Starting Pitcher #5—Early Wynn
(with Cleveland from 1949-1957, 1963)
32.3 fWAR, 35.8 bWAR
164-102, .617, 3.24 ERA, 1.27 WHP, 2286.7 IP, 119 ERA+ (with Cleveland)
Early Wynn was a veteran of eight big league seasons when Cleveland traded for him before the 1949 season. At the time, he had a career record of 72-87, with a 3.94 ERA. When he arrived in Cleveland, he worked with recently-retired pitcher Mel Harder, who had transitioned to a coaching role after retiring. Years later in an article in The Sporting News, Wynn credited Harder with helping him develop an effective curveball and slider, saying, “I could throw the ball when I came here but Mel made a pitcher out of me.”
In the next nine seasons with Cleveland, Wynn was 163-100 with a 3.27 ERA. This included four 20-win seasons. One of the enduring legacies of Early Wynn was his intimidating presence on the mound. He made sure everyone knew that he owned the plate and hitters shouldn’t get too comfortable. In his book A Season in the Sun, Roger Kahn wrote about Wynn pitching to his son during batting practice and brushing him back with an inside pitch.
Despite his reputation, Wynn never led the league in hit batters and usually only hit a handful of batters per season. He averaged one hit batter every 71 innings in his career. During the years he pitched, all pitchers averaged one hit batter every 52 innings, so Wynn hit batters less often than his peers.
Wynn’s first stint with Cleveland came to an end after he had a down year in 1957. He had won 60 games in the three previous seasons and had an ERA under 3.00 all three years, but went 14-17 with a 4.31 ERA in 1957 and the team thought he might be losing it at the age of 37. He was traded to the White Sox.
It turned out Cleveland may have been a bit hasty in trading him. He made the all-star team in his first three years with the White Sox and led the league in wins and innings pitched in 1959 and in shutouts in 1960. At this point, he was 16 wins away from 300 wins for his career and he made it clear to everyone that he intended to get to that magic number. He was 8-2 with a 3.51 ERA in 16 starts for the White Sox in 1961, but struggled with a 7-15, 4.46 ERA season in 1962 and the Sox figured he was done. They released him after the season, then invited him to spring training, but he didn’t make the team. He was one win short of his goal.
Wynn stayed in shape in the hopes that a team would give him a chance for his 300th victory. A few teams offered him one-game contracts, but he held out for a full year deal. A few months into the season, Cleveland signed him to a one-year deal. It took him four starts but he finally picked up win number 300 on July 13, 1963. Nine years later, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.