RELIEF PITCHERS THROUGH HISTORY With the selection of Rich Gossage as the newest pitching member to the Baseball Hall of Fame, it begs the question, what makes him better than the closers that have come before him? Does he deserve this honor? Put aside the three-toed sloth-like approach toward the voting process of the baseball writers association. Let’s deal only with the merit of the credentials of Rich Gossage versus other relievers. How does he compare with Hoyt Wilhelm, Dennis Eckersley, and Rollie Fingers? How does he compare with those that are currently playing, such as Mariano Rivera, John Franco and Trevor Hoffman? Did he deserve this honor before Bruce Sutter? I developed a formula for hitters that has been published in the book For Argument’s Sake. Below is the formula for comparing pitchers across eras and against their contemporaries. This should help make it more apparent the selection of Gossage. For the purpose of comparison, a reliever is defined by averaging less than 3.5 innings pitched per game. The following are the top 33 relievers, from 1876 to the present day. While delving into the important facet of pure dominance in their era of playing and their longevity as an effective pitcher, I also examined the contributions of each pitcher by their effectiveness as a champion and teammate. Next to each reliever, I included the formula based on 14 statistical measures represented by the PH-Factor as well as the era in which each pitcher played. Names that are listed in bold are currently in the Hall of Fame. The names that are italicized are those which the writers, or the Veterans’ Committee, should look at for reconsideration, as their numbers are gaudy enough to deserve a second look. Here is the formula that was applied to relievers and starters alike to compare pitchers within their eras and beyond. The career numbers are computed accordingly: The league leading numbers showing in-season dominance are measured in the following way: For each of the following categories the league leader of the category is given 100 points followed by the runner-up receiving 90 points, third place 80 points, 4th place 70 points and so on down to 10th place receiving 10 points. The 3 categories for which this is applicable are Wins, Saves, and E.R.A. A Cy Young Award or Most Valuable Player Award winner receives 500 points and then 2nd place = 90 points and 3rd place = 80 points and the same as above down to 10th place. A Rolaids Relief Award winner receives 500 points, but 2nd place and beyond receives nothing after that. Defensively a Gold Glove Award is given to the best fielding pitcher and 100 points is awarded. There should also be a reward for the player that is a consummate teammate. This player is able to get the best out of the players around him, he inspires the others to reach the playoffs and possibly even the World Series. For those pitchers that won a World Series Championship the player receives 500 points. A League Championship 250 points and for reaching the playoffs 100 points.
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