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

A Case for CC Sabathia to the HOF (3/5)

Additionally, Yankees LHP CC Sabathia’s ability to reinvent himself for a second wind after a battle with alcoholism that plagued his career (and more importantly, his life) for three years shows he didn’t just have physical “pitchability”; he had a high pitching IQ for the game.

After spending 2013-15 looking washed up, his fastball gone and allowing 10 H/9 and 1.4 HR/9, with a subpar 83 ERA+ (100 is average), a 4.81 ERA (4.40 FIP), and 1.40 WHIP, he has surged back since then with an 8.5 H/9 and 1.2 HR/9, 118 ERA+, 3.70 ERA (4.43 FIP), and 1.29 WHIP. He’s not nearly the dominant force he once was, but he has settled back in to be a very nice veteran option as a #4 starter.

Hall of Fame’s website dictates that any induction should factor in “player’s record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played.”

To be able to recover from serious addiction, reinvent himself as a man and secondarily as a pitcher at the age of 35 without the fastball that used to be his bread and butter, adding a cutter to his arsenal with the help of former teammate Andy Pettitte, and do all of this under the intense scrutiny of New York media, takes a mental sharpness, self-awareness, integrity, commitment, and skill. Already, we’ve established all but one of the criteria listed above.