NFL HoF

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by slotdirt

Hunter led the league in ERA precisely one time. He led the league in ERA+ precisely zero times.

Also, re: 1973, 21-5 and 3.34 are great, but as anybody who's watched a baseball game ever knows, wins are literally 50% influenced by somebody other than the pitcher, and aside from finishing 4th in wins and first in HR's allowed, Hunter missed finishing in the top 10 that year in any single measurable pitching category for the season.

His career ERA+ was basically the level of a replacement player. There are no amount of phony award votes that can argue him out of the fact he was a perfectly average pitcher for some very, very awesome teams.

His career ERA is unduly influenced by his last three subpar years where he was battling well known arm issues and never made it through the season. He has a good career and if you took out the last injury riddled years his rankings would be even better

[slotdirt]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

His career ERA is unduly influenced by his last three subpar years where he was battling well known arm issues and never made it through the season. He has a good career and if you took out the last injury riddled years his rankings would be even better

I'll let you take out his last four season, and you know what his career ERA+ becomes? 109. Still not HOF caliber. He also goes down below 200 wins at that point. With his career peak and the (relatively) short career, I'd say the fact that he lasted those last four years are the reason why he made it to the HOF.

Still, no denying there are about a dozen currently active pitchers with superior metrics to Catfish Hunter. I'd be about five of them end up in the HOF.