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2. Bret Saberhagen

2. Bret Saberhagen
  1. General
  2. Awards
  3. Career Stats
  • Born: April 11, 1964 in Chicago Heights, IL USA
  • Weight: 160 lbs.
  • Height: 6'1"
  • Bats: R
  • Throws: R
  • Debut: April 04, 1984
  • Final Game: August 07, 2001
  • Babe Ruth Award - 1985
  • Cy Young Award - 1985
  • TSN All-Star - 1985
  • TSN Pitcher of the Year - 1985
  • World Series MVP - 1985
  • Cy Young Award - 1989
  • Gold Glove - 1989
  • TSN All-Star - 1989
  • TSN Pitcher of the Year - 1989
  • Cy Young - 1985
  • Cy Young - 1989
  • Cy Young - 1994
  • MVP - 1985
  • MVP - 1989
  • MVP - 1994
 
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Bret Saberhagen played the first eight of his seasons in the Majors with the Kansas City Royals and there was a definite pattern to his annual performances:  If the season was an even number Saberhagen likely had a subpar campaign.  If it was an odd number, it was a good one...in some cases it was very good! 

As a member of the Royals, Saberhagen had a decent record of 110 and 78 with 1,093 Strikeouts but it was a pair of seasons where he was the best in the business where he will always be remembered. 

The first was 1985, where at the age of 21 he would win the Cy Young Award and hurl the Royals into a World Series Championship where he was named the MVP with a 0.50 ERA in two Complete Games.  His second was in 1989, where he would again win the Cy Young with a 23 and 6 Record while leading the American League in ERA, WHIP, FIP and SO/BB. 

As of this writing we are confident in ranking Saberhagen as the greatest Pitcher in Royals history.  Kansas City inducted Saberhagen into their Hall of Fame in 2005.

The Bullet Points

  • Position: Pitcher
  • Acquired: Selected in the 19th Round in the Amateur Draft. 6/7/82.
  • Departed: Traded to the New York Mets with Bill Pecota for Gregg Jeffries, Kevin McReynolds and Keith Miller. 12/11/91.
  • Games Played: 252
  • Notable Statistics: 110 Wins
    78 Losses
    3.21 ERA
    226 Games Started
    64 Complete Games
    14 Shutouts
    13 Games Finished
    1 Save
    1,660.1 Innings Pitched
    1,093 Strikeouts
    3.10 FIP
    1.134 WHIP
    3.30 SO/BB
    40.7 bWAR

    5 Playoff Games
    2 Wins
    0 Losses
    2.16 ERA
    5 Games Started
    2 Complete Games
    1 Shutout
    33.1 Innings Pitched
    21 Strikeouts
    0.99 WHIP
    5.25 SO/BB
  • Major Accolades and Awards:

    World Series Champion (1985)
    Cy Young (1985 & 1989)
    The Sporting News Pitcher of the Year (1985 & 1989)
    All-Star (1987 & 1990)
    World Series MVP (1985)
    Gold Glove (1989)
    Babe Ruth Award (1985)
    Highest bWAR for Pitchers (1985 & 1989)
    Most Wins (1989)
    Lowest WHIP (1985 & 1989)
    Lowest BB/9 (1985)
    Most Innings Pitched (1989)
    Most Complete Games (1989)
    Highest SO/BB (1985 & 1989)
    Highest ERA+ (1989)
    Lowest FIP (1985 & 1989)
    Highest Win Probability Added (1985 & 1989)
    Highest Championship Win Probability Added (1985 & 1989)

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