyons and Red Faber are 1-2 in wins and 2-1 in WAR Cleveland Indians: Bob Feller Detroit Tigers: Hooks Dauss in wins; Hal Newhouser in WAR (Dauss is ninth in WAR) Kansas City Royals: Did you know that Paul Splittorff is the KCR franchise leader in wins? I did not. Kevin Appier leads in WAR Los Angeles Angels: Chuck Finley Minnesota Twins: Walter Johnson (Bert Blyleven for the Twins era) New York Yankees: Mariano Rivera in WAR, but Whitey Ford in wins Oakland A’s: Eddie Plank edges Lefty Grove in both (for west of the Mississippi, Tim Hudson is #6 in WAR … in wins, the closest Oakland player is Catfish at #5) Seattle Mariners: Jamie Moyers in winds, Randy Johnson in WAR Tampa Bay Rays: James Shields in wins; Scott Kazmir (hey!) has a slim lead over James Shields in WAR Texas Rangers: Charlie Hough with a slight lead over Kenny Rogers in WAR and wins (Fergie Jenkins is 3rd and 4th in both, oddly enough)
**Toronto Blue Jays: **Dave Steib
No slight to Splitt or Appier, but Bret Saberhagen has to be considered the Royals’ Quintessential Pitcher. World Series MVP the only year the team won it all, two Cy Young awards (both well-deserved).
This is interesting as a Dodger fan because the answer for that team is Koufax and it doesn’t matter what the numbers say. Even if he wasn’t the best all time by the numbers he was/is THE pitcher. Which makes the question of how we pick much more interesting than it is for hitters. Koufax, for example, is hurt by a short career but (I think) had the best peak.
Wins shouldn’t have anything to do with it though.
Kid Nichols was great, I’m sure, but playing a pretty different game. If you want just one, it’s Spahn, but I’m happy to throw Niekro, Maddux and Smoltz as well.
For what it’s worth, I’m more interested in the fan’s gut than what the stats say. Nolan Ryan and Koufax make a great deal of sense. As do Saberhagen or Quisenberry for the Royals. It was kind of interesting, though, to see how many times a franchise’s wins leader was a mild surprise, or some guy I’ve never heard of.
The Cardinals are always so boring in these discussions: it’s Gibson and Musial, no questions asked. I doubt more than 1 in 10 fans would say anything different.
Right, do we get one guy at his absolute peak for one game against Satan’s All Stars (which, obviously, is just the current roster of the New York Yankees, but whatever)?
Then the Reds can have Seaver, because the Mets are going with Doc Gooden, 1985 edition.
