Examining the Hall of Fame case for Los Angeles Angels pitcher Chuck Finley

If you were a fan of baseball in the late 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s, you probably know the name Chuck Finley. You probably remember him as a pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels (then named the California Angels and later, the Anaheim Angels) and you probably remember that he was a pretty good pitcher.

Personally, that’s what I remember most about him (as well as his few seasons with the then-named Cleveland Indians and a season with the St. Louis Cardinals). But you (and I) probably don’t remember thinking “this guy is a Hall of Famer.” After all, that’s what the BBWAA voters thought at the time thought too. He was a five-time All-Star but received Cy Young votes only once (a seventh-place finish in 1990).

But maybe we were all wrong. Upon further examination into his career, perhaps he should have had more accolades and consideration for the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Chuck Finley has a better case for the Baseball Hall of Fame than you’d think

Chuck Finley spent parts of 17 seasons in the major leagues from 1986 through 2002, spending 14 of those seasons with the Los Angeles Angels.

He has a career record of 200-173 with an ERA of 3.85, a FIP of 3.91, and an ERA+ of 115. He was an All-Star five times (1989-1990, 1995-96, 2000), but two of his top three seasons were seasons that he was not an All-Star.

His best season was in 1990 when he was an All-Star and came in 7th in AL Cy Young Award voting. He went 18-9 with a 2.40 ERA in 32 starts. He had seven complete games, two shutouts, a 158 ERA+, a 3.30 FIP, and an rWAR of 7.7. That WAR was second among AL pitchers that year.

In 1998 and 1993 (his two best seasons after 1990), he was mainly a victim of being on bad teams and getting little run support. In 1998, the Angels were a decent team (85-77 record) but he went 11-9. He had an ERA of 3.39 in 34 starts (140 ERA+) along with a FIP of 3.95.

In 1998, the average runs scored per game was 5.01 in the American League but the Angels scored four or fewer runs in 22 of his 32 starts. He had a WAR of 7.2, which was fourth among AL pitchers. Two of the three pitchers ahead of him were Roger Clemens and Pedro Martinez, two of the best pitchers ever.

In 1993, he went 16-14 with a 3.15 ERA in 35 starts. He led the majors with 13 complete games and a 142 ERA+. The Angels were a terrible team (71-91) with one of the worst offenses in the league, as their 90 OPS+ was second-worst in the AL. They held up to that level for Finley.

The average runs scored per game in the AL in 1993 was 4.71. Chuck Finley received four or fewer runs of support in 23 of his 35 starts. The team lost eventually lost 17 of the games that he started (14 losses for him and three no-decisions). They scored more than three runs in four of those losses and more than four runs in two of them.

In 1993, he had a WAR of 7.1, which was fourth among pitchers in the AL. One of the pitchers ahead of him was Mark Langston, who was Finley’s teammate … and the Angels still lost 91 games. That shows you how bad the run support was for the Angels, especially in the highest-scoring era of the history of the sport.

Overall, Finley had seven seasons with a WAR of 4.0 or above and a career rWAR of 58.3 as a pitcher (since he was such a poor hitter in the NL, his career rWAR with his hitting career included is 57.9).

For his overall 57.9 WAR, that is tied for 212th all-time among all players and tied for 78th among primary starting pitchers. Two pre-World War II era Hall of Famers are just ahead of Finley but among modern Hall of Famers, that is above Jim Kaat, Sandy Koufax, Bob Lemon, Jack Morris, and Catfish Hunter.

Finley’s case, arguably, gets stronger with WAR7, though. WAR7 looks at a player’s WAR in their best seven seasons. His 39.5 WAR7 is 99th all-time but it is in the ballpark of some recent Hall of Famer starters or some future ones. C.C. Sabathia (who has a good case for the Baseball Hall of Fame in the near future) is just below Finley at 39.4. Also below Finley are modern Hall of Famers Early Wynn, Bob Lemon, John Smoltz, Jim Kaat, Catfish Hunter, Don Sutton, and Jack Morris.

When you balance WAR and WAR7 (when balanced, it’s called JAWS), Finley is 80th all-time at 48.7. That is just below Sabathia, Sutton, and Wynn but just above Koufax, Whitey Ford, Kaat, and Lemon with Morris and Hunter well below Finley.

Furthermore, Finley’s 115 ERA+ among some all-time great starting pitchers. Phil Niekro, Steve Carlton, Ferguson Jenkins, and Jim Bunning all have a career ERA+ of 115 as well. Hall of Famers below Finley include Nolan Ryan (112), Don Sutton (108), Jim Kaat (108), Early Wynn (107), Jack Morris (105), and Catfish Hunter (104).

Perhaps Chuck Finley isn’t a Baseball Hall of Famer but looking at the numbers makes you think that he, at least, has a better case than you initially thought just a few moments ago.