MLB History: Top 15 right-handed pitchers in MLB history
In MLB history, there have been incredible pitchers from the right side. We count down the 15 best today.
As part of a series we will cover here at Call to the Pen on MLB history, today we will look at the top 15 right-handed pitchers in the game’s history.
We will cover all of MLB history, not just the first 100 years or the last 50 years, and this is not a consensus of all Call to the Pen authors and editors, but the opinion of the author of that list. This is a great list to debate and discuss!
Before we move to the top 15, let’s look at one current player who has a chance to break into this top 15 list!
Max Scherzer, 150 wins, 3.24 ERA, 1,976 2/3 IP, 2,269 strikeouts, 48.4 bWAR
What is incredible to consider is that as brilliant as Scherzer has been over his career to this point, he’s really only produced roughly half of the bWAR of the top 10 right-handed starters in MLB history.
Scherzer has ascended to the top pitcher in all of baseball presently. Beginning in 2013, he’s moved to incredible levels, averaging 6.5 bWAR per season. Considering that he is currently roughly 40 bWAR from that top 10 grouping of right-handers in MLB history, if he holds serve through the end of his current contract, which runs through 2021 and makes it to roughly 70 bWAR by the end of age 36, he would simply need to have a good finish to his career to get that final 20-25 bWAR over 4-6 more seasons to reach that upper echelon in that particular metric.
However, when you begin to look at all the other things that Scherzer could end up doing by the time he leaves the game, he starts to creep up this list in a hurry. He has 150 wins currently and is leading the league with 9. It would not surprise at all if he had another 20-win season, his third of his career, as he’s averaged 18 wins the previous 5 seasons. If he would simply average that same 18 wins over the next 4 seasons, that would put him at 213 at the end of his contract with a fairly “easy” shot to finish over 250. Even with the larger win totals from pre-2000s baseball, that’d put him #35 all time in wins.
Scherzer also had 2,149 entering 2018 and is currently leading the league with 120 (in 12 starts for an impressive 10 per start). He has averaged 264 per season over the last 5 years. If he continues that pace through his contract, he would already be at 3,205 at age 36, with (health holding) multiple more seasons to add to that tally. Even 500 more strikeouts before the end of his career on top of those 3,205 would put him third in MLB history in strikeouts among right-handers.
Finally, Scherzer has held an ERA+ over the last 5 seasons of 143. That number would rank him 5th all-time among RHP, but even with previous seasons figured in, he’s still 18th with a 129 career ERA+. He could certanly figure into the top 10 in that statistic by the end of his career, which would put him near the top ten in ERA+, the top five in strikeouts, and the top 10-15 in bWAR when his career is all through, giving him a very legitimate argument among the top 15 RHP in MLB history, if he can continue to hold serve.
For now, however, let’s take a look at the guys who do make the list…
Next: 15. Rapid Robert
15. Bob Feller, 266 wins, 3.25 ERA, 3,827 innings, 2,581 strikeouts, 63.9 bWAR
Robert William Andrew Feller stepped right off the cornfields of Iowa at 17 years of age in 1936 and was immediately one of the most feared pitchers in all of the game, a distinction he would hold for virtually all of his major league career.
Feller is considered the first true dominant hard-thrower in the game, relying primarily on his fastball, which many believed exceeded triple digits. That type of velocity had really not been seen in the game previous, and it allowed Feller to be an All-Sar at 19 and lead the AL in wins, with 24, at 20 years old.
He would go on to miss roughly 3 2/3 seasons due to military service in World War II, right at the peak of his powers, as he “lost” his age 23-25 seasons and made just 9 starts in his age-26 season. Considering that he led the league in wins, starts, strikeouts, and innings both in 1940-1941 before he went into service and then also in 1946-1947 in his first full seasons back, many felt he easily would have eclipsed 300 wins in his career and very possibly have surpassed Walter Johnson’s career strikeouts record without his military service.
Feller did see his career take a quick turn after the war, however. His 1946 season may have been his very finest, throwing 371 1/3 innings, striking out 348 with 10 shutouts, 36 complete games, winning 26 games, and posting a 2.18 ERA. However, in 1947, he would strikeout just 196 over 299 innings, which still led the league significantly, but he continued to see that strikeout rate drop and his home run rate allowed rate rise after that 1946 season, and his post-30 seasons were not great. Feller also ran into a common issue that many hard throwers still today run into, as he walked over 4 batters per 9 innings for his major league career.
Overall, Feller was elected to 8 All-Star games, won the 1940 pitching triple crown in the American League, and he finished top 5 in MVP voting four times in his career. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1962 with 93.8% of the vote.
Next: 14. Dr. Baseball
14. Gaylord Perry, 314 wins, 3.11 ERA, 5,350 innings, 3,534 strikeouts, 90.4 bWAR
For many, his name was mud. Others simply called him a cheater. When pressed later in life, Gaylord Perry revealed that his best weapon on the mound was the belief by others that he was doing things that he really wasn’t!
Years after the spitball was outlawed in major league baseball, Gaylord Jackson Perry made his debut in 1962 with the San Francisco Giants. After 22 seasons with 8 different organizations, Perry retired from the game in 1983, one of the most controversial pitchers of his era.
Perry was able to do something many weren’t however, and that was figure how to manipulate his pitches (both legally and sometimes illegally) to get hitters to miss the barrel of the bat on their swings, along with manipulating his fastball and change to ease the tax on his arm of breaking pitches, allowing him to be one of the last pitchers consistently throwing 300 innings per season in the 1970s. He was also able to complete ~40% of his starts over his career. For reference, last season, Corey Kluber tied for the major league lead in complete games while completing 17% of his starts.
While many will say he deserves to be lower due to a lack of dominance, Perry made 5 All-Star teams, won two Cy Young Awards, finished in the top 5 of CY voting 4 times, and even finished in the top 10 in MVP voting twice. Whether or not they felt he was doing it honestly or not, even his contemporaries saw Perry was doing incredible things on the mound. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1991 with 77.2% of the ballot.
Next: 13. Gibby
13. Bob Gibson, 251 wins, 2.91 ERA, 3,884 1/3 innings, 3,117 strikeouts, 89.4 bWAR
From one of the guys many considered dirty for what he did to the ball to a guy that some of his contemporaries considered dirty for his approach with throwing toward an opposing hitter’s head. Opponents may not have liked his approach (though they wouldn’t have likely said anything to his face), but you could not deny the dominance in Bob Gibson’s time on the mound.
A Nebraska boy, Gibson was born in Omaha and graduated from local Creighton University, so his move to the minor leagues in the Cardinals organization had to be daunting. Of course, he finished both the 1957 and 1958 seasons in Omaha with the Cardinals’ farm club there, so even then he had some home cooking in his path to the major leagues.
No one would have imagined the guy who seemed a bit uneasy to stray far from home would be one of the fiercest competitors on the mound the game has seen and put together one of the best, if not THE best, seasons a pitcher has ever thrown in 1968, when he went 22-9 over 304 2/3 innings with an incredible 1.12 ERA and 268 strikeouts.
Outside of the 1968 season, Gibson never really found himself among the league leaders, though he did win 20 games 5 times for the Cardinals. His legend grew in the postseason, however, as he pitched in 3 World Series with the Cardinals, making 9 starts, winning 7 of them with an insane 81 innings pitched. He completed 8 of his 9 starts only because one of his starts went to extra innings! In those starts, he posted a 1.89 ERA and struck out 92 batters while walking only 17.
Gibson was selected to 9 All-Star games, won the Cy Young Award in 1968 and 1970 while finishing in the top 10 two other seasons. He also won the National League MVP in 1968 and was the World Series MVP in 1964 and 1967. One of the most underrated facets of his game was his exceptional fielding, as Gibson won 9 Gold Gloves over his career. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1981 with 84% of the ballot.
Next: 12. Charles Augustus
12. Kid Nichols, 361 wins, 2.96 ERA, 5,067 1/3 innings, 1,881 strikeouts, 116.1 bWAR
After an incredible career in Midwest amateur and semipro leagues, Nichols created a bit of a bidding war between Boston and Cincinnati for his services before the 1890 season. In spite of that, few knew who the excellent young rookie was until he and ace pitcher Amos Rusie of the New York Giants tangled in a May 12th matchup that went 13 innings before Nichols gave up the winning run, and journalists ate up the incredible pitchers’ duel, giving Nichols plenty of note from that point forward.
Nichols would go on to toss 424 innings his rookie season at age 20 and win 27 games. He would win 30 or more every season thereafter until 1899 except one. While he was incredibly successful on the mound, Nichols had a penchant for pushing the envelope in the game, and after his age-31 season, he left major league baseball to co-own and manage a team in a new league that was challenging the majors in its style of play. While the new league would fold, many of its innovations would be adopted into the modern game as the 20th century began.
Nichols also enjoyed teaching the game, managing multiple collegiate squads after the season was over and then playing the game as a player/manager or just a wise veteran for many years in semi-pro and amateur baseball after he retired following the 1906 season. He had a major influence on New York baseball in the 1950s and 1960s as he mentored a young Casey Stengel, who was Nichols’ neighbor, and he began a youth baseball league that became the proving ground for Mickey Mantle.
When the Hall of Fame began inducting classes, major names began to step forward to insist that Nichols be included, and when none other than Ty Cobb insisted that Nichols was the pitcher that frustrated him the most in his playing career, he was finally elected to the Hall of Fame in 1949.
Next: 11. Knucksie
11. Phil Niekro, 318 wins, 3.35 ERA, 5,404 innings, 3,342 strikeouts, 96.2 bWAR
You can call it a “trick pitch” if you want, but no one in the history of the game has been able to harness the knuckleball the way Phil Niekro did for 24 seasons. Considering he was already 25 when he made his major league debut, that’s an absolutely incredible amount of longevity.
Niekro broke into the major leagues in 1964 as a 25 year-old swingman with the Milwaukee Braves. After winning the 1967 ERA title as a swingman for the now-Atlanta Braves, tossing 207 innings in 46 games, 20 of which were starts, Niekro found himself in the rotation going forward.
His ability to throw his knuckler without much taxing on his arm allowed him to toss deep into games and make plenty of starts in an era when guys who made 40 starts were becoming a thing of the past, and especially guys who threw 300 innings were no longer the norm.
Niekro has become the seeming ambassador of the “knuckleballers club”. Many former knuckleball pitchers have been instrumental in mentoring future knuckleball guys over the years, and Niekro has become the de facto president of the club, offering his advice to young pitchers as they work their way through the minor leagues throwing the unique pitch.
Over his career, Niekro made 5 All Star games, won 5 Gold Gloves, and his work off the field was noted with the 1980 Roberto Clemente Award. He finished in the top 10 in Cy Young voting 5 times. Niekro was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1997 with 80.3% of the vote.
Next: 10. Frying Dutchman
10. Bert Blyleven, 287 wins, 3.31 ERA, 4,970 innings, 3,701 strikeouts, 95 bWAR
Niekro had his knuckleball, and Blyleven had his curve. Arguably the purveyor of the greatest right-handed curveball the game has ever seen, Rik Aalbert Blyleven went from 3rd round draft pick in 1969 to the Minnesota Twins rotation by the end of the 1969 season. However, after a very successful first decade in Minnesota, the Twins were headed toward a time of rough years in the organization, and Blyleven’s won-loss record reflected that, in spite of never posting a 3.20 ERA over his time in Minneosota from 1970-1976 before he was traded, Bert went just 99-90 before the Twins traded him to the Rangers, beginning his move around the league to teams with rough records, tossing him as their inning-eating ace.
All the while, Bert’s curve was excellent, and he began to pile up strikeout totals that quickly put him near the top of the all-time list. When he retired, Blyleven had the second-most strikeouts by a right-hander in MLB history.
On the rare occasion that he was given a chance in the postseason, Blyleven was excellent. He tallied a 2.47 ERA over 47 1/3 playoff innings, with a 5-1 record. Even at 36 years old, as the Minnesota Twins brought him back to be a veteran presence on their young team, he helped the Twins jump out to a commanding 2-0 lead in the 1987 World Series with an excellent game 2 performance.
Blyleven was still able to be effective into his late 30s and early 40s before retiring after 22 years on the mound. He’s poured himself back into the game as a broadcaster for the Minnesota Twins and also in supporting the Netherlands team in each World Baseball Classic, where he’s taken on a role as mentor for many young players in the game.
Over his career, Bert made 2 All-Star games, finished in the top 5 of Cy Young voting 3 times, and led the entire league in bWAR one season yet still finished 7th in the Cy Young voting that season due to his 20-17 record for a mediocre Twins club. After a long wait, Blyleven was finally inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2011 with 79.7% of the vote.
Next: 9. The Express
9. Nolan Ryan, 324 wins, 3.19 ERA, 5,386 innings, 5,714 strikeouts, 81.8 bWAR
There are many who will consider this incredible to have the many who outpaces any other in career strikeouts in MLB history ranked 9th among right-handed pitchers seems low, to say the least.
That is taking nothing away from the man at all. Ryan debuted in 1966 at 19 years old, just a year after being drafted by the New York Mets. He returned to the Big Apple in 1968 as a back-end starter for the Mets in a dynamic young rotation that would carry the Mets to the 1969 World Series. That would prove to be Ryan’s one World Series appearance.
Ryan’s blazing fastball was his trademark throughout his career, and his ability to remain healthy while throwing so hard is something that many today still marvel at, but in today’s game, it’s quite feasible that Ryan would have been a second- or third-tier starter, even with his fastball as his breaking stuff was okay, but not great, and his control, to put it gently, was bad.
While Ryan struck out over 5,700 batters in his career, he also holds the record for most walks allowed in MLB history, with 2,795. His strikeout number is 17% more than the 2nd place guy in strikeouts, which is still an incredibly difficult number to overcome, but his lead over the 2nd place pitcher in walks is 52% over the next-closest pitcher, showing just how incredibly wild he was. Heck, the only reason he doesn’t hold the record for most wild pitches in MLB history is that there is one pitcher who never tossed a pitch in the 1900s ranking ahead of him, when much of the scoring around wild pitches was drastically different. Of pitchers who have thrown a pitch since 1902, Ryan has the most wild pitches by 23%, again a larger margin than his margin for most strikeouts.
In his career, Ryan was a pitcher who could absolutely dominate on a single day, however, as evidenced by his seven no-hitters. He also had the most one-hitters in history, with 24. Ryan never won a Cy Young Award, but he did finish in the top 5 six different times in his career. He was selected to 8 All-Star games. Ryan was enshrined into Cooperstown in 1999 with 98.8% of ballots.
Next: 8. Petey
8. Pedro Martinez, 219 wins, 2.93 ERA, 2,827 1/3 innings, 3,154 strikeouts, 84 bWAR
There are few pitchers that we have seen in recent years as dominant as Pedro, but on top of his dominance in general, he was that dominant during one of the strongest hitting eras in modern baseball, which is incredible!
Pedro came up with the Dodgers, the team of his brother Ramon, and he made his mark as a swingman in 1993 with the Dodgers, posting a 2.61 ERA in 107 innings over 65 appearances, 2 of them starts. That offseason he was traded to Montreal where his run as a dominant starter began!
Pedro’s small stature hurt him as he was susceptible to injury over his career, but when he was on the mound, there were few who could dominate a game the way he would, posting multiple seasons with a sub-2 ERA in the late 1990s to early 2000s, which was a prime offense era in the game. While Martinez struck out plenty of hitters, he was not a “thrower” as he would post miniscule walk rates while also striking out well over a batter per inning.
Injuries led to Pedro not getting quite the career numbers that he could have, but his career awards and accomplishments show just how dominant he was on the mound. Martinez was selected to 8 All-Star games, won 3 Cy Young Awards (including twice unanimously), finished in the top five in CY voting 7 times, finished in the top 5 in MVP voting twice, won the 1999 All Star MVP award, and he also won the pitching triple crown in the AL in 1999.
He was elected in the Hall of Fame in 2015 with 91.1% of the vote.
Next: 7. Old Pete
7. Pete Alexander, 373 wins, 2.55 ERA, 5,190 innings, 2,198 strikeouts, 120.2 bWAR
Grover Cleveland Alexander made a big splash into baseball, winning 28 games to lead the majors, leading the majors with 7 shutouts, and leading the National League with 367 innings pitched for Philadelphia as a 24 year-old in 1911.
Unlike many of the “dead ball” era pitchers, Alexander was not a guy who pitched purely to contact and “slung” the ball toward the plate. Many attribute the modern windup and delivery pitchers use to Alexander’s delivery, which allowed him to still toss 243 2/3 innings at 41 years old with excellent movement on his stuff within the zone, even though he’d lost his best velocity.
Alexander led the league in wins for four straight seasons from 1914-1917, posting six straight seasons of sub-2 ERA. Incredibly, he won three pitching triple crowns (leading league in wins, ERA, and strikeouts) – tied for the most of any pitcher in MLB history, and though he only finished inside of the top 10 in MVP voting once, Alexander led his league in bWAR six seasons.
Overall, Alexander led his league in wins six times, in ERA four times, in innings seven times, in strikeouts six times, in complete games six times, and in shutouts seven times.
He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1938 with 80.9% of the vote.
Next: 6. Rocket
6. Roger Clemens, 354 wins, 3.12 ERA, 4,916 2/3 innings, 4,672 strikeouts, 139.6 bWAR
In all seriousness, Clemens would be here regardless of any concerns about PEDs, so that doesn’t even play in to his placement in this position.
Clemens was drafted in 1983 out of the University of Texas, and he found his way to Boston by 1984. He broke through in 1986 with an incredible season, going 24-4 as he led the Red Sox to the World Series. He followed up from that point to be one of the most dominant starters in the league through 1992 with Boston before injuries began to take their toll on him.
After 1996, Clemens was a free agent, and in spite of nearly 200 wins in a Red Sox uniform and only being 33, Clemens was allowed to walk away to division rival Toronto, where he showed up looking notably more lean through the core and thick through his legs. He turned that into two incredible seasons in Toronto, winning back to back AL pitching triple crowns.
In the 1998-1999 offseason, he moved to yet another AL East team, the Yankees, via trade. In 2003, at age 40, he won his 300th game with the Yankees. Clemens would become a focus of the PED scandal in baseball at that time, and he signed with Houston to be closer to home, having two brilliant seasons before signing late back with the Astros in 2006 as many teams did not want to endure the public relations issues Clemens brought at that time. He would again sign late in 2007 with the Yankees at 44 and retire after that season.
Clemens has the most Cy Young Awards in history, with 7. He finished in the top 5 in voting 10 times over his career. Clemens won the 1986 MVP and also finished in the top 10 in MVP voting six times. Clemens made 11 All-Star games. He will make the Hall of Fame and take his place in MLB history eventually.
Next: 5. Big Six
5. Christy Mathewson, 373 wins, 2.13 ERA, 4,788 2/3 IP, 2,507 strikeouts, 104 bWAR
Aquired by the Giants for one of the greatest pitchers of the last decade of the 1800s, Christy Mathewson made that deal one of the greatest trade steals in MLB history. In his first full season in the Giants rotation, at 20 years old, he won 20 games, threw 336 innings, and posted a 2.41 ERA.
Mathewson would become the Giants ace in 1903, and from 1903 to 1913, he AVERAGED 28 wins, a 1.91 ERA, 324 innings, and 177 strikeouts per season. In just that 11 year period, Mathewson won 303 games and threw over 3,500 innings.
Mathewson would be known for his ability to prevent runs. In 1909, he set a standard for ERA that only Bob Gibson has ever approached when he posted a 1.14 ERA for the season.
One of the top pitchers among his peers, Mathewson led the league in wins 4 times, ERA five times, strikeouts five times, and shutouts four times. He won the 1905 and 1908 pitching triple crown.
Over his career, Mathewson was known for his incredible control, his screwball, and his intimidating size on the mound, standing over 6′ tall in an era when few players stood that tall. He was also brilliant in the postseason, putting up a 0.97 ERA over 11 postseason starts, throwing 101 2/3 innings.
Mathewson was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1936 with 90.7% of the vote, part of the initial class of five honored in Cooperstown.
Next: 4. The Professor
4. Greg Maddux, 355 wins, 3.16 ERA, 5,008 1/3 innings, 3,371 strikeouts, 106.7 bWAR
Gregory Alan Maddux was drafted out of high school in the 2nd round in the 1984 draft. He was able to work his way to the Cubs for a call-up in 1986, incredibly fast for a high school pitcher. Never blessed with a blazing fastball, Maddux had to establish himself with pinpoint control, and by 1988, he’d done exactly that, earning his first of what would be 8 All-Star selections.
After the 1992 season, “Mad Dog” left the Cubs for the Atlanta Braves, and he became the head of one of the deepest and most productive starting rotations for a decade as he teamed with fellow future Hall of Fame starters Tom Glavine and John Smoltz to front the rotation. However, it was always clear who the true star in the rotation was.
The true shame of the 1994 and 1995 seasons being shortened due to work stoppage was not the loss of a chance for Tony Gwynn to .400 or a number of players who had a legit chance to threaten breaking Roger Maris’ home run mark before Mark McGwire would do so in 1998. The real loss was cutting short two of the most brilliant pitching seasons of the last 30 years. Over those two years, Maddux went 35-8 over 53 starts, tossing 411 2/3 innings, with a 1.60 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, and a 54/337 BB/K ratio.
Maddux’s pinpoint control allowed him to be succesful into his 40s, with a smooth delivery that allowed him to remain healthy in an era when pitchers frequently were injured and missed time. This allowed Maddux to have an incredible run of 20 straight seasons with at least 13 wins. He was also widely considered the best defender to have taken the mound, winning 18 Gold Gloves.
Along with his Gold Gloves, Maddus won 4 Cy Young Awards, finishing in the top 5 in voting 9 times. He finished in the top 5 in MVP voting twice in his career. He was voted into the Hall of Fame in 2014 with 97.2% of the vote.
Next: 3. Cyclone
3. Cy Young, 511 wins, 2.63 ERA, 7,356 innings, 2,803 strikeouts, 168 bWAR
Most recognize Young’s name for the award that bears his name, but his impact on MLB history is such that his dominance on the mound is often lost to the dominance of the men who receive the award bearing his name.
Denton True Young was a big farm kid from Ohio that was not highly sought-after by professional teams as he played semipro ball. Signed to the minor leagues, the formation of the Players League actually was a big reason he even got his first chance in the majors as teams were depleted on their rosters as their players hopped for the new league. Young came up and picked up a win on a 3-hitter, and he was a fixture in the Cleveland rotation from that point on.
Of course, being part of the Cleveland Spiders rotation was not exactly a way to pick up noteriety or very many wins as the organization has significant struggles, often finishing in last place or near the bottom of the standings. So, when Young had the chance to jump to the newly formed American League, he quickly did so, joining the Boston club, and quickly becoming one of the most dominant pitchers in the gmae, averaging 31 wins, 366 innings, and a 1.95 ERA in his first three seasons in Boston, capped off by an appearance in the first World Series, where Young threw the first pitch in World Series history.
Young’s name is still prominent in MLB history. He remains the all-time leader in wins, games started, complete games, innings pitched, and batters faced. His longevity in the game was not just adding in numbers, either, as he posted a 2.26 ERA and tossed 294 1/3 innings at age 42 in 1909.
Young was part of the second Hall of Fame class, taking his place in MLB history in 1937 with 76.1% of the vote.
Next: 2. Tom Terrific
2. Tom Seaver, 311 wins, 2.86 ERA, 4,783 innings, 3,640 strikeouts, 110.1 bWAR
George Thomas Seaver was one of the most highly-respected pitchers in the game for 20 years, winning the Rookie of the Year in 1967 with the New York Mets and finishing his career by helping the Boston Red Sox in 1986 to make the playoffs, eventually facing his former team, though he did not make a postseason appearance.
He made an All-Star game in his first season in the league, something he would do the first seven seasons of his career, then make 3 more after missing one. Overall, he made a dozen All-Star teams, selected to start the 1970 All-Star game.
Seaver was the spark on the mound behind one of the best narrative team stories in the game’s history, the 1969 Miracle Mets, as he won the NL Cy Young that season and finished 2nd in MVP voting, going 25-7, with a 2.21 ERA over 273 1/3 innings, striking out 208 hitters. He would pitch a gritty game in the NLCS against Atlanta before splitting two games against the Orioles in the World Series as the Mets won the improbable title.
Over his career, Seaver won 3 Cy Youngs while finishing in the top 5 in Cy Young voting 8 times. He also finished in the top 10 in MVP voting 5 times. When time came for his Hall of Fame voting to take his place in MLB history, Seaver was recognized for his prolonged excellence with the highest vote total ever received in Hall of Fame voting, receiving 98.8% of the voting in 1992 balloting.
Next: 1. Big Train
1. Walter Johnson, 417 wins, 2.17 ERA, 5,914 1/3 innings, 3,509 strikeouts, 165.2 bWAR
He was just a teenager when he came to the league in 1907, but he immediately showed the type of pitcher that he could be, posting a 1.88 ERA and striking out 71 hitters over 110 1/3 innings. Walter Perry Johnson was quite simply, the best to ever climb the hill.
Working from a low-3/4 arm slot, Johnson had a bit of deception to his pitches, but there was no deception in where the location would be. Johnson was known for his extreme precision with the ball, often hailed as one of the best pitching strategists in the history of the game, many hitters spoke about how Johnson would get them out on a tough pitch just on the outside corner of the plate, so they would be looking for it the next time they faced him, and he’d throw it, but a matter of inches different in location, and it made all the difference.
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In his time, the Senators ebbed and flowed as a team, giving him the chance to pitch in back to back World Series in 1924 and 1925, but finishing last or 7th in as many seasons (7) as finishing in 1st, 2nd, or 3rd combined. Through it all, Johnson gave the Senators a chance every time out, and he rarely allowed the opposition any chance to score, posting a sub-2 ERA in 11 of his first 13 seasons in the majors.
His battles with a young Babe Ruth of Boston on the mound are stuff of legend. Ruth defeated Johnson in their first 5 matchups, though it was as much due to a lack of support from his teammates for Johnson as anything. Over six times they faced one another on the mound, the Senators gave Johnson a total of 9 runs of support.
Big Train still holds the record for most shutouts in a career with 110, but perhaps the most remarkable statistic to consider, especially when compared to the modern era, is that in 802 appearances and nearly 6,000 innings, Walter Johnson allowed just 97 home runs, and while he got his start in 1907, when hitting double-digit home runs could make you the league leader, by the time he left the game, players had been topping 30 home runs regularly for nearly a decade. Ruth his his 60 in Johnson’s final season, yet that’s 2/3 of what Johnson allowed in his entire career!
Over his career, Walter won 3 pitching triple crowns, 2 MVP awards, and he was in the top 5 in MVP voting four times (and multiple of his best years occurred before any version of the MVP award was around). Johnson was elected to the Hall of Fame in the first class in 1936 with 83.6% of the vote.
Next: Top Ten Negro League Players
That is our view on the top 15 right-handed pitchers in MLB history. Who is too high? Who is too low? Who is omitted altogether? Tell us in the comments!