Yankees: Does CC Sabathia Have A Hall of Fame “LegaCCy”?

A Case for CC Sabathia to the HOF (1/5)

First, let’s look at everyone’s favorite generalizing quantifier these days: Wins Above Replacement (WAR). From 2001-2019, Yankees LHP CC Sabathia was 2nd in the MLB in WAR among starting pitchers, and was just one of four to post a mark of 60+ (he totaled 66.2, trailing only Justin Verlander and ahead of more than two-dozen pitchers who have already entered the Hall of Fame).

In his career, he’s only had three total seasons in which he failed to post a WAR of 2.0 or better: 2014 (he pitched only eight games), 2015 (he battled alcohol addiction), and 2017 (injuries limited him to under 150 IP, but he still only finished 0.1-WAR short of the mark).

Sabathia was also one of the last of a breed of “workhorse” starters, a la Roy Halladay and the like. While only 13 starters since 2001 have started 400 or more games or pitched 2500+ innings, Sabathia laps the entire group, topping both lists at a staggering 545 starts and 3506.1 innings.

In an era in which the bullpen has risen to prominence, he sits 39th in innings pitched among qualified starting pitchers since 1923 (a group which includes 1715 players, placing him in the top 2.3%).

At least two relief pitchers being used by a team in a game has been the average since 1990 according to FiveThirtyEight, so the fact that he remains in the top 40 for a span that predates that timeframe by almost seven decades lends credence to what a true quality innings eater he has been throughout his career. He also finished 2nd to Roy Halladay in complete games since 2001 (38, a distant second place to Doc’s 65).