Who are your top major league baseball pitchers, all-time?

[rightwinger]

I'm REALLY starting to miss baseball. So I've decided to keep it alive, at least by talking about it. My top 5 pitchers all-time are - 1) Walter Johnson - possibly THE most overpowering pitcher ever. He won over 400 games and finished his career with over 4,000 strikeouts. And I believe he holds the all-time record for shutouts with 110. Just a fantastic pitcher. 2) Sandy Koufax, my pick for the best left handed pitcher ever. His last several seasons were phenomenal, it's a shame he retired so young because of arm problems. 3) Cy Young, great pitcher, the award for pitcher of the year was quite aptly named after him. His 511 career wins will NEVER be broken. 4) Roger Clemens, I've included him despite his alleged steroid use. IF he wasn't guilty of this, he's definitely my #4 pick. From what I've read, it's hard to tell if he WAS guilty of using banned substances. He was nearly as overpowering a pitcher as Walter Johnson and he put up some eye-popping numbers throughout his career. 5) Randy Johnson, THE most overpowering and menacing left handed pitcher all-time. He had just a fantastic career, highlighted by his 2001 season, where he helped the Arizona Diamondbacks win it all, including their exciting 7 game World Series crown over the New York Yankees. And I believe he's the tallest major league baseball player ever, at 6 feet, 10 inches. So here's MY top picks, who are some of yours?

Good list. In fairness I would have to consider Cy Young and Christy Mathewson and maybe Nolan Ryan.

Hard to assess old time pitchers. It was a dead ball era

The pitcher I would have liked to see in his prime.....Satchel Paige

 

[DrLove]

For all you Pedro Martinez homers. A little perspective.


Greg Maddux 355 career wins Cy Youngs 4 Career WAR 106.6

Pedro Martinez 219 career wins Cy Youngs 3 Career WAR 83.9


Pedro was real good. Maddux was in another zip code.

Maddux was good Koufax was great

Greg Maddux 355 career wins Cy Youngs 4 Career WAR 106.6

Sandy Koufax 165 career wins Cy Youngs 3 Career WAR 48.9

Don't think so.

Measuring a pitcher by wins is absolutely useless. All that tells you is what the team did for him. Koufax had his career shortened by injury, plus was not very good in the early Brooklyn daze. But once he developed, he was absolutely untouchable, like nobody else.

Yep, Sandy had about an 8 year run when he was untouchable with that curve ball. 18 strikeouts twice and four no hitters.

One of which was a perfect game IIRC. Imagine extrapolating that over a 15-20 year career. Youngest player ever elected to the Hall at the age of 36.

In college he was a little wild Batters didn't want to see him he was scary Also a guy who would never pitch on a Jewish holy day

Took him a few years to tame a 100 MPH fastball into the strike zone and develop that killer curve.
In his prime, the mechanics were a thing of beauty!

 

[eddiew]

For all you Pedro Martinez homers. A little perspective.


Greg Maddux 355 career wins Cy Youngs 4 Career WAR 106.6

Pedro Martinez 219 career wins Cy Youngs 3 Career WAR 83.9


Pedro was real good. Maddux was in another zip code.

Maddux was good Koufax was great

Greg Maddux 355 career wins Cy Youngs 4 Career WAR 106.6

Sandy Koufax 165 career wins Cy Youngs 3 Career WAR 48.9

Don't think so.

Measuring a pitcher by wins is absolutely useless. All that tells you is what the team did for him. Koufax had his career shortened by injury, plus was not very good in the early Brooklyn daze. But once he developed, he was absolutely untouchable, like nobody else.

Yep, Sandy had about an 8 year run when he was untouchable with that curve ball. 18 strikeouts twice and four no hitters.

One of which was a perfect game IIRC. Imagine extrapolating that over a 15-20 year career. Youngest player ever elected to the Hall at the age of 36.

In college he was a little wild Batters didn't want to see him he was scary Also a guy who would never pitch on a Jewish holy day

Took him a few years to tame a 100 MPH fastball into the strike zone and develop that killer curve.
In his prime, the mechanics were a thing of beauty!

LOL yes batters would bail out when the ball was coming at their heads only to see it come over the plate for a strike

 

[Meathead]

While on the subject of baseball, Glenn Beckert just died.

Former Cubs All-Star Glenn Beckert dies at 79

Beckert was a constant presence at the top of the Cubs' lineup in the 1960s and 1970s.

www.yahoo.com

 

[DrLove]

Btw, great thread bluzman - With spring in the air and no spring training .. it was sorely needed. Here's the latest. I hate the idea of sports with nobody in the stands, but guess it's better than nothin.

PHOENIX — How about the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies being divisional rivals for the season?​

​

Or the Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves?​

​

And the Los Angeles Dodgers and Cleveland Indians?​

​

Major League Baseball, assessing myriad proposals, has discussed a radical plan that would eliminate the traditional American and National Leagues for 2020, a high-ranking official told USA TODAY Sports, and realign all six divisions for an abbreviated season.​

​

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the proposal is one of several being discussed.​

​

The plan would have all 30 teams returning to their spring training sites in Florida and Arizona, playing regular-season games only in those two states and without fans in an effort to reduce travel and minimize risks in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.​

​

The divisions would be realigned based on the geography of their spring training homes.​

​

The plan would allow teams to return to the comforts of their spring training sites for three weeks of training, which would also include exhibition games, before opening the regular season and playing a schedule with wholly different divisional opponents.​

MLB considering radical realignment for 2020 season: Grapefruit and Cactus leagues

MLB has discussed eliminating the American and National leagues and to split teams between Arizona and Florida in order to play an abbreviated season.

www.usatoday.com

 

[Pogo]

For all you Pedro Martinez homers. A little perspective.


Greg Maddux 355 career wins Cy Youngs 4 Career WAR 106.6

Pedro Martinez 219 career wins Cy Youngs 3 Career WAR 83.9


Pedro was real good. Maddux was in another zip code.

Maddux was good Koufax was great

Greg Maddux 355 career wins Cy Youngs 4 Career WAR 106.6

Sandy Koufax 165 career wins Cy Youngs 3 Career WAR 48.9

Don't think so.

Measuring a pitcher by wins is absolutely useless. All that tells you is what the team did for him. Koufax had his career shortened by injury, plus was not very good in the early Brooklyn daze. But once he developed, he was absolutely untouchable, like nobody else.

Yep, Sandy had about an 8 year run when he was untouchable with that curve ball. 18 strikeouts twice and four no hitters.

One of which was a perfect game IIRC. Imagine extrapolating that over a 15-20 year career. Youngest player ever elected to the Hall at the age of 36.

In college he was a little wild Batters didn't want to see him he was scary Also a guy who would never pitch on a Jewish holy day

Took him a few years to tame a 100 MPH fastball into the strike zone and develop that killer curve.
In his prime, the mechanics were a thing of beauty!

On the other extreme you had Ryne Duren, who must have been hitting triple digits (before radar was there to measure). But with him while he could bring the heat he couldn't see shit through his coke-bottle glasses. The pitch might be coming down the plate, might be coming at your head or might be sailing over the backstop. You just never knew. That was intimidating in another kind of way.

 

[Pogo]

Btw, great thread bluzman - With spring in the air and no spring training .. it was sorely needed. Here's the latest. I hate the idea of sports with nobody in the stands, but guess it's better than nothin.

PHOENIX — How about the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies being divisional rivals for the season?​

​

Or the Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves?​

​

And the Los Angeles Dodgers and Cleveland Indians?​

​

Major League Baseball, assessing myriad proposals, has discussed a radical plan that would eliminate the traditional American and National Leagues for 2020, a high-ranking official told USA TODAY Sports, and realign all six divisions for an abbreviated season.​

​

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the proposal is one of several being discussed.​

​

The plan would have all 30 teams returning to their spring training sites in Florida and Arizona, playing regular-season games only in those two states and without fans in an effort to reduce travel and minimize risks in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.​

​

The divisions would be realigned based on the geography of their spring training homes.​

​

The plan would allow teams to return to the comforts of their spring training sites for three weeks of training, which would also include exhibition games, before opening the regular season and playing a schedule with wholly different divisional opponents.​

MLB considering radical realignment for 2020 season: Grapefruit and Cactus leagues

MLB has discussed eliminating the American and National leagues and to split teams between Arizona and Florida in order to play an abbreviated season.

www.usatoday.com

So you'd end up with a Grapefruit vs Cactus "world series" I guess.

Both leagues use both locations so something would have to be resolved about the godawful DH abomination. I guess the home park would prevail?

Philz generally see a lot of the Wankees and Blue Jays during the Spring since they're nearby.

 

[Meathead]

I'm REALLY starting to miss baseball. So I've decided to keep it alive, at least by talking about it. My top 5 pitchers all-time are - 1) Walter Johnson - possibly THE most overpowering pitcher ever. He won over 400 games and finished his career with over 4,000 strikeouts. And I believe he holds the all-time record for shutouts with 110. Just a fantastic pitcher. 2) Sandy Koufax, my pick for the best left handed pitcher ever. His last several seasons were phenomenal, it's a shame he retired so young because of arm problems. 3) Cy Young, great pitcher, the award for pitcher of the year was quite aptly named after him. His 511 career wins will NEVER be broken. 4) Roger Clemens, I've included him despite his alleged steroid use. IF he wasn't guilty of this, he's definitely my #4 pick. From what I've read, it's hard to tell if he WAS guilty of using banned substances. He was nearly as overpowering a pitcher as Walter Johnson and he put up some eye-popping numbers throughout his career. 5) Randy Johnson, THE most overpowering and menacing left handed pitcher all-time. He had just a fantastic career, highlighted by his 2001 season, where he helped the Arizona Diamondbacks win it all, including their exciting 7 game World Series crown over the New York Yankees. And I believe he's the tallest major league baseball player ever, at 6 feet, 10 inches. So here's MY top picks, who are some of yours?

Good list. In fairness I would have to consider Cy Young and Christy Mathewson and maybe Nolan Ryan.

Hard to assess old time pitchers. It was a dead ball era

The pitcher I would have liked to see in his prime.....Satchel Paige

View attachment 322994

If we can assess presidents back to 1782, we can assess pitchers in 1882.

 

[rightwinger]

I'm REALLY starting to miss baseball. So I've decided to keep it alive, at least by talking about it. My top 5 pitchers all-time are - 1) Walter Johnson - possibly THE most overpowering pitcher ever. He won over 400 games and finished his career with over 4,000 strikeouts. And I believe he holds the all-time record for shutouts with 110. Just a fantastic pitcher. 2) Sandy Koufax, my pick for the best left handed pitcher ever. His last several seasons were phenomenal, it's a shame he retired so young because of arm problems. 3) Cy Young, great pitcher, the award for pitcher of the year was quite aptly named after him. His 511 career wins will NEVER be broken. 4) Roger Clemens, I've included him despite his alleged steroid use. IF he wasn't guilty of this, he's definitely my #4 pick. From what I've read, it's hard to tell if he WAS guilty of using banned substances. He was nearly as overpowering a pitcher as Walter Johnson and he put up some eye-popping numbers throughout his career. 5) Randy Johnson, THE most overpowering and menacing left handed pitcher all-time. He had just a fantastic career, highlighted by his 2001 season, where he helped the Arizona Diamondbacks win it all, including their exciting 7 game World Series crown over the New York Yankees. And I believe he's the tallest major league baseball player ever, at 6 feet, 10 inches. So here's MY top picks, who are some of yours?

Good list. In fairness I would have to consider Cy Young and Christy Mathewson and maybe Nolan Ryan.

Hard to assess old time pitchers. It was a dead ball era

The pitcher I would have liked to see in his prime.....Satchel Paige

View attachment 322994

If we can assess presidents back to 1782, we can assess pitchers in 1882.

For the most part, compared to a modern pitcher....
You can assess they suck

 

[Harry Dresden]

Nolan Ryan.....if he was on a good team during his peak....dam....

My problem with Ryan was he never won a big game

Makes it hard to be a Big Game Pitcher

what is a big game?.....

Pennant
Playoffs
World Series

Nolan Ryan was a .500 pitcher
Most were not big games

But with that fastball of his, he WAS quite imposing.

Most imposing I ever saw
Reason he had more Strikeouts and No Hitters than any other pitcher

But I can’t put him as an all time great because he was not even the best of his era.

Maddox, Seaver, Carlton were better and they have the Cy Young’s to prove it.

Ryan was never even the best in a single year

and those 3 guys were on teams that scored them some runs....Ryan managed to win 300 games in spite of being on some half-assed teams.......you cant win those big games if your team sucks....

Carlton won 27 in 1972 for a team that only won 59 total. He literally won almost half the team's games, and with 300 Ks and an ERA under 2.

well than according to

Nolan Ryan.....if he was on a good team during his peak....dam....

Great choice, Harry. Ryan is probably my #6 pick.

he lost a lot of 1 run games in his time with the Angels.....

Astros as well

i dont know how many Angel games i have seen were ryan lost 1-0,2-1.....

 

[LA RAM FAN]

I used to walk to Ebbets Field

You can stop right there, I'm already green with envy.

Anybody ever seen a game at Fenway? Primary company I freelance for is in Boston and they took us to a Red Sox game a few years back. That place just exudes HISTORY. And the food courtyard smells like a Homer Simpson dream. Had great seats on the first base side and Big Poppy hit a homer to win it. VERY cool stadium with the Green Monster and all that!

Tried to get in there, couldn't make it. I traveled quite a bit for work, had the opportunity to be there during a game but just could not find a way in. I did get to Wrigley on another trip though. A day game vs the Cards. Great view.

I lived till the age of 20 12 blocks away from Ebbets Remember them all Preacher Ersk Newk Casey of course Jackie and Pee Wee and billy cox and the Duke Campy and Gil Great days

Damn,I thought you were just joking all this time in your profiles page where you say you are 82 obviously your not though,your serious.

 

[Pogo]

I'm REALLY starting to miss baseball. So I've decided to keep it alive, at least by talking about it. My top 5 pitchers all-time are - 1) Walter Johnson - possibly THE most overpowering pitcher ever. He won over 400 games and finished his career with over 4,000 strikeouts. And I believe he holds the all-time record for shutouts with 110. Just a fantastic pitcher. 2) Sandy Koufax, my pick for the best left handed pitcher ever. His last several seasons were phenomenal, it's a shame he retired so young because of arm problems. 3) Cy Young, great pitcher, the award for pitcher of the year was quite aptly named after him. His 511 career wins will NEVER be broken. 4) Roger Clemens, I've included him despite his alleged steroid use. IF he wasn't guilty of this, he's definitely my #4 pick. From what I've read, it's hard to tell if he WAS guilty of using banned substances. He was nearly as overpowering a pitcher as Walter Johnson and he put up some eye-popping numbers throughout his career. 5) Randy Johnson, THE most overpowering and menacing left handed pitcher all-time. He had just a fantastic career, highlighted by his 2001 season, where he helped the Arizona Diamondbacks win it all, including their exciting 7 game World Series crown over the New York Yankees. And I believe he's the tallest major league baseball player ever, at 6 feet, 10 inches. So here's MY top picks, who are some of yours?

Good list. In fairness I would have to consider Cy Young and Christy Mathewson and maybe Nolan Ryan.

Hard to assess old time pitchers. It was a dead ball era

The pitcher I would have liked to see in his prime.....Satchel Paige

View attachment 322994

If we can assess presidents back to 1782, we can assess pitchers in 1882.

Actually we can't, since Presidents only go back to 1789.

 

[Pogo]

Nolan Ryan.....if he was on a good team during his peak....dam....

My problem with Ryan was he never won a big game

Makes it hard to be a Big Game Pitcher

what is a big game?.....

Pennant
Playoffs
World Series

Nolan Ryan was a .500 pitcher
Most were not big games

But with that fastball of his, he WAS quite imposing.

Most imposing I ever saw
Reason he had more Strikeouts and No Hitters than any other pitcher

But I can’t put him as an all time great because he was not even the best of his era.

Maddox, Seaver, Carlton were better and they have the Cy Young’s to prove it.

Ryan was never even the best in a single year

and those 3 guys were on teams that scored them some runs....Ryan managed to win 300 games in spite of being on some half-assed teams.......you cant win those big games if your team sucks....

Carlton won 27 in 1972 for a team that only won 59 total. He literally won almost half the team's games, and with 300 Ks and an ERA under 2.

well than according to

Nolan Ryan.....if he was on a good team during his peak....dam....

Great choice, Harry. Ryan is probably my #6 pick.

he lost a lot of 1 run games in his time with the Angels.....

Astros as well

i dont know how many Angel games i have seen were ryan lost 1-0,2-1.....

Yep, that's exactly why "wins" is not a good measure for a pitcher.

Remember Roy Halladay's perfect game? He won that by a score of 1-0 and the one run was unearned. He got lucky. Pitched his ass off but still, he had to with that level of run support.

 

[eddiew]

I used to walk to Ebbets Field

You can stop right there, I'm already green with envy.

Anybody ever seen a game at Fenway? Primary company I freelance for is in Boston and they took us to a Red Sox game a few years back. That place just exudes HISTORY. And the food courtyard smells like a Homer Simpson dream. Had great seats on the first base side and Big Poppy hit a homer to win it. VERY cool stadium with the Green Monster and all that!

Tried to get in there, couldn't make it. I traveled quite a bit for work, had the opportunity to be there during a game but just could not find a way in. I did get to Wrigley on another trip though. A day game vs the Cards. Great view.

I lived till the age of 20 12 blocks away from Ebbets Remember them all Preacher Ersk Newk Casey of course Jackie and Pee Wee and billy cox and the Duke Campy and Gil Great days

Damn,I thought you were just joking all this time in your profiles page where you say you are 82 obviously your not though,your serious.

LOL 83 in Jan but the youngest 83 you'll ever see lol

 

[Meathead]

I'm REALLY starting to miss baseball. So I've decided to keep it alive, at least by talking about it. My top 5 pitchers all-time are - 1) Walter Johnson - possibly THE most overpowering pitcher ever. He won over 400 games and finished his career with over 4,000 strikeouts. And I believe he holds the all-time record for shutouts with 110. Just a fantastic pitcher. 2) Sandy Koufax, my pick for the best left handed pitcher ever. His last several seasons were phenomenal, it's a shame he retired so young because of arm problems. 3) Cy Young, great pitcher, the award for pitcher of the year was quite aptly named after him. His 511 career wins will NEVER be broken. 4) Roger Clemens, I've included him despite his alleged steroid use. IF he wasn't guilty of this, he's definitely my #4 pick. From what I've read, it's hard to tell if he WAS guilty of using banned substances. He was nearly as overpowering a pitcher as Walter Johnson and he put up some eye-popping numbers throughout his career. 5) Randy Johnson, THE most overpowering and menacing left handed pitcher all-time. He had just a fantastic career, highlighted by his 2001 season, where he helped the Arizona Diamondbacks win it all, including their exciting 7 game World Series crown over the New York Yankees. And I believe he's the tallest major league baseball player ever, at 6 feet, 10 inches. So here's MY top picks, who are some of yours?

Good list. In fairness I would have to consider Cy Young and Christy Mathewson and maybe Nolan Ryan.

Hard to assess old time pitchers. It was a dead ball era

The pitcher I would have liked to see in his prime.....Satchel Paige

View attachment 322994

If we can assess presidents back to 1782, we can assess pitchers in 1882.

For the most part, compared to a modern pitcher....
You can assess they suck

Everything id relevant to its time.

 

[bluzman61]

While on the subject of baseball, Glenn Beckert just died.

Former Cubs All-Star Glenn Beckert dies at 79

Beckert was a constant presence at the top of the Cubs' lineup in the 1960s and 1970s.

www.yahoo.com

Sorry to hear this. He was a good player, and was one of my favorite Cubs players. RIP, Mr. Beckert.

 

[Harry Dresden]

I'm REALLY starting to miss baseball. So I've decided to keep it alive, at least by talking about it. My top 5 pitchers all-time are - 1) Walter Johnson - possibly THE most overpowering pitcher ever. He won over 400 games and finished his career with over 4,000 strikeouts. And I believe he holds the all-time record for shutouts with 110. Just a fantastic pitcher. 2) Sandy Koufax, my pick for the best left handed pitcher ever. His last several seasons were phenomenal, it's a shame he retired so young because of arm problems. 3) Cy Young, great pitcher, the award for pitcher of the year was quite aptly named after him. His 511 career wins will NEVER be broken. 4) Roger Clemens, I've included him despite his alleged steroid use. IF he wasn't guilty of this, he's definitely my #4 pick. From what I've read, it's hard to tell if he WAS guilty of using banned substances. He was nearly as overpowering a pitcher as Walter Johnson and he put up some eye-popping numbers throughout his career. 5) Randy Johnson, THE most overpowering and menacing left handed pitcher all-time. He had just a fantastic career, highlighted by his 2001 season, where he helped the Arizona Diamondbacks win it all, including their exciting 7 game World Series crown over the New York Yankees. And I believe he's the tallest major league baseball player ever, at 6 feet, 10 inches. So here's MY top picks, who are some of yours?

Good list. In fairness I would have to consider Cy Young and Christy Mathewson and maybe Nolan Ryan.

Hard to assess old time pitchers. It was a dead ball era

The pitcher I would have liked to see in his prime.....Satchel Paige

View attachment 322994

If we can assess presidents back to 1782, we can assess pitchers in 1882.

For the most part, compared to a modern pitcher....
You can assess they suck

i agree the ball was like a soft ball.....in 1909 Ty Cobb had 9 homers and led the league....all of a sudden when they tightened up the ball Ruth hit 29 and then 54 homers.....in 1922 other guys were figuring out how to hit the long ball....

 

[DrLove]

Nolan Ryan.....if he was on a good team during his peak....dam....

My problem with Ryan was he never won a big game

Makes it hard to be a Big Game Pitcher

what is a big game?.....

Pennant
Playoffs
World Series

Nolan Ryan was a .500 pitcher
Most were not big games

But with that fastball of his, he WAS quite imposing.

Most imposing I ever saw
Reason he had more Strikeouts and No Hitters than any other pitcher

But I can’t put him as an all time great because he was not even the best of his era.

Maddox, Seaver, Carlton were better and they have the Cy Young’s to prove it.

Ryan was never even the best in a single year

and those 3 guys were on teams that scored them some runs....Ryan managed to win 300 games in spite of being on some half-assed teams.......you cant win those big games if your team sucks....

Carlton won 27 in 1972 for a team that only won 59 total. He literally won almost half the team's games, and with 300 Ks and an ERA under 2.

well than according to

Nolan Ryan.....if he was on a good team during his peak....dam....

Great choice, Harry. Ryan is probably my #6 pick.

he lost a lot of 1 run games in his time with the Angels.....

Astros as well

i dont know how many Angel games i have seen were ryan lost 1-0,2-1.....

Yep, that's exactly why "wins" is not a good measure for a pitcher.

Remember Roy Halladay's perfect game? He won that by a score of 1-0 and the one run was unearned. He got lucky. Pitched his ass off but still, he had to with that level of run support.

Can you imagine the pressure of holding on to a NoNo in the 9th inning with a one run lead?

 

[eddiew]

I'm REALLY starting to miss baseball. So I've decided to keep it alive, at least by talking about it. My top 5 pitchers all-time are - 1) Walter Johnson - possibly THE most overpowering pitcher ever. He won over 400 games and finished his career with over 4,000 strikeouts. And I believe he holds the all-time record for shutouts with 110. Just a fantastic pitcher. 2) Sandy Koufax, my pick for the best left handed pitcher ever. His last several seasons were phenomenal, it's a shame he retired so young because of arm problems. 3) Cy Young, great pitcher, the award for pitcher of the year was quite aptly named after him. His 511 career wins will NEVER be broken. 4) Roger Clemens, I've included him despite his alleged steroid use. IF he wasn't guilty of this, he's definitely my #4 pick. From what I've read, it's hard to tell if he WAS guilty of using banned substances. He was nearly as overpowering a pitcher as Walter Johnson and he put up some eye-popping numbers throughout his career. 5) Randy Johnson, THE most overpowering and menacing left handed pitcher all-time. He had just a fantastic career, highlighted by his 2001 season, where he helped the Arizona Diamondbacks win it all, including their exciting 7 game World Series crown over the New York Yankees. And I believe he's the tallest major league baseball player ever, at 6 feet, 10 inches. So here's MY top picks, who are some of yours?

Good list. In fairness I would have to consider Cy Young and Christy Mathewson and maybe Nolan Ryan.

Hard to assess old time pitchers. It was a dead ball era

The pitcher I would have liked to see in his prime.....Satchel Paige

View attachment 322994

If we can assess presidents back to 1782, we can assess pitchers in 1882.

For the most part, compared to a modern pitcher....
You can assess they suck

i agree the ball was like a soft ball.....in 1909 Ty Cobb had 9 homers and led the league....all of a sudden when they tightened up the ball Ruth hit 29 and then 54 homers.....in 1922 other guys were figuring out how to hit the long ball....

There was a guy called Frank homerun Baker who I think led the league with 14 homers

 

[Harry Dresden]

I'm REALLY starting to miss baseball. So I've decided to keep it alive, at least by talking about it. My top 5 pitchers all-time are - 1) Walter Johnson - possibly THE most overpowering pitcher ever. He won over 400 games and finished his career with over 4,000 strikeouts. And I believe he holds the all-time record for shutouts with 110. Just a fantastic pitcher. 2) Sandy Koufax, my pick for the best left handed pitcher ever. His last several seasons were phenomenal, it's a shame he retired so young because of arm problems. 3) Cy Young, great pitcher, the award for pitcher of the year was quite aptly named after him. His 511 career wins will NEVER be broken. 4) Roger Clemens, I've included him despite his alleged steroid use. IF he wasn't guilty of this, he's definitely my #4 pick. From what I've read, it's hard to tell if he WAS guilty of using banned substances. He was nearly as overpowering a pitcher as Walter Johnson and he put up some eye-popping numbers throughout his career. 5) Randy Johnson, THE most overpowering and menacing left handed pitcher all-time. He had just a fantastic career, highlighted by his 2001 season, where he helped the Arizona Diamondbacks win it all, including their exciting 7 game World Series crown over the New York Yankees. And I believe he's the tallest major league baseball player ever, at 6 feet, 10 inches. So here's MY top picks, who are some of yours?

Good list. In fairness I would have to consider Cy Young and Christy Mathewson and maybe Nolan Ryan.

Hard to assess old time pitchers. It was a dead ball era

The pitcher I would have liked to see in his prime.....Satchel Paige

View attachment 322994

If we can assess presidents back to 1782, we can assess pitchers in 1882.

For the most part, compared to a modern pitcher....
You can assess they suck

i agree the ball was like a soft ball.....in 1909 Ty Cobb had 9 homers and led the league....all of a sudden when they tightened up the ball Ruth hit 29 and then 54 homers.....in 1922 other guys were figuring out how to hit the long ball....

There was a guy called Frank homerun Baker who I think led the league with 14 homers

the most home runs hit in the dead ball era 1900-1918 was 24 by Gavvy Cravath in 1915.....only 2 men reached 20 in that era....