Nobody shot out of the gate quicker than Fred Lynn, as he made history when in 1975, he became the first player in Major League history to win the Rookie of the Year and the MVP in the same season.  As the other one who accomplished that feat was Ichiro Suzuki, an established veteran of the Japanese Leagues, this is a beyond-spectacular achievement.

In the previous year, Lynn would not only secure the ROY and MVP, but he would also win his first of four Gold Gloves, win the Slugging Title (.566), and finish first in OPS (.967), Runs Scored (103), and Doubles (47).  That season, he would power the Red Sox into the World Series, but they went down to defeat against the Cincinnati Reds.

Lynn remained a great player for years, and while he did not win the MVP again, he probably should have in 1979, when he swept the Slash Line (.333/.423/.637) and had career-highs in Home Runs (39) and RBIs (122).  After six straight All-Star years with the Red Sox, he was traded to the California Angels, and he kept his streak alive with three more All-Star appearances.

He continued his career with Baltimore, Detroit, and San Diego, and retired in 1990 with 306 Home Runs and a .484 Slugging Percentage.

A Cleveland Indian for his entire career, Mel Harder debuted for the Tribe in 1928, where he was used in relief in his first two seasons when he was on their main roster and not in the minors.

The Nebraskan would be part of the Indians' rotation for a decade, and the control pitcher would win the ERA Title in 1933 and was first in BB/9 in 1935.  The four-time All-Star finished in the top ten in BB/9 eight times, WHIP six times, and ERA six times.  Seven times he was in the top ten in SO/BB, which was very impressive, considering he had only one 100 Strikeout season.  From 1932 to 1939, he never had fewer than 15 Wins in a year.

While Harder’s skills began to erode in the 1940s, he lasted until 1947.  Although the Indians never made the playoffs while he was there, Harder is one of the best hurlers in franchise history.  He retired with 223 Wins against 186 Losses.

The Major League career of Johnny Sain began in 1942, where he had a fairly uneventful season with a 4-7 record for the Boston Braves.  Like so many other baseball players, Sain served in the U.S. Military during World War II, and he lost three years on the diamond.  When he returned to Boston, he quickly became one of the most recognized Pitchers in the game.

297 Wins.

With the exception of Roger Clemens, Bobby Matthews has the most Wins of any player who is not in the Baseball Hall of Fame.  One of the main differences is that unlike Clemens, Matthews has never received Hall of Fame consideration once.

Matthews' pro career began in 1871, when he played in the National Association and the dawn of pro ball.  Over the next few seasons, he bounced around in the infant league for teams like the Fort Wayne Kekiongas, Baltimore Canaries, and the New York Mutuals, and the 5' 5" Pitcher did well with three straight (1872-74) years where he led his league in Strikeouts.

The Mutuals would join the National League, and Matthews joined Cincinnati after the Mutuals folded.  From 1887 to 1891, he slumped and bounced around from league to league, major to minor.  In 1892, he had a comeback season with the Boston Red Stockings, where he led the league in FIP (2.15), BB/9 (0.7), SO/9 (4.8), and SO/BB (6.95). 

Matthews joined the Philadelphia Athletics in 1883, where he had an even 30 Wins in the next three seasons.  He had another first-place finish in BB/9 (1883), one more in FIP (2.17 in 1885), and twice in SO/BB (1883 & 1885).

He retired after 1887, with the aforementioned 297 Wins with an ERA of 2.86.