I GUESS WE KNOW THE FINAL ANSWER:
http://www.foxsportshouston.com/02/...anding_astros.html?blockID=404208&feedID=3803
Pettitte as Hall of Famer a shaky argument
By DAVID DALATI
FOXSportsHouston.com
Feb. 4, 2011
Andy Pettitte had an excellent career, including a 19-10 record in the postseason as well as the 2001 ALCS MVP award. With the Houston Astros in 2005, Pettitte's second-half performance was one of the major reasons the Astros were able to rebound from a miserable start and make the playoffs. Pettitte was 11-2 with a 1.69 ERA in the second half of 2005. He was also a class act as player and as a member of the community, despite the admitted use of performance-enhancing drugs to treat an injury. At least Pettitte owned up and we presume, unlike some of his contemporaries, he was not a serial user.
Here comes the but . . .
Making a case for Andy Pettitte as a Hall of Famer is a very shaky proposition.
Pettitte's winning percentage is impressive at .635 (240-138), but a career ERA of 3.88 is problematic. Pettitte would hold the highest ERA among pitchers in the Hall. Like Hall of Fame pitcher Don Sutton, Pettitte has zero Cy Young awards, but Sutton won 324 games and his career ERA was 3.26.
Perhaps the most comparable pitcher to Pettitte in this era is Mike Mussina, who retired after the 2008 season. Mussina is considered a likely Hall of Fame inductee at some point. But Mussina won more games (270-153), had a better winning percentage (.638) and a lower ERA (3.68) than Pettitte. Mussina made five All-Star teams, compared to Pettitte's three. And in an area that seems to be gradually fading in importance, Mussina tossed 57 complete games, 23 for shutouts. Pettitte threw 25 complete games in his career. (The complete game is another reason why pitchers of the current era should not be compared to pitchers that played prior to the 1980s. But, that ridiculous inequity is a topic for another day. OK, just one more item on this: Nolan Ryan pitched 222 complete games in his career! Again, there is no comparing pitchers of different eras.)
Back to our scheduled conversation: the Hall of Fame candidacy of Andy Pettitte.
You may look at Jim "Catfish" Hunter's career and say, "The guy was 224-166. What's so impressive?"
Catfish Hunter was a Cy Young winner, an eight-time All-Star with a career ERA of 3.26. Pettitte's 3.88 ERA keeps rearing its ugly head. Jim Bunning is in the Hall of Fame with 224 wins. Yet Bunning failed to get in via the writers' vote and finally was voted in by the Veterans Committee in 1996. Bunning's ERA was 3.27. He was also a seven-time All-Star.
This is no attempt to keep Pettitte out of the Hall. He was excellent to cover during his years with the Astros – an approachable gentleman. And he was outstanding on the mound during one of the most critical stretches in Astros franchise history in 2005.
But just because Pettitte wore a New York Yankees uniform for the majority of his career doesn't make him an automatic Hall of Fame pitcher. Just because it happened with the Yankees or in the northeast doesn't mean it holds a higher place. (Don't get me started on this topic either. Explain to me again why Lou Carnesecca and John Chaney are in the basketball hall of fame and Guy V. Lewis is not.)
http://www.foxsportshouston.com/02/...anding_astros.html?blockID=404208&feedID=3803
Pettitte as Hall of Famer a shaky argument
By DAVID DALATI
FOXSportsHouston.com
Feb. 4, 2011
Andy Pettitte had an excellent career, including a 19-10 record in the postseason as well as the 2001 ALCS MVP award. With the Houston Astros in 2005, Pettitte's second-half performance was one of the major reasons the Astros were able to rebound from a miserable start and make the playoffs. Pettitte was 11-2 with a 1.69 ERA in the second half of 2005. He was also a class act as player and as a member of the community, despite the admitted use of performance-enhancing drugs to treat an injury. At least Pettitte owned up and we presume, unlike some of his contemporaries, he was not a serial user.
Here comes the but . . .
Making a case for Andy Pettitte as a Hall of Famer is a very shaky proposition.
Pettitte's winning percentage is impressive at .635 (240-138), but a career ERA of 3.88 is problematic. Pettitte would hold the highest ERA among pitchers in the Hall. Like Hall of Fame pitcher Don Sutton, Pettitte has zero Cy Young awards, but Sutton won 324 games and his career ERA was 3.26.
Perhaps the most comparable pitcher to Pettitte in this era is Mike Mussina, who retired after the 2008 season. Mussina is considered a likely Hall of Fame inductee at some point. But Mussina won more games (270-153), had a better winning percentage (.638) and a lower ERA (3.68) than Pettitte. Mussina made five All-Star teams, compared to Pettitte's three. And in an area that seems to be gradually fading in importance, Mussina tossed 57 complete games, 23 for shutouts. Pettitte threw 25 complete games in his career. (The complete game is another reason why pitchers of the current era should not be compared to pitchers that played prior to the 1980s. But, that ridiculous inequity is a topic for another day. OK, just one more item on this: Nolan Ryan pitched 222 complete games in his career! Again, there is no comparing pitchers of different eras.)
Back to our scheduled conversation: the Hall of Fame candidacy of Andy Pettitte.
You may look at Jim "Catfish" Hunter's career and say, "The guy was 224-166. What's so impressive?"
Catfish Hunter was a Cy Young winner, an eight-time All-Star with a career ERA of 3.26. Pettitte's 3.88 ERA keeps rearing its ugly head. Jim Bunning is in the Hall of Fame with 224 wins. Yet Bunning failed to get in via the writers' vote and finally was voted in by the Veterans Committee in 1996. Bunning's ERA was 3.27. He was also a seven-time All-Star.
This is no attempt to keep Pettitte out of the Hall. He was excellent to cover during his years with the Astros – an approachable gentleman. And he was outstanding on the mound during one of the most critical stretches in Astros franchise history in 2005.
But just because Pettitte wore a New York Yankees uniform for the majority of his career doesn't make him an automatic Hall of Fame pitcher. Just because it happened with the Yankees or in the northeast doesn't mean it holds a higher place. (Don't get me started on this topic either. Explain to me again why Lou Carnesecca and John Chaney are in the basketball hall of fame and Guy V. Lewis is not.)
