Wes Ferrell’s first four years as a regular in the Indians rotation saw him win twenty games. He would do so again on two more occasions utilizing a brilliant fastball. He was one of the only pitchers to retire with a winning percentage over .600 and he did so as an innings eating starter. Ferrell also may be one of the games greatest hitting pitchers as he has decent power numbers and a lifetime .280 average.
His numbers began to sharply decline as his arm gave and he was not able to make career numbers that would have ensured him a Cooperstown plaque. If he was alive today, he would likely be fighting for that slot.
Should Wes Ferrell be in the Hall of Fame?
Definitely put him in! - 68.3%
Maybe, but others deserve it first. - 13.3%
Probably not, but it wouldn't be the end of the world. - 11.7%
No opinion. - 0%
No way! - 6.7%
Comments
"Good man" doesn't really scream "Hall of Famer," nor even whisper it, does it?
Not a fan of wins as a measure of a pitcher's effectivenes s--too team-depende nt. Over his career, Ferrell averaged 5.5 runs of offensive support in the innings pitched of games he started (323 of 374 total appearances) ; that was 5.7 runs of offensive support for games that he started overall. MLB averages for RS were 4.9 and 4.5, respectively.
His career ERA was 4.04, and allowing for the 205 career unearned runs he allowed over his 1177 career earned runs, he still comes out ahead. He started 74 games in which he received two runs or fewer runs in support (12-61 W-L), 107 GS with three to five runs in support (57-46 W-L), and 142 GS with six or more runs in support (112-11 W-L).
Ferrell's career FIP (field-indep endent pitching), ERA that factors only the "three true outcomes" stats, or those results controlled by either the pitcher or the hitter only (walks, strikeouts, home runs, hits by pitch), is 4.23, higher than his 4.04 ERA. His defense helped him out a bit here.
His other rate stats are hardly HoF-caliber. He walked 55 more hitters than he struck out, and with a hits-per-nin e innings of 9.8, his WHIP (walks plus hits per innings pitched) is a bloated 1.481.
You can argue that these stats didn't exist in Ferrell's day, and that's true. But they're derived from the record he generated at the time he played, and even if no one had qualified his record until recent decades, Hall voters, whether the writers or a veterans committee, seemed to be unimpressed all the same.
Not really a short career (Ferrell's lasted 15 seasons overall), but rather a short peak, from 1929 to 1936. He might have had six 20-game seasons, but he fell just short of 200 wins in an era when starters went the distance more often (he led the league in complete games four times and had six years with 25 or more), increasing the odds of getting the decision, and wins were the measure of a pitcher's "effectiveness."
Wes Ferrell is a novelty as he generated nearly 12 wins above a replacement player (bWAR) as a hitter alone, but as a pitcher he is Hall of Good, even Hall of Very Good, but not Hall of Fame.
For pitchers in the modern era (1901 to now), that seems to be true. Still a few 19th-century pitchers with five or more seasons of 20-plus wins who are not in yet, though.
if ya won 6 times...they should build a separate wing......
soooo tired of hearing that he was ''one of the best hitters in baseball''
He was THE THE BEST HITTER in baseball ...period
numero UNO....that means..NOBOD Y WAS BETTER. NOBODY is higher...can people understand that?
he was NUMBER ONE.......period
This 6 time 20 game winner (for losing teams) should be in the Hall of Fame....
Shame on the hall of fame...
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