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Clayton Kershaw: Hall of Famer?

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Dick Whitman, Jul 27, 2014.

  1. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    Look again.

    You're a line off.
     
  2. Versatile

    Versatile Active Member

    What?

    He was pitching in a different league and era. And he was the hands-down best pitcher in baseball for five years. I don't think Kershaw can say that. Felix Hernandez is better than Kershaw.
     
  3. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    No, Felix Hernadez is not.
     
  4. Steak Snabler

    Steak Snabler Well-Known Member

    Santana's career ERA was 3.20. LTL misread his Baseball Reference page.
     
  5. Versatile

    Versatile Active Member

    Dick Whitman, do you believe the leagues are relatively equal in talent?
     
  6. LongTimeListener

    LongTimeListener Well-Known Member

    Ah, that I did. Mistake for me.

    OK, 3.20.

    Maybe he gets in, as Dick said.

    But he is not a Kershaw comparable.

    Really, Koufax is a comp, as hard as that is to believe. Or Maddux's four-year run is (Maddux was better, true). Or Randy Johnson's four-year run or Pedro's.
     
  7. Steak Snabler

    Steak Snabler Well-Known Member

    Yeah, if you want to make a Koufax 1962-66 comp, Pedro's 1999-2003 is a good place to start ... or end.
     
  8. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    Kershaw has a 2.47 ERA lifetime against A.L. teams.

    Felix has a 2.59 ERA lifetime against N.L. teams.
     
  9. Versatile

    Versatile Active Member

    Over Santana's first seven seasons as a full-time major leaguer, his ERA was 2.86. That was during an era of substantially higher run totals. They had the same strikeout ratio, and Santana had a better walk ratio. The only real gap was an easily attributable home run ratio difference (1.0 per nine innings for Santana, 0.5 for Kershaw).
     
  10. LongTimeListener

    LongTimeListener Well-Known Member

    I can see you're committed to your fantasy.

    Worth noting also that Santana won two Cy Young Awards, not three, and not in consecutive years. He was one of the best pitchers of his era. He might make the Hall, I guess. But he just didn't do what Kershaw is doing.
     
  11. Mr. Sunshine

    Mr. Sunshine Well-Known Member

    Santana struggled at the end of his career, and whether you like it or not, that hurts his legacy. Had Santana been injured and never pitched again or retired on the heels of the years you mentioned, you could talk HOF. The original post alluded to such a scenario. If Kershaw suddenly becomes mortal and hangs around for a number of years, then this debate is moot.
     
  12. LongTimeListener

    LongTimeListener Well-Known Member

    The third Cy will change that, though.

    The third Cy will make him automatic. Takes him out of Lincecum/Saberhagen territory and into this full list: Clemens, Johnson, Carlton, Maddux, Koufax, Martinez, Palmer, Seaver.
     
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