Greatest LHPs in MLB history: 15. Billy Wagner
- 1,196 strikeouts
- 422 saves
- 2.31 ERA
Billy Wagner is the greatest left-handed relief pitcher of all-time and it is a shame that he is not getting the traction he deserves to get into the Hall of Fame. He still has time on the ballot but voters need to get over the closer stigma and give Wagner his due credit.
Wagner finished two saves behind Franco for the most by a left-handed pitcher but he had far better career numbers. His ERA was much better and the strikeout advantage is comparable to an entire season for a starting pitcher.
Wagner was named the Rolaids Reliever of the year just once but he did make the All-Star Game seven times in his career. Outside of getting hurt and pitching poorly in 2000, Wagner dominated the league during the steroid era, which was not easy to do.
Wagner finished with 30 or more saves nine times in his career, including the last season of his career at the age of 40, and finished with 40 or more saves twice. He is sixth on the all-time saves list and if he did not get hurt in 2000, then he would likely rank fourth all-time.
You may have noticed that the three highest-ranked relievers on this list were all ranked next to each other. That is on purpose. While Wagner has a Hall of Fame case, we do have respect for the overall workload of being a starting pitcher. Thus, it seemed fitting to rank the best left-handed reliever of all-time smack-dab in the middle of the list right at 15.