Does John Smoltz belong in the Hall of Fame?

4 Comments

  • Fran Walsh - 10 years ago

    I cannot believe the support I hear for John Smoltz being the Hall of Fame. He had a 20 year career and maybe six Hall of Fame type years. He will get in because of a three-year stint as a closer combined with a good record as a starting pitcher. But seriously go year-by-year tell me that this guy belongs in the Hall of Fame. He was not even close to being a dominant starting pitcher. It is an absolute joke cheapens the greats that are already in there. He has two guys on his own team that won far many more games than he did. Glavine won 20 games five times and Maddux was a four-time cy young award winner and one of the most dominant pitches over that four year stretch in the history of baseball. I will also add that he did not win the two biggest games he ever pitched in the postseason. A one nothing loss to the Yankees in game six and the game against Jack Morris. While he pitched great he still did not win. Bottom line. The people that make a big deal about his transition from a starter to a closer is an absolute joke. You go from needing 27 outs to only needing three outs and they treat it like some major accomplishment. Great guy a great teammate and a good quality pitcher but this is not the hall of the very good. It is the Hall of Fame.

  • mbholland - 10 years ago

    If u take his combined wins and saves he was appointed responsible for 400 or so games being won. Who else in todays game has even come close to that.....

  • dennis - 13 years ago

    never considered to be a top 5 starter.......You ve got to be kididng me....

    Yes he only won more then 17 once, he won 24 that year and the Cy yubng. do you know how damned difficult it is to win 24 games in an era when there are 5 man rotations and pitcheres usually dont get tmore then 33 yearly starts!!!!!!!!! And how many games did he lose the eyar he won 17????????????????????

    Doc Gooden, Roger Clemens, of course Bob Welch, Randy Johnson, those are the ONLY guys who won 24 or more games in a year in the 5 starters era....Clemens and Johnson will be HOfers, Gooden deraield shimself with drugs but should have been a HOFer and Welch was a very good pitcher who had one incredible year.

    Smoltz went back and forth between startting and relieivng and was dominant as both....he belongs sin the HOF...

  • john anderson - 13 years ago

    The fact the Smoltz only won over 17 games once sums it up. A very good pitcher but not a hall-of-famer. He was never considered to be a top 5 starter in baseball - once again that sums it up.

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