You would think it would be hard to rank a Pitcher who once lost 20 games in a season on a list for Hall of Fame consideration. Actually, it wasn’t that hard at all.
In the year that Jerry Koosman lost twenty games, his stat lines were actually decent. In fact, he led the National League in Strikeouts per Nine Innings that season; however, the run support that he received from his woeful Mets was virtually non-existent. It wasn’t always that way, as he was the lefty half of a powerful combination (with Tom Seaver) that propelled the “Miracle Mets” to the 1969 World Series. Considered to be the best lefty that the Mets ever had, Koosman won 140 games for them, which was impressive considering that New York was not particularly good for half of that tenure. With what was perceived as an up-and-down season, Koosman was resurrected in Minnesota and won 20 games, making a solid charge for the Cy Young, but again, he was saddled with a mediocre team, this time one out of the National spotlight.
Jerry Koosman was a very good pitcher who always seemed to be in the shadow of (Seaver) or in a small market. Sabremetrically, his career has enjoyed a better look (Career WAR of 58.8), but it probably won’t be enough to get him a serious look on a Veteran’s Committee Ballot. At least Mets fans knew how good Koosman really was.
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