CC Sabathia: Hall of Famer?

So probably ... randomness.

 

I don't think I'd say randomness. I think you could make the case that, for his five-year prime, Sabathia was undeniably great: top-5 Cy Young voting every year, won 95 games, was the ace of a world championship team, the biggest trade-deadline prize of one year and the biggest free agent of the next, etc. But in the six seasons before that and the six-plus seasons after that, he was a first-half pitcher who tired as the season went on. He never received a single Cy Young vote outside of that '07-'11 prime, and he had some dreadful playoff outings in '10, '11, and '12 with the Yankees.

Right now? I don't think this is a slam dunk. In 30 or 40 years, are we going to look back and say he was one of the great pitchers of the early 21st century? Based on how the role of starting pitchers has changed, maybe.

 

I don’t see how he goes in before Pettitte or Mussina. I think voters will tend to group those three together as Yankees, however accurate that is. Pettitte is seen as the big game pitcher and Mussina had a longer peak and closed his career with a 20-win season. Of course I think Mussina should already be in, Pettite not so much.

 

Dickie that's a tougher question. I don't know if you give him a curve, but think him admitting his problem and getting help is a positive. Also a positive that he
is a good guy and a good family man. Yes, of course Mantle was an all-time great, but his lifestyle along with his knee injury make most people say, 'if he
only didn't live like that and get hurt he may have been the best ever.'

 

I don’t buy all that. The knee injury obviously affected him, but maybe his lifestyle maybe him more relaxed or less anxious. Different era, but maybe he needed the booze to cope with the pressure, something he might have been able to handle with pot cookies or microdosing nowadays. Not kidding.

 

Drinking a little may relax you, drinking enough to cause liver damage not really.

 

I reject your premise.

 

He won't go in before Mussina -- even if this was Sabathia's last season, Mussina will get in before CC's waiting period to be on the ballot is over (He's 49 votes shy now)

 

Mussina has waited far too long.

 

An almost two month update: As of right now,

he's 17th in strikeouts (97 from 3,000)
he 39th in games started (28 from 550)
he's 56th in wins (9 from 250)
he's 84th in innings pitched (113 from 3,500)

 

Final start was today so if he doesn't come back in 2019:

he's 17th in strikeouts (14 from 3,000)
he tied for 33rd in games started (14 from 550)
he's tied for 51st in wins (4 from 250)
he's 75th in innings pitched (30 from 3,500)

 

Plus he nailed a guy in retaliation for Austin Romine getting thrown at. It probably cost him $500K, as he was due to make that as an incentive for 155 IP, which he fell two innings short of. HOF rejection.