MLB: All-Time Greats on All-Time Terrible Teams
Steve Carlton
In his first season with the Philadelphia Phillies after being traded by the St. Louis Cardinals, Steve Carlton put together one of the most dominating seasons any pitcher in MLB has ever had. He won the 1972 NL Cy Young award unanimously and finished fifth in the MVP voting, but the Phillies ended the season 59-97, in the basement of the NL East 37.5 games back of the in-state rival Pittsburgh Pirates.
Carlton went 27-10 in ‘72, with a 1.97 ERA, 2.02 FIP, and 182 ERA+, all of which were tops in the league. He also led the NL with 310 strikeouts, a 3.56 strikeout-to-walk ratio, 30 complete games, and 346.1 innings of work.
In a career that saw him throw over 5,200 innings, Carlton became a member of the 300 win and 3,000 strikeout clubs, placing 11th and 4th, respectively, on the lists at present. He amassed a 90.4 bWAR, won three more Cy Youngs, and eventually helped Philadelphia win the World Series in 1980.
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