Tom Candiotti, 1991, 7.0 bWAR
Perhaps because he pitched for some very poor teams, I believe people forget just how tremendously good Candiotti was with the knuckleball over a 16 year career. He is still in the game as a pitching coach and frequently mentors young pitchers who are learning the knuckleball today. His 1991 season was actually spent as a trade chip, with the Indians trading him to the Blue Jays to help Toronto make a push to the playoffs that season.
1991 season: 13-13, 2.65 ERA, 34 games, 34 starts, 238 innings, 1.16 WHIP, 73/167 BB/K, 159 ERA+
Joe Niekro, 1982, 6.8 bWAR
Overshadowed by his big brother, Joe was never quite the pitcher that Phil was, but he was still able to carve out a 22 year career and finish with 221 career victories through his longevity. His peak was not as high by any means, either, but the 1982 season just after the strike was definitely his finest moment.
1982 season: 17-12, 2.47 ERA, 35 games, 35 starts, 270 innings, 1.07 WHIP, 64/130 BB/K, 135 ERA+
Charlie Hough, 1985, 6.3 bWAR
Playing across a 25 year career, Hough was able to see a lot change in the game of baseball. He was primarily a reliever until 1982, when the Rangers moved him into the rotation, and he found immediate success in the role, and he was effective until the end of the decade as a starter.
1985 season: 14-16, 3.31 ERA, 34 games, 34 starts, 250 1/3 innings, 1.12 WHIP, 83/141 BB/K, 128 ERA+
R.A. Dickey, 2012, 5.8 bWAR
Dickey’s the modern knuckleball hero, having taken the world by storm with his 2012 Cy Young Award winning season. He’s one of the rare guys who throws a “hard” knuckler, able to generate legit major league breaking ball velocity with a knuckleball as it nears 80 MPH. The Mets cashed in on his 2012 season to acquire key pieces to their team that went to the 2015 World Series, catcher Travis d’Arnaud and starter Noah Syndergaard.
2012 season: 20-6, 2.73 ERA, 34 games, 33 starts, 233 2/3 innings, 1.05 WHIP, 54/230 BB/K, 139 ERA+
Next: 2016 Draft Winners and Losers
Tim Wakefield, 1995, 5.0 bWAR
Probably the most well-known recent knuckleball pitcher is Wakefield, due to his role on a very media-heavy team like the Red Sox. However, his role on that team was typically as a swing starter, so he never really had the type of season to rank highly on this list, and his bWAR would be who Wright would tie for the 15th pitcher on the list if he maintains his pace all season.
1995 season: 16-8, 2.95 ERA, 27 games, 27 starts, 195 1/3 innings, 1.18 WHIP, 68/119 BB/K, 165 ERA+