CC Sabathia a HOFer? Topic

He just became the third lefty in history with 3,000 strikeouts which is an amazing accomplishment. Naturally, that led to speculation about his HOF candidacy. Although he doesn't jump out as a 1st ballot HOFer, 3,000 K's is one of those automatic numbers unless your name is Roger Clemens.

Highlights:
  • 2007 AL Cy Young award
  • 6x all-star
  • Finished top 5 Cy Young voting 5x
  • Received MVP votes in 5 different seasons
  • 2009 ALCS MVP
He only won more than 20 games once, and never led the league in K's which is remarkable for somebody that high of career total. 247 career wins and 38 complete games are pretty high totals for this era, but outside of his half season in Milwaukee in 2008, nothing really screams dominance but he has been durable for the most part.

What do y'all think? HOFer but not 1st ballot?
5/6/2019 4:00 PM (edited)
No.

Hall of FAME, not Hall of pretty good.
5/6/2019 4:35 PM
Good pitcher, but not a HOF one.
Only guys currently playing that are HOFers are Trout, Kershaw, Pujols, Miggy, Scherzer, and Verlander.
Recently retired guys Beltre, Beltran, Ortiz, and obviously Ichiro will get in too, I think.
5/6/2019 5:17 PM
Posted by bronxcheer on 5/6/2019 4:35:00 PM (view original):
No.

Hall of FAME, not Hall of pretty good.
It's already the Hall of Mediocre Longevity with the elections of Blyleven and Baines.
5/6/2019 5:21 PM
Posted by rjk2781 on 5/6/2019 5:17:00 PM (view original):
Good pitcher, but not a HOF one.
Only guys currently playing that are HOFers are Trout, Kershaw, Pujols, Miggy, Scherzer, and Verlander.
Recently retired guys Beltre, Beltran, Ortiz, and obviously Ichiro will get in too, I think.
I don't think Beltran is a slam dunk but agree with the rest of the players, once they all hit the 10 year playing requirement. Joey Votto is getting close to being a lock also. Did Cano's suspension last year eliminate him?

What about Francisco Rodriguez? 4th on the all-time saves list and much better than Lee Smith or Sutter!
5/6/2019 5:24 PM
I've heard a lot of support for Yadier Molina too simply based on Gold Gloves and defense.
5/6/2019 5:25 PM
Sabathia can move ahead of Bartolo Colon on the all-time wins list tonight!
5/6/2019 5:31 PM
Posted by Got_Worms on 5/6/2019 5:25:00 PM (view original):
I've heard a lot of support for Yadier Molina too simply based on Gold Gloves and defense.
Great point about Molina. With 9 gold gloves and 2 WS rings, he definitely belongs.
5/6/2019 5:44 PM
Posted by Got_Worms on 5/6/2019 5:24:00 PM (view original):
Posted by rjk2781 on 5/6/2019 5:17:00 PM (view original):
Good pitcher, but not a HOF one.
Only guys currently playing that are HOFers are Trout, Kershaw, Pujols, Miggy, Scherzer, and Verlander.
Recently retired guys Beltre, Beltran, Ortiz, and obviously Ichiro will get in too, I think.
I don't think Beltran is a slam dunk but agree with the rest of the players, once they all hit the 10 year playing requirement. Joey Votto is getting close to being a lock also. Did Cano's suspension last year eliminate him?

What about Francisco Rodriguez? 4th on the all-time saves list and much better than Lee Smith or Sutter!
I think Beltran has a strong case due to longevity and his post season hitting. His '04 postseason with the Astros was one for the ages. He also has over 400 homers and over 300 stolen bases, ROY, and 3 gold gloves (should have had more).
I don't see Votto as a HOF at all, though he does have an MVP to his credit. Cano's suspension might hurt him, I agree.
Good point about K-Rod. 437 saves is nothing to scoff at, and he does have his great 2008 season. I just don't know if I can consider him in the class of Rivera or Hoffman, where everyone knew the game was over when they were coming in. K-Rod could be a bit erratic. Though you are right, if Lee Smith got in, then K-Rod has a shot.
5/6/2019 6:08 PM
Perhaps pitcher strikeout totals won't be as relevant in this era since batters are striking out at record rates. Chris Davis already has 30 K's in 80 AB's!!
5/7/2019 3:07 PM
given the ballot logjam, I'd be surprised if he even gets 5%, not the kind of player people think of as a Hall of Famer.

although his career compares very favorably to recent inductee Jack Morris
5/9/2019 4:46 PM
Votto has a career slash line of .309/.425/.525. He's certainly worthy of the Hall.

Was surprised at how similar Zack Greinke's career numbers are to Verlander's, at least in the regular season.

Greinke: 2713 IP, 192-119 record, 3.39 ERA, 1.169 WHIP, 2485 Ks, 1 Cy Young
Verlander: 2809 IP, 209-124 record, 3.38 ERA, 1.157 WHIP, 2766 Ks, 1 Cy Young

I think Verlander will get in on the first ballot thanks to his strong postseason record and reputation as a big game pitcher, while Greinke will hang around for a while and eventually get in after a strong push from sabermetric types.



5/9/2019 5:10 PM
I don't see it with Votto. He's already 35 and sitting at 1,755 hits. Unless he goes on a massive tear and gets close to or reaches 3,000 hits (not happening) or wins some more hardware, he really doesn't have a case. In addition to not reaching hitting milestones whether they be for hits or homers (he's way off on that), his team has gone nowhere. He's only reached the postseason 3 times in 13 years and has been promptly eliminated those 3 times. Not a HOFer.
5/9/2019 6:34 PM
Edgar Martinez had 2200 career hits and 309 home runs, yet everyone recognized he was great at hitting despite him not reaching any traditional milestones or winning any MVPs or playing in the World Series. he eventually got voted in, and it would have happened a lot sooner if he hadn't been a full time DH, which Votto is not.

It's 2019, man. Voters are not looking at the same things they looked at in 1990. Leading the league in on-base percentage seven times in ten years, and doing so while hitting for power, is nearly worthy of the Hall by itself.








5/9/2019 7:36 PM
Posted by rjk2781 on 5/9/2019 6:34:00 PM (view original):
I don't see it with Votto. He's already 35 and sitting at 1,755 hits. Unless he goes on a massive tear and gets close to or reaches 3,000 hits (not happening) or wins some more hardware, he really doesn't have a case. In addition to not reaching hitting milestones whether they be for hits or homers (he's way off on that), his team has gone nowhere. He's only reached the postseason 3 times in 13 years and has been promptly eliminated those 3 times. Not a HOFer.
Votto's counting numbers are greatly diminished by the high number of walks he takes, which he's led the league in 5 times, and led the league in OBP an astounding 7 times.

It's not his fault the Reds have sucked during his career. They are finally turning it around.

Stat heads will drool over him when he reaches the ballot!
5/10/2019 1:24 PM
1|2|3...8 Next ▸
CC Sabathia a HOFer? Topic

Search Criteria

Terms of Use Customer Support Privacy Statement

© 1999-2024 WhatIfSports.com, Inc. All rights reserved. WhatIfSports is a trademark of WhatIfSports.com, Inc. SimLeague, SimMatchup and iSimNow are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts, Inc. Used under license. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.