Greatest LHPs in MLB history: 9. Carl Hubbell
- 1,677 strikeouts
- 2.98 career ERA
- 68.2 career WAR
Carl Hubbell is one of the older players on this list as he barely makes the live-ball cut-off that we established. Hubbell debuted in 1928 and pitched in the big leagues until 1943 at the age of 40 and was never really that bad of a starting option.
Hubbell’s strikeout numbers are really low compared to the other southpaws that are this high on the list but that is more indicative of his era than anything. While his era did not help with strikeouts, it does help with ERA, as pitchers from this era naturally have lower ERAs.
That does not make what Hubbell accomplished any less impressive, though. Hubbell’s 2.98 career ERA is actually the second-lowest among any pitcher on this list. He led the league in ERA three times, so he was even great compared to his peers.
Hubbell won two MVP awards, was named an all-star nine times and led the 1933 New York Giants to win the World Series. That was the first of Hubbell’s MVP seasons.
Hubbell is a name that does get lost in the history books and most modern baseball fans probably are not familiar with the Hall of Fame southpaw. That does not matter, though, as he is still a top 10 left-handed pitcher of all-time.