14. Rick Reuschel

Published in Top 50 Chicago Cubs
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General
Awards
Career Stats

Born: May 16, 1949 in Quincy, IL USA
Weight: 215 lbs.
Height: 6'3"
Bats: R
Throws: R
Debut: June 19, 1972
Final Game: April 22, 1991

W	L	ERA	G	GS	SV	IP	SO
214	191	3.49	557	529	5	3,548.3	2015

Nicknamed “Big Daddy” for his portly physique, Rick Reuschel is now viewed as a sabermetric star, and most of those accomplishments took place as a Chicago Cub.

In terms of traditional numbers, Reuschel would net 135 of his career 214 Wins as a Cub. An All-Star in 1977, he would have his only 20 Win Season and would lead the National League in HR/9 with a third-place finish in Cy Young voting. Reuschel was never considered an elite hurler, but maybe he should have been championed more than he was. When he pitched at Wrigley, he did not just have the highest bWAR for Pitchers in 1977 but had five other campaigns where he was in the top eight. He did all of the things that were not sexy but advanced metrics caught, hence why he is more celebrated now than when he played.

His overall numbers in Chicago show 135 Wins with a 49.1 bWAR. That is pretty damned good.

Chicago inducted Reuschel into their Hall of Fame in the first class in 2021.

The Bullet Points

Position: Pitcher
Acquired: Selected in the 3rd Round of the Amateur Draft 6/4/70.
Departed:
Traded to the New York Yankees for Doug Bird, $400,000, and a Player to be Named Later (which would be Mike Griffin) 6/12/81.

Acquired (2): Signed as a Free Agent 6/28/83.
Departed (2): Signed as a Free Agent with the Pittsburgh Pirates 2/28/85.
Games Played: 358
Notable Statistics: 135 Wins
127 Losses
3.50 ERA
343 Games Started
65 Complete Games
17 Shutouts
9 Games Finished
3 Saves
2,290.1 Innings Pitched
1,367 Strikeouts
3.15 FIP
1.312 WHIP
2.14 SO/BB
49.1 bWAR

No Playoff Games
Major Accolades and Awards:
Highest bWAR for Pitchers (1977)
Most Games Started (1980)
Highest Championship Win Probability Added (1977)
Most Putouts by a Pitcher (1977 & 1980)
Most Assists by a Pitcher (1980)
Highest Range Factor per Game by a Pitcher (1979 & 1980)
Highest Fielding Percentage by a Pitcher (1975)