New York Mets: Ranking Tom Seaver among MLB’s greatest pitchers
By Bill Felber
Career WAR
Wins Above Replacement (WAR) is among the most widely understood of modern measuring tools. Briefly, it rates each player based on the number of “wins” his seasonal performance amounted to compared with a theoretical “replacement” player.
When Seaver retired he ranked sixth all-time in career WAR with a total of 106.0. The only five pitchers ahead of him at that time were Cy Young (165.7), Walter Johnson (151.9), Kid Nichols (116.7), Grover Cleveland Alexander (116.0) and Lefty Grove (113.3.)
Since his retirement, only one pitcher – Roger Clemens (138.7) has surpassed Seaver’s total.
He continues to rank ahead of such fellow All-Stars as Greg Maddux, Randy Johnson, Christy Mathewson, Steve Carlton, Nolan Ryan, and Spahn.
Seaver had two seasons with double-digit WAR (10.2 in 1971, 10.6 in 1973, meaning he improved his team’s win total by more than 10 games in those two seasons. Since Seaver’s New York Mets won the 1973 World Series after taking the NL East by just a game and a half, it’s easy to make the case that Seaver was the difference in the team’s World Championship season.
In 1969, Seaver’s most famous season, he produced a 7.2 WAR. The New York Mets won the NL East by eight games. In that fall’s World Series against Baltimore, Seaver started twice, with a 1-1 record.