Pearly Gates is...
Quick Reference
BP Player Cards:
ESPN Player Cards:
Recent posts
Links
Archive
Contact
|
Thursday, January 06, 2005
Koufax or Blyleven?
Who would you rather have, Sandy Koufax or Bert Blyleven? That's what Jim Caple asks.
It's a interesting question. Do you take the guy who had four of the greatest seasons in the history of the game, but flamed-out young? Or do you take the guy who was rarely spectacular, but was always great over his 22-year career? (Caple understates Blyleven's case a bit, calling him "steady" and "solid" when he was much more than that, having Koufax-esque seasons in '74 and '89.) While Koufax is the obvious choice (it's hard to argue with his '63-'66 seasons), it does shine a light on the question of why - when Hall of Fame voters generally over-value counting stats and durability - is Bert Blyleven (and his 287 wins and 3700+ strikeouts) still on the outside looking in?
|
