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Awards = HOF?: Part Fifty-Seven: The Delivery Man of the Year

Awards = HOF?: Part Fifty-Seven: The Delivery Man of the Year
21 Dec
2020
Not in Hall of Fame

We here at Notinhalloffame.com thought it would be fun to take a look at the major awards in North American team sports and see how it translates into Hall of Fame potential.

Needless to say, different awards in different sports yield hall of fame potential.  In basketball, the team sport with the least number of players on a roster, the dividend for greatness much higher.  In baseball, it is not as much as a great individual season does not have the same impact.

Last time, we looked at the now defunct Rolaids Reliever of the Year, an award that was mathematically calculated to honor the best closer. This time, we have another award from the past, in the Delivery Man of the Year.

Existing from 2005 to 2013, the Delivery Man of the Year was not awarded in each league, but the rather to best Relief Pitcher in Baseball. Its time overlapped the Rolaids Reliever of the Year (which ended in 2012) and ended when the Mariano Rivera AL Reliever of the Year and Trevor Hoffman NL Reliever of the Year came into fruition in 2014.

So how many Delivery Man of the Year winners have made the Baseball Hall of Fame?

Let’s find out!

The following are the past players who have won the Delivery Man of the Year Award who are eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame and have been enshrined.

Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees: 7-4, 43 Saves, 1.38 ERA, 80 SO, 2005   

Who else should win this first?  Rivera, who was also the Rolaids Reliever of the Year also led the American League in Games Finished (67), and this was the first year he had an ERA under 1.50.  He finished second in Cy Young voting and ninth in MVP voting.

Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2019.

Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees: 5-5, 34 Saves, 1.80 ERA, 55 SO, 2006 (2)   

An All-Star for the eighth time, Rivera again kept his ERA under two (1.80) and WHIP under one (0.960), a sick statistic considering he did that seven times! 

Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2019.

Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees: 3-3, 44 Saves, 1.76 ERA, 72 SO, 2009 (3) 

This was Rivera’s third and final Delivery Man of the Year win and it also coincided with his fifth (and final) Rolaids Reliever of the Year Award. Rivera would later take the Yankees to another World Series win, his fifth.  He played until 2013, was a thirteen-time All-Star, and retired with 652 Saves, the most all-time.  Rivera entered the Baseball Hall of Fame with a perfect ballot, the first man to do so.

Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2019.

 

The following are the players who have won the Delivery Man of the Year who are eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame and have not been selected:

Brad Lidge, Philadelphia Phillies: 2-0, 41 Saves, 1.95 ERA, 92 SO, 2008

After six years with the Houston Astros, Brad Lidge was traded to the Houston Astros where in his first year, he was an All-Star for the second time, won the Rolaids Relief Award, the Delivery Man of the Yeat, and helped the Phillies win the World Series.  He would also finish fourth in Cy Young voting.  Lidge played five more years, but it was up and down, and he never came close to his 2008 season again.  He retired with 225 Saves.

Eligible since 2018.  Lidge was on the ballot for one year on 2018 but did not receive any votes.  Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.

Heath Bell, San Diego Padres: 6-1, 47 Saves, 1.93 ERA, 86 SO, 2010 

Bell went back-to-back for the Rolaids Award, exceeding his 42 Save mark to 47.  Winning his only Delivery Man of the Year Award, this would be the only year where he dropped his ERA to below two, and he was an All-Star again.  Bell had 43 Saves in 2011, and was an All-Star for the third straight year.  His All-Star runs were over, as was his stay in San Diego.  Bell played three more seasons, one with Miami, Arizona and Tampa Bay, and accrued 168 Saves over his career. 

Eligible since 2020.  Bell was on the ballot for one year on 2020 but did not receive any votes.  Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.

Jose Valverde, Detroit Tigers: 2-4, 49 Saves, 2.56 ERA, 78 SO, 2011 

Joining the Detroit Tigers in 2010, Valverde led the AL in Saves (49), Games Finished (70) and Games Pitched (75) this season. He would also win the Rolaids Reliever of the Year, and was fifth in Cy Young voting.  Valverde played until 2014, with a final year as a Met, and he accrued 288 Saves.

Eligible since 2020.  Valverde was on the ballot for one year but did not receive any votes.  Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com. 

Let’s update our tally, shall we?       

Award in Question

Percentage of recipients who have entered the HOF

Percentage of recipients by year who have entered the HOF.

NBA MVP

100%

100%

NHL Art Ross

100%

100%

NHL Hart Trophy

93.6%

96.3%

NBA Finals MVP

91.3%

94.9%

NHL Norris

90.5%

96.4%

NHL Ted Lindsay Award

90.0%

 

NBA All-Star Game MVP

89.5%

91.7%

NHL Conn Smythe

74.2%

85.4%

NFL Bert Bell Award

73.7%

71.4%

NFL AP Offensive Player of the Year

73.1%

79.4%

NFL AP MVP

68.3%

74.0%

NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year

66.7%

66.7%

NHL Lady Byng

63.8%

76.0%

NFL Defensive Player of the Year

60.8%

71.1%

NFL Super Bowl MVP

60.6%

64.9%

NHL Mark Messier Leadership Award

60.0%

60.0%

NBA Defensive Player of the Year

58.3%

56.5%

NHL Vezina

57.1%

66.3%

NBA Rookie of the Year

56.5%

56.5%

MLB MVP

55.0%

60.2%

NFL Pro Bowl MVP

52.3%

54.8%

MLB Lou Gehrig Award

51.9%

51.9%

MLB Roberto Clemente Award

47.4%

47.4%

NHL Calder Trophy

46.5%

46.5%

NBA J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award

46.0%

46.0%

MLB/NL/AL Cy Young Award

44.4%

55.4%

MLB Babe Ruth Award

37.0%

39.3%

NHL King Clancy Award

36.8%

36.8%

NHL Frank J. Selke Trophy

33.3%

36.7%

MLB World Series MVP

33.3%

36.8%

MLB Hutch Award

33.1%

33.1%

NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year

28.6%

28.6%

NHL Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy

27.9%

27.9%

MLB Edgar Martinez Award

26.7%

17.2%

MLB Delivery Man of the Year

25.0%

50.0%

MLB (NL/AL) Silver Slugger (Designated Hitter)

25.0%

30.8%

MLB Comeback Player of the Year

25.0%

25.0%

MLB (NL/AL) Silver Slugger (Shortstop)

23.5%

52.6%

MLB (NL/AL) Gold Glove

21.7%

36.8%

NHL William M. Jennings Trophy

20.7%

40.4%

NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year

20.6%

20.6%

MLB (NL/AL) Silver Slugger (Catcher)

20.0%

22.5%

MLB (NL/AL) Gold Glove (Second Base)

18.8%

39.8%

MLB Rolaids Reliever of the Year

18.6%

33.3%

MLB (NL/AL) Gold Glove (Shortstop)

18.2%

35.1%

MLB (NL/AL) Silver Slugger (Pitcher)

18.2%

20.1%

MLB (NL/AL) Silver Slugger (Second Base)

16.7%

32.7%

MLB (NL/AL) Gold Glove (Outfield)

16.7%

30.1%

MLB (NL/AL) Silver Slugger (Outfield)

15.7%

25.2%

MLB (NL/AL) Gold Glove (Third Base)

14.3%

14.3%

MLB (NL/AL) Silver Slugger (Third Base)

13.6%

14.3%

MLB (NL/AL) Silver Slugger (First Base)

13.6%

13.3%

MLB (NL/AL) Rookie of the Year

13.3%

13.3%

MLB (NL/AL) Gold Glove (Catcher)

10.3%

15.2%

NBA Most Improved Player of the Year

5.3%

3.2%

MLB (NL/AL) Gold Glove (First Base)

3.8%

3.2%

NFL AP Comeback Player of the Year

0.0%

0.0%

So, who is up next?

The following are the players who have won the Delivery Man of the Year Award in MLB who have retired but have not met the mandatory years out of the game to qualify for the Baseball Hall of Fame:

Jonathan Papelbon, Boston Red Sox: 1-3, 37 Saves, 1.85 ERA, 84 SO, 2007

A year after finishing second for the Rookie of the Year and going to his first All-Game, Papelbon was again an All-Star, and the winner of the Delivery Man of the Year.  Papelbon and the Red Sox won the World Series that year, and he would later go to four more All-Star Games, continuing his career with Philadelphia and Washington.  He retired after 2016 with 368 career Saves.

Eligible in 2022.

Fernando Rodney, Tampa Bay Rays: 2-2, 48 Saves, 0.60 ERA, 76 SO, 2012

Fernando Rodney debuted in 2002 at the age of 25, and a decade later after playing for the Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Angels, he debuted for the Tampa Bay Rays and had a season unlike any other he had previously.  Rodney went to his first All-Star Game, and his ERA of 0.60 was anemic, as was his 0.777 WHIP.  Rodney was fifth in Cy Young voting.  He played another seven years, going to two more All-Star Games, one with Seattle and one with San Diego.  Rodney also played for Chicago (NL), Miami, Arizona, Minnesota, Oakland, and he closed his career with Washington in 2019, going out on top as a World Series Champion. He accumulated 327 Saves.

Eligible in 2025.

The following are the players who have won the Delivery Man of the Year who are still active.

Craig Kimbrel, Atlanta Braves: 4-3, 50 Saves, 1.21 ERA, 98 SO, 2013

Two year earlier, Craig Kimbrel won the National League Rookie of the Year while leading the NL in Saves (46).  The year after Kimbrel’s save totals were a little less this year (42), but was still league-leading, and it won him the last National League Rolaids Reliever of the Year of the Year Award.  This year, Kimbrel led the NL in Saves for the third straight year with 50, a career-high, and he was fourth in Cy Young voting.  Later in his career, Kimbrel won a World Series Ring with the Cubs.

33 Years Old, Playing for the Chicago Cubs.

The only way this tally changes is if Craig Kimbrel makes the Hall, as realistically, there are no other past winners who will make their ways to Cooperstown.

So, what is up next?

We venture away from the defunct awards for closers and to the current ones, the Mariano Rivera AL Reliever of the Year and Trevor Hoffman NL Reliever of the Year.

As always, we thank you for your support, and look for that soon.

Committee Chairman

Kirk Buchner, "The Committee Chairman", is the owner and operator of the site.  Kirk can be contacted at [email protected] . Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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