Andy Pettitte, Hall Of Famer? Not So Much

There’s been a smattering of Andy Pettitte Hall of Fame talk popping up in the corners of the internet this week. All of which ESPN’s Rob Neyer — one of the good guys — puts to rest with this post today:

Pettitte simply hasn’t done many of the things that Hall of Fame pitchers are supposed to do.

You can get into the Hall of Fame with a (relatively) pedestrian ERA if you win 300 games; that’s what Don Sutton did.

You get even get into the Hall of Fame with a (relatively) pedestrian ERA if you win only 225 games, but come up big in the postseason and pitch brilliantly for a few seasons; that’s what Catfish Hunter did.

But Pettitte’s got the pedestrian ERA, (roughly) 225 wins, zero top-three Cy Young finishes, and a postseason ledger that falls almost exactly in line with his regular-season performance. The only brilliant thing about Pettitte’s career is his .629 winning percentage … and as Sean points out, Pettitte has usually been blessed with an incredibly potent offense on his side (not to mention an incredibly effective closer).

Actually, Pettitte did come in second in Cy Young voting his second season when he went 21-8 with his typically “pedestrian” ERA and WHIP. So he does have that to put on his resume. Along with steroid user, which — as Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmeiro can attest to — the voters tend to frown upon.