Write On Sports LLC - "The Best Pitcher of All Time (Part Three)" by Troy Somero

The Best Pitcher of All Time (Part Three)

2007-06-10 20:15:36 | By: Troy Somero

In Part One of this study to determine who is the best pitcher of all time, the collection, re-ranking and averaging of career-long statistics for the game's 16 greatest pitchers led to the conclusion that Walter Johnson is the best pitcher of all time. Part Two of the study looked at the career numbers for each pitcher narrowed down to a hypothetic 162-game season, concluding that with all playing conditions held equal, Pedro Martinez is the greatest pitcher of all time based on his average statistics per season.

Therefore, at the conclusion of Part Two we were left with two competing conclusions. First, Walter Johnson is the best pitcher of all time because he has the best career-long statistics out of any pitcher in history. Second, Pedro Martinez is the best pitcher of all time because with all other non-pitching factors neutralized, Martinez's statistics would have been superior to any other pitcher's numbers. The last task remaining in this three-part study is to reconcile these first two parts of the study in order to reach a decisive conclusion on who *truly *is the best pitcher of all time.

Simply stated, the first two parts of this study have led with equal impact to Part Three. The results from the first part of the study, when combined with the results from the second part of the study, will enable us to reach a final conclusion. Below are the two charts presented at the conclusion of Part One and Part Two, respectively. Remember that these charts were created to rank the 16 pitchers in the study based on select career statistics and select hypothetical single-season statistics.

CHART 3

Player	Average Rank Across All Categories	Index
Walter Johnson	5.5	1
Christy Mathewson	5.625	2
Pedro Martinez	6	3
Roger Clemens	6.5	4
Cy Young	6.625	5
Grover Alexander	7.75	6
Greg Maddux	7.875	7
Joe Wood	8.5	8
Randy Johnson	8.875	9
Tom Seaver	9.25	10
Sandy Koufax	9.625	11
Bob Gibson	10	12
Lefty Grove	10.125	13
Nolan Ryan	11	4
Warren Spahn	1	14
Steve Carlton	11.125	16

CHART 4

Player	Average Rank Across All Categories	Index
Pedro Martinez	5.778	1
Christy Mathewson	5.887	2
Joe Wood	6.222	3
Sandy Koufax	6.444	4
Tom Seaver	7.333	5
Randy Johnson	7.556	6
Roger ClemensTD>	7.889	7
Walter Johnson	7.889	7
Grover Alexander	8	9
Bob Gibson	8.667	10
Greg Maddux	8.667	10
Nolan Ryan	9.333	12
Cy Young	9.333	12
Warren Spahn	10.556	14
Steve Carlton	10.667	14
Lefty Grove	11.333	16

To conclude the study, I have taken the average of the two Average Rank Across All Categories numbers from the two charts above for each pitcher and re-ranked them based on this final average. For example, Walter Johnson garnered a 5.5 in the first chart and a 7.889 in the second chart, leaving him with a final average of 6.695 ((5.5 + 7.889) / 2 = 6.695). The chart below lists the final rankings.

CHART 5

Player	Average Rank Across All Categories	Final Ranking
Christy Mathewson	5.756	1
Pedro Martinez	5.889	2
Walter Johnson	6.695	3
Roger Clemens	7.195	4
Joe Wood	7.361	5
Grover Alexander	7.875	6
Cy Young	7.979	7
Sandy Koufax	8.035	8
Randy Johnson	8.216	9
Tom Seaver	8.230	10
Greg Maddux	8.271	11
Bob Gibson	9.334	12
Nolan Ryan	10.167	13
Lefty Grove	10.729	14
Warren Spahn	10.778	15
Steve Carlton	10.896	16

Despite not taking the top spot in either of the first two parts of the study, it appears that Christy Mathewson has earned the place atop the list of baseball's greatest pitchers. By placing a very close second to Walter Johnson in Part One and a very close second to Pedro Martinez in Part Two, there is little doubt that Mathewson's lifetime numbers, both season-long and career-long, are better than any pitcher in history.

Born in Pennsylvania and a graduate from Bucknell University, Mathewson pitched for 18 seasons with the New York Giants and Cincinnati Reds from 1900-1918, earning three nicknames along the way: "Big Six", "The Christian Gentleman", and "Matty". Today he still ranks third all-time in wins (373), eighth all-time in ERA (2.13), and fifth all-time in WHIP (1.059). Not only did Mathewson win the National League's Pitching Triple Crown twice (1905, 1908), but he also *invented* a pitch that is still used by select pitchers to this day: the screwball.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Mathewson's career as a big leaguer is that fact that he, more so than any other pitcher in history, was able to build an impressive pitching resume based evenly on career longevity and statistical success. Considering the well over one-thousand pitchers that have pitched in major league history, it is astounding that Mathewson ranks no lower than 31st in any of the statistics researched in Part One of this study. Matty is the only pitcher in history that can say this. In addition, his theoretical 162 game season averages are just as impressive: a 21-10 record (first in wins in the study), 274 innings pitched (2), 2.98strikeouts-to-walks ratio (4), 2.88 ERA (8), and a 1.059 WHIP (3). The stats are not vastly overpowering, but it is clear that there are few, if any weaknesses in Mathewson's hypothetical numbers.

Whether the statistics are considered in the context of history or in the vacuum of theory, it is clear that Christy Mathewson has the most impressive collection of pitching statistics in baseball history. Many of his career marks were complete almost a century ago, but Mathewson still ranks at the top of baseball's all-time lists in every significant pitching statistic. No other pitcher in history can make this claim to the same degree as Matty. This is the main reason why Christy Mathewson ranks first on the chart above, and this is the main reason why he is the best pitcher of all time.