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The Spectacle Blog
New York Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte is expected to announce his retirement tomorrow.
In sixteen big league seasons, Pettitte won 240 big league games not including the 19 he won in post-season play. The Texas born southpaw also pitched in eight World Series (seven with the Yankees and one with the Houston Astros).
So will Pettitte go to Cooperstown? The jury is very much out on him. Joe Capozzi, a sportswriter for The Palm Beach Post who is a member of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA), said last December he “was leaning heavily against a Hall of Fame vote for Pettitte.” One of Capozzi’s arguments is that Mariano Rivera saved too many of Pettitte’s games.
This strikes me as a rather silly argument. Would Capozzi have denied Catfish Hunter entry into the Hall of Fame because Rollie Fingers saved too many of his games? Let’s not forget that Sparky Lyle and Goose Gossage also saved some games for Hunter.
Speaking of Catfish, Pettitte’s numbers are reasonably comparable to Hunter who pitched in six World Series (three with the Oakland A’s and three with the Yankees). Their strikeout to walks totals are very similar. Pettitte struck out 2,251 batters while walking 962. Hunter struck out 2,012 while walking 954. Hunter’s ERA is more than a half point lower (3.26 to 3.88) but Pettitte has more wins (240 to 224). Granted, Hunter did win 20 or more games in five consecutive seasons and won the AL Cy Young Award in 1974. Pettitte only won 20 or more games twice in his career and never won a Cy Young although he did finish runner up to Pat Hentgen of the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1996 AL Cy Young balloting.
Hunter was voted into Cooperstown in 1987 in his third year on the BBWAA ballot. Now I don’t think Pettitte is a first ballot Hall of Famer and Pettitte will certainly be penalized for appearing in the Mitchell Report although he did come clean. If Pettitte does get enshrined he’ll probably go in with either Rivera and/or Derek Jeter who are (pending an unforeseen scandal) a lock to get into Cooperstown in their first year of Hall of Fame eligibility.
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More Blog Posts by Aaron Goldstein
http://spectator.org/blog/2011/02/03/pettitte-set-to-retire
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Big Jim| 2.3.11 @ 4:59PM
He took steroids. He doesn't get in.
tonypal| 2.3.11 @ 6:47PM
Big Jim, I'm a lifelong Yankees fan. That' my disclaimer.
Steroids should not automatically rule someone out of the Hall of Fame. For example, even though I have a very low opinion of Barry Bonds as a person, I believe he's a first ballot Hall of Famer. Bonds was a dominant, 3 time MVP before he ever started juicing. Go back and look at pictures of Bonds around the time he won his 3rd MVP and you'll see a normal sized guy. He was headed to the Hall whether or not he juiced.
Pettitte took whatever he took after he suffered an injury. He discontinued his use shortly thereafter. I think it's wrong to think of these things in such absolute terms. But we're all entitled to our opinion.
As for Pettitte's merits, I think it's up for debate. I've always held him in high regard as a pitcher and his record speaks for itself. On the other hand, he's never been the best pitcher in either league at any point in his career. That's a big thing for me. His career numbers are pretty impressive and they're not the result of simply compiling over many years.
Compiling numbers over many years is what got Bert Blyleven elected. I thought that was a mistake. However, I also think it's inconceivable that Blyleven could get in and Pettitte can't. So if Blyleven is the new standard, then Pettitte getting in should be a no brainer. But if they left it up to me, as much as I admire Petttitte and no matter how grateful I am as a Yankees fan for what he's done throughout his career, he would fall just a bit short.
Bob K.| 2.4.11 @ 9:38AM
Of course he will be considered for the Hall of Fame! After all, he played most of his career in New York, didn't he? And you journalistic twits who have ambitions for careers in the big apple will push for it and at the same time ignore other ball players out in the heartland who have similar, if not better, statistics. How ironic it is to note that you are already considering whether he is eligible or not! Already you quote one Joe Capozzi from the Palm Beach Times. Are there any other players from, say Philadelphia and points west to SanDiego, who might have retired that Joe Capozzi has considered?
If journalists conducted an honest election of eligibility for the Hall of Fame, it would take Pettitte longer to get into the Hall of Fame than it did, say a pitcher like Bert Blyleven, to get there.
And Tonypal, Pettitte couldn't carry Blyleven's glove! If over 280 wins, 60 shutouts, and over 3500 strikeouts playing for lousy teams out in fly over country aren't enough for one to make it into the Hall of Fame no one belongs there, Tonypal! Call it the New York Hall of Fame. You want to argue numbers compiled through longevity over years, Tonypal, go to Don Sutton who never was the ace of any staff he pitched on and he got about 320 wins and he is there. You want him removed?
You Yankee worshippers are a pain in the butt! You think baseball isn't played anywhere else in the country!
Sparky| 2.4.11 @ 11:30AM
If Pettitte goes into the Hall, then Jack Morris better go in with him! Numbers-wise, they are quite similar, except that Big Jack had a ton more complete games.