Baseball Hall of Fame ballot released

Blyleven isn't legitimately great, either.

 

Since 1900, Bert Blyleven ranks 5th in career strikeouts, 8th in shutouts, and 17th in wins.


If he isn't great, who is?

 

you're right, he shouldn't be in. Only the simpletons think he should.

 

Old-schoolers have to be hung up on Blyeleven's winning percentage. All those 15-14 type seasons. I will be really interested when Mike Mussina comes up in a few years. To me, he's an early-ballot HOF.

I think we're going to be having these same debates about Roy Halladay five years from now. He's the Jack Morris of his era.

 

I don't see that at all. For one thing, Morris had a 3.90 career ERA. Halladay's is 3.43. Halladay has a Cy Young Award and Morris did not win one. Morris has the big moments in the post-season. Halladay has never pitched in the playoffs. Very different resumes.

 

I'm projecting. He's going to get to the postseason with the Phillies, and his ERA will eventually rise as he declines.

 

Obviously, things could change, but right now they are very different.

 

Jack Morris' best ERA+ season: 133

Roy Halladay has 7 seasons above 140, with a high of 184

Morris never had a Halladay-like season.

 

For those of us who prefer to stick to statistics that do not include estimations, Morris never had an ERA below 3.00 in his career. His best was 3.05 in 1981. Halladay has been below 3.00 four times, including his career-best 2.41 in 2005.

 

I guess I stand corrected. The comparison was off the top of my head. I don't necessarily think that their careers have been precisely parallel, statistically. I do think that in the casual fan's mind, Halladay will be thought of a little like Morris. That being said, if he can string together three or four more 16-18 win seasons in Philadelphia, and make some postseason noise, he should be in the clear.

 

A lot of pitchers were greater than Blyleven. Longevity- or durability-based statistics are not an exclusive measure of greatness.

 

Finished top-5 in his league in ERA 7 times.