Former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling did get a big jump in Hall of Fame votes on Wednesday, but he was not a fringe pitcher. He should already be there.
One of the bigger sub-storylines from Wednesday’s Hall of Fame announcement was the huge bounce Curt Schilling received from voters. Boston.com’s Chris Greenberg discussed the jump Schilling made from 39.2 percent in 2015 to 52.3 percent this year. Basically, Schilling fell short by just 100 votes meaning that it feels like he will eventually get in considering this was just his fourth year of eligibility. It’s just a shame it’s going to take so long for a guy that certainly deserves to have his name forever enshrined in Cooperstown.
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While the debate on Schilling usually focuses on him being a borderline hall of famer due to his numbers, I actually believe that his numbers do reinforce that he is one of the best of his generation. His career record is 216-146. 216 wins is not jaw-dropping, but is certainly good enough to get in to the HOF once you glance over the current crop of pitchers that are already in. His ERA of 3.46 is definitely on the high end of the spectrum, but is not so awful that it should effect his votes, especially considering he pitched consistently for twenty seasons.
Strikeouts are a strong category for Schilling. He compiled a total of 3,116 while only walking 711 batters and led the league twice in strikeouts. According to Mike Axisa from cbssports.com, Schillings strikeouts-to-walks ratio of 4.38 is the second best all-time among pitchers with 1,000 career innings. His legendary pin-point accuracy and command of the strike zone should be enough to put him in Cooperstown.
Also from CBS’s Mike Axisa: “Schilling retired with 80.7 WAR, which ranks 26th all-time among pitchers, just behind Hall of Famer Bob Gibson (81.9) and a bit ahead of Hall of Famer Tom Glavine (74.0).” Sure, WAR has just recently become a go-to stat amongst numbers nerds who are addicted to Fangraphs, but it is useful in helping to describe just how effective Schilling was throughout his career.
There is no way to know what every voter’s criteria is or what factors they weigh more than others, which is why the subjectivity of the whole thing sparks debate and can be frustrating at times. But one has to think that postseason performance and results have to be addressed at some point. This is where Schilling truly rises in my opinion. An 11-2 record in 19 starts (his team went on to win three of the six games in which he recorded a no-decision) with an ERA of 2.23 and an astonishing WHIP of 0.97.
Schilling was a member of three World Series winners – one in the NL with the Arizona Diamondbacks in which he was named co-MVP with fellow ace Randy Johnson and two more with the Boston Red Sox in the AL. The Sox championship in 2004 is of course extremely relevant in that it ended the historic 86 year drought without a World Series win for the Fenway gang. When you think of that amazing season, Schilling is one of the first names that comes to mind. His performance in game six of the ALCS against the Yankees in which Boston was attempting to come back from a three games to one deficit has become folklore. BoSox Injection’s very own Rick McNair discussed that game a few weeks ago in his pitch to see Schill get into the HOF. The game has of course become known as the “bloody sock” game.
I think a good amount of voters get caught up in awards and recognitions, and Schilling not having a Cy Young Award hurts him in that area. But let’s be honest here – he finished second in Cy Young voting two years in a row in the NL (2001 and 2002) and was second once in the AL (2004). He also made six All-Star appearances. This all proves to me that Schilling was one of the best pitchers of his generation, which is truly what the Hall of Fame is all about – right?
Perhaps not. There have been whispers that Schilling’s political beliefs, as discussed by Will Leitch on Bloomberg.com, as well as his willingness to be outspoken about them have prevented him from obtaining the necessary amount of votes. I am hoping this is not the case. Yes, there is a character clause that HOF voters use to determine if a player is worthy, but by all accounts, Schilling was always a stand-up guy who was never in any kind of legal trouble. Fiery, wordy and boisterous at times he may have been, but a bad person he was and is not.
This is a guy that did this consistently for twenty seasons besides some hiccups toward the end of his career with injuries. He was able to have success in the both the National League and American League, something that can’t be taken for granted (especially in the AL East) in the modern era with the DH. Also, if voters are going to hold PED use against some players, then the fact that a large portion of his career was during the PED era should help his case. I’m not advocating for rewarding guys for simply being “clean”, rather I’m saying their performance versus PED users should be considered.
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Add it all up … his numbers, postseason performance and championship acumen scream Hall of Famer to me. The increase in votes in one year would certainly lead one to believe that Schilling will eventually find himself in the Hall. I’m just wondering what the hold-up is.