Next, a closer with a unique delivery,Dan Quisenberry , (1979-1990.)
Place on the WAR chart: : Very low (24.3 career WAR) as expected for relief pitchers. Bruce Sutter had 25.0, Rollie Fingers had 24.4, Goose Gossage had 40.0. Other relievers in this area: John Hiller, Ron Reed, Billy Wagner, John Franco, Kent Tekulve.
WAR is a tough measure for relief pitchers because they pitch so little. Even in the 1970s and early 1980s when top relievers could surpass 100 innings, this paled in comparison to the workload of starting pitchers. The old intangible argument then ensues about Hall-worthiness, were they dominant? (Have you heard about sportswriters talking about dominance? Do they (as a whole) know what it means?). Can you quantify dominance? Well, with relief pitchers, I think the best you can do is effectiveness.
Career Overview and Some Numbers: Pitched for the Royals (79-88), Cardinals (88-89), and Giants (90). Finished with 244 saves, at the time, the 6th most in the game. Led the league in games 3 times, games finished 4 times, and saves 5 times. From 1980-1985 was probably the most effective closer in the league,winning the Rolaids Relief Man Award 5 times in that span. He also finished top 5 in the Cy Young voting 5 times (including 2nd twice).
Best Season:1983: 5-3 with a 1.94 ERA and 0.92 WHIP in 139 innings, leading the league in games, games finished, and saves, setting a short-lived record (broken by Dave Righetti in 1986). Also, had a career best 4.36 K/BB ratio
The Final Numbers: Pitched in 674 games (1043 innings) with 244 saves, a 2.76 ERA (146 ERA+), and 1.18 WHIP. He also had a 1.4 BB/9 (20th all time).
Why He Should be Remembered:He was the AL closer during his prime. He also had that distinctive submarine delivery and got by with getting hitters out on groundballs rather than flyballs. Also, he was a durable reliever with 6 seasons of over 125 innings. Key performer on the 1980 and 1985 World Series Royals.
HOF Balloting Performance:3.8% in 1996, then dropped from the ballot
Rookie Card: 1980 Topps 667
Modern Cards:2001 Topps Archives
1 comment:
Absolutely awesome card.
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