MLB all-time lists: The expansion era’s 10 best starting pitchers
By Bill Felber
MLB all-time lists: Cumulative career ERA+
This category, which is simply the sum of each starter’s ERA+ values, is different from the standard career ERA+, which is essentially the player’s career average. Cumulative career ERA+ is designed to reward longevity. It is essentially a counter-balance to the first, peak-performance oriented, category.
Here’s the top 10.
| Player | Cumulative ERA+ |
|---|---|
| 1. Roger Clemens | 3,554 |
| 2. Greg Maddux | 3,163 |
| 3. Randy Johnson | 2,912 |
| 4. John Smoltz | 2,888 |
| 5. Nolan Ryan | 2,852 |
| 6. Pedro Martinez | 2,756 |
| 7. Phil Niekro | 2,691 |
| 8. Bert Blyleven | 2,590 |
| 9. Tom Seaver | 2,584 |
| 10. Don Sutton | 2,550 |
Roger Clemens lasted 24 seasons, and eight times had his league’s best ERA+. The timing of his excellence was fascinatingly diverse: Scores of 211 at age 27, 222 at age 34 and 226 at age 42.
Greg Maddux was a five-time leader in ERA+. Randy Johnson won six ERA+ titles, five of them after age 35.
Given the seasons spent in the bullpen, is John Smoltz’s status so high in this category surprising? That period actually helped him. In 2003, when Smoltz made 62 relief appearances and no starts, he had a 1.12 ERA over 64 innings, creating a freaky 385 OPS+. While his 141 peak rating encompasses only his years as a starter, his cumulative career total is boosted by that and one or two other inflated relief ratings.