Best Pitchers By Half-Decade: 1925-1949

As a historian, I like to have a record of which players and teams excelled in a given time period. I'm making this available in case other people care about those records, too. I looked up the top five pitchers in FanGraphs' fWAR and RA9-WAR. For those of you who prefer bWAR, it's usually pretty close to RA9. I'll add some minimal commentary, but this isn't a deep dive where I went back and, like, broke down film of Red Ruffing.

All tables are ranked by fWAR. You can find part one, 1900-24, here.

In this time frame, I want to clarify that I'm only looking at AL and NL results. The Negro Leagues produced many of the greatest pitchers of this era, including several with a strong case as the best pitcher of this epoch of baseball history. I would hate for anyone to think I'm minimizing their excellence — actually, part of the reason I don't think it's a good idea to include the Negro Leagues here is because it would almost certainly understate their greatness. For instance, from 1925-29, Bill Foster ranks 3rd in both fWAR and RA9-WAR ... in only 798 innings, less than 2/3 the total of the two pitchers ahead of him. From 1930-34, Satchel Paige ranks 35th in fWAR. That's ridiculously unfair. I would rather exclude the Negro Leagues entirely, and trust my readers to know that they produced great players who were unfairly prevented from playing in the AL and NL, than include them on unequal footing that marginalizes their excellence.

So, onward, and a final middle finger to all the racists burning in hell.

1925-1929

Top 5 fWAR:

1. Dazzy Vance, 27.9
2. Lefty Grove, 26.1
3. George Uhle, 20.0
4. Eppa Rixey, 17.1
5. Herb Pennock, 16.9

Four of these five are Hall of Famers. The exception is Uhle (YOO-lee), who played for 17 seasons and retired with a record of 200-166. In 1926, he led the majors in innings, wins, complete games, bWAR, and RA9-WAR. Grove edged him in fWAR, 5.9- 5.7. As was common for this era, Uhle had more complete games (32) than wins (27).

Top 5 RA9-WAR:

1. Dazzy Vance, 31.2
2. Lefty Grove, 29.6
3. Ted Lyons, 25.8
4. Grover Cleveland Alexander, 24.8
5. Tommy Thomas, 24.2

Vance and Grove lead both versions of WAR by large margins over the rest of the field, and no one else is in the top five for both fWAR and RA9-WAR. They're clearly the two best pitchers of this era.

Leaders

Innings: Ted Lyons, 1,353 1/3
Wins: Ted Lyons, 90-75
Strikeouts: Dazzy Vance, 871

Best RHP: Dazzy Vance
Best LHP: Lefty Grove
Best Non-HOF: George Uhle

You probably know that Lefty Grove's real name was Robert. You may not know — I had to look it up, just now — that Dazzy Vance was named Charles Arthur Vance. Famously, Vance was named NL MVP in 1924, the same year that Rogers Hornsby hit .424 / .507 / .696. Vance had a great season, 28-6 with a 2.16 ERA and 262 strikeouts, but that award selection is still controversial a century later.

I apparently did used to know that Vance was named Charles, because he was the number four pitcher on the All-Charles team when I spent an embarrassing amount of time painstakingly assembling MLB all-name teams in 2017.

1930-1934

Top 5 fWAR:

1. Lefty Grove, 29.1
2. Carl Hubbell, 24.5
3. Wes Ferrell, 20.7
4. Mel Harder, 19.0
t5. Larry French, 18.8
t5. Dizzy Dean, 18.8

So many great pitchers had nicknames in this era. I mentioned Lefty Grove and Dazzy Vance above, but Dizzy Dean is one of the all-time great nicknames. I wish we had more of those today.

Top 5 RA9-WAR:

1. Carl Hubbell, 40.9
2. Lefty Grove, 38.9
3. Wes Ferrell, 26.2
t4. Lefty Gomez, 24.6
t4. Lon Warneke, 24.6

I was stunned to find Hubbell ahead of Grove, granted that Hubbell is a Hall of Famer and gave Mel Ott a run as the Giants' best player in the '30s.

Leaders

Innings: Carl Hubbell, 1,395 1/3
Wins: Lefty Grove, 116-35
Strikeouts: Lefty Grove, 729

Best RHP: Wes Ferrell
Best LHP: Lefty Grove
Best Non-HOF: Wes Ferrell

Considering Lefty Gomez is a Hall of Famer, it's pretty tough luck that he's only the second-best pitcher called "Lefty" during his own prime.

Wes Ferrell is sometimes cited as a Hall of Fame snub, for several reasons. One is that he was pretty clearly better than his brother Rick, who is in Cooperstown as a catcher. Another is that he played in hitter's parks, in a hitter's era, making his ERA look something other than HOF-quality. Ferrell was also a good batter, lifetime .280 / .351 / .446 (100 OPS+). In 1931, he hit 9 home runs in only 116 at-bats. There's broad agreement that he was a better hitter than Rick.

As a pitcher, Ferrell led the American League four times in complete games, three times in innings pitched, and once each in wins, FIP, and fewest walks per 9 innings. He received MVP votes in six seasons, including 2nd place in 1935, when he went 25-14 and led the major with 31 complete games. He also hit .347 / .427 / .533 in 179 plate appearances that season, with 7 HR and more walks (21) than strikeouts (16). Ferrell had 134 ERA+ and 141 OPS+ that season ... and a misleading 4.18 ERA.

1935-1939

Top 5 fWAR:

1. Lefty Grove, 28.5
2. Paul Derringer, 24.4
3. Mel Harder, 21.4
4. Dizzy Dean, 21.1
5. Tommy Bridges, 21.1

Derringer pitched the second-most innings in this span, had a low walk rate, and won more games (97-67) than anyone except Red Ruffing.

Top 5 RA9-WAR:

1. Lefty Grove, 40.4
2. Red Ruffing, 33.1
3. Carl Hubbell, 30.7
4. Lefty Gomez, 30.2
5. Bill Lee, 28.8

Ruffing's real name, like Dazzy Vance, was Charles. Bill James reports that Ruffing was often called Chuck or Charley during his career, including by the press. He was the number five pitcher on the All-Charles team.

Leaders

Innings: Bobo Newsom, 1,423 1/3
Wins: Red Ruffing, 98-44
Strikeouts: Bobo Newsom, 827

Best RHP: Dizzy Dean
Best LHP: Lefty Grove
Best Non-HOF: Bill Lee

When I was a kid, I learned about Bobo Newsom before I knew of any other pitcher from this era (except for maybe Dizzy Dean), courtesy of his memorable moniker and an entry in The Baseball Hall of Shame 4, by Bruce Nash and Allan Zullo, which I read many times as a child. Newsom had a 20-year career during which he played for three N.L. teams and six of the eight A.L. teams (everyone except Chicago and Cleveland). For many years, he was famous for pitching a shutout in Game 5 of the 1940 World Series only a few days after the death of his father. He pitched well again in Game 7, giving up 2 earned runs in 8 innings, but the Reds' Paul Derringer only allowed 1 run (unearned) in a complete game, and the Reds won 2-1. In the series, Newsom went 2-1 with a 1.38 ERA, 17 K, and only 4 BB. Derringer was 2-1 with a 2.79 ERA.

Over these five seasons, Newsom went 84-74 with a 4.47 ERA, 114 complete games, 827 strikeouts, and 728 BB, 21% more than any other pitcher.

There are two pitchers named Bill Lee who played in the All-Star Game. This one started for the Cubs in the 1930s and the early '40s. He won 169 games, and his 3.54 ERA was good for such a high-scoring era. In 1938, Lee went 22-9 with a 2.66 ERA. The other Bill Lee, the Red Sox' "Spaceman" of the 1970s, was a character and a half, and probably more famous today.

1940-1944

Top 5 fWAR:

1. Mort Cooper, 23.4
2. Claude Passeau, 20.8
3. Bobo Newsom, 20.7
4. Bucky Walters, 18.2
5. Whit Wyatt, 18.2

Bobo Newsom's given name was Louis Norman Newsom. Bucky Walters was named William Walters. Whit Wyatt is just short for Whitlow.

Top 5 RA9-WAR:

1. Mort Cooper, 31.3
2. Bucky Walters, 30.2
3. Tiny Bonham, 25.6
4. Dizzy Trout, 23.5
5. Claude Passeau, 23.2

WAR figures are lower in this era because so many players were serving in World War II. I know it would have been really clever to make a pun about WAR and war, and all I can do is apologize for letting you down.

Most obviously, Bob Feller quickly volunteered for military service and was only in the majors for two of these five seasons. I have little doubt he was the best MLB-eligible pitcher alive during this time frame, but there's no statistical record to document that.

Leaders

Innings: Bucky Walters, 1,392
Wins: Bucky Walters, 94-62
Strikeouts: Bobo Newsom, 738

Best RHP: Mort Cooper (or Bob Feller)
Best LHP: Hal Newhouser
Best Non-HOF: Mort Cooper

Weirdly, Mort Cooper in 1943 had a similar World Series experience to Bobo Newsom three years earlier. Cooper's father died the morning of Game 2, and later that same day Cooper pitched a complete game victory to tie the series. Like Newsom, he pitched well again later in the series but lost. Cooper is one of three very good Cardinals pitchers in the '40s, the others being Harry Brecheen and Howie Pollet.

Hal Newhouser didn't peak until '45, but he was an All-Star every year from 1942-44, twice leading the AL in K/9. In 1944 he went 29-9 with a 2.22 ERA, led the majors in strikeouts, and won AL MVP. The early '40s clearly aren't Newhouser's peak yet, but the competition for southpaws at this time isn't overwhelming.

1945-1949

Top 5 fWAR:

1. Hal Newhouser, 36.3
2. Bob Feller, 22.2
3. Harry Brecheen, 21.9
4. Dutch Leonard, 21.2
5. Johnny Sain, 18.2

Newhouser led the Tigers to a World Series victory in 1945. That year, he led the majors in wins, complete games, shutouts, innings, and strikeouts. He earned 11.3 bWAR and won AL MVP.

Top 5 RA9-WAR:

1. Hal Newhouser, 43.1
2. Harry Brecheen, 29.5
3. Bob Feller, 28.5
4. Warren Spahn, 22.0
5. Johnny Sain, 20.5

Spahn and Sain and pray for rain...

Leaders

Innings: Hal Newhouser, 1,455 1/3
Wins: Hal Newhouser, 107-58
Strikeouts: Hal Newhouser, 950

Best RHP: Bob Feller
Best LHP: Hal Newhouser
Best Non-HOF: Harry Brecheen

Virtually any serious fan of MLB history would identify Feller and Newhouser as the greatest pitchers of the '40s, so there's not much mystery there. But let's talk about the St. Louis Cardinals.

From 1942-46, the Cards won four pennants and three World Series (1942, 1944, and 1946). They had Stan Musial, of course, and shortstop Marty Marion, the 1944 MVP, and Enos Slaughter in '42 and '46 (he was fighting fascism in between). Center fielder Johnny Hopp was very good in '43 and '44, and third baseman Whitey Kurowski was a 4-time All-Star. Musial and Slaughter are Hall of Famers, but no one from the Cardinals' excellent pitching staff is enshrined in Cooperstown.

Mort Cooper led MLB in wins in 1942 and '43. In '42 he also led the NL in ERA, WHIP, K/BB ratio, and shutouts, winning NL MVP. He was traded to the Braves partway through the '45 season, and only started another 53 games in his career. Harry Brecheen, The Cat, had his five best seasons during this period, 1945-49. His best season was 1948: 20-7, NL-best 2.24 ERA, also led the NL in shutouts, strikeouts, K/9, and K/BB. He led the majors in WAR (all systems). The other standout was Howie Pollet, although he missed '45 because of the war. He led the NL in wins and ERA his first season back, 21-10 with a 2.10 ERA. He won 20 games again in '49, 20-9 with a 2.77 ERA and NL-best 5 shutouts.

1925-49

So over the second quarter of the 20th century, who were the greatest pitchers?

Top 10 fWAR:

1. Lefty Grove, 86.2
2. Paul Derringer. 61.4
3. Carl Hubbell, 55.6
4. Bobo Newsom, 55.2
5. Red Ruffing, 54.7
6. Hal Newhouser, 53.7
7. Ted Lyons, 52.3
8. Bob Feller, 50.5
9. Mel Harder, 46.9
t10. Tommy Bridges, 46.6
t10. Claude Passeau, 46.6

Top 10 RA9-WAR:

1. Lefty Grove, 111.3
2. Carl Hubbell, 86.1
t3. Red Ruffing, 72.4
t3. Ted Lyons, 72.4
5. Bob Feller, 69.0
6. Hal Newhouser, 60.3
7. Tommy Bridges, 60.3
8. Lefty Gomez, 56.7
9. Bucky Walters, 54.8
10. Lon Warneke, 53.1

Leaders

Innings: Red Ruffing, 4,321
Wins: Lefty Grove, 300-141
Strikeouts: Lefty Grove, 2,150

Greatest RHP: Bob Feller
Greatest LHP: Lefty Grove
Greatest Non-HOF: Tommy Bridges

With apologies to Hubbell and Newhouser, no one needs to be convinced that Lefty Grove was the greatest southpaw of this era. I think peak performance and an acknowledgement of missed years during wartime push Feller ahead of Ruffing and Lyons among righties.

Tommy Bridges is a close call as the best pitcher of this era not to have a plaque in Cooperstown. He is the leader in bWAR (51.6) and RA9-WAR, and he's within shouting distance of Bobo Newsom (and whispering distance of Mel Harder) in fWAR. I might rank Bucky Walters ahead of Newsom and Harder, but actually, the player with the best case to overtake him might be Wes Ferrell (38.2 fWAR, 46.4 RA9-WAR, 48.8 bWAR), based on his contributions as a hitter, but [1] I don't think it's quite enough, and [2] I'm evaluating pitching, not complete ballplayers.

Bridges played his whole career with the Detroit Tigers, from 1930-46. He had a career record of 194-138 (.584), with a 3.57 ERA. Bridges batted and pitched right-handed, and was known for his curveball. That great curve helped him to become one of the greatest strikeout pitchers of his generation. He led the AL in 1935 and '36, he was 2nd in '34, and he had a total of 7 seasons in the top four. He also led in shutouts in 1932, fewest H/9 in 1933, and wins in 1936, when he was 23-11. He made six All-Star Games, from 1934-37 and 1939-40.

On his first major league pitch, Bridges got Babe Ruth to pop out. In August 1932, Bridges came one out away from a perfect game, retiring the first 26 batters, then allowing a single before retiring the final batter on a 3-1 groundout. He earned a 92 Game Score for that performance. In 1933, Bridges pitched two 1-hitters and had a no-hitter through eight in another game.

Bridges went 1-2 in the 1934 World Series vs. the Cardinals, pitching a one-run complete game in Game 5 but getting chased early in his other two starts. When Detroit won the Series the next year, Bridges pitched complete game victories in Games 2 and 6. He also pitched a complete game victory in the 1940 World Series vs. Cincinnati, and he pitched 1 2/3 innings, allowing 3 earned runs, in the Tigers' Game 6 loss in the 1945 World Series, though they came back to win Game 7.

This is a strange era because so many players missed time for military service. Bridges missed one season, 1944, and never went overseas, but only had three decisions after he returned. He suffered from alcoholism, which developed or severely worsened during the war. Absent the alcohol, might he have gone on to a Hall of Fame career? Well, he was still a fine pitcher in the early '40s. He was an All-Star in 1940. In 1942 he pitched a a 14-inning scoreless tie that was called because of darkness, and in '43 he went 12-7 with a 2.39 ERA, granted that his numbers get a boost from the wartime competition. If his alcohol dependence was due to the war, that essentially ended his career, when he might have had several fine seasons left. I don't think there's any doubt he would have gotten to 200 wins if he'd been on the mound in '44 and sober in the late '40s.

But I also don't think he was ever going to reach 250, and he was never a strong MVP candidate, or regarded as the best pitcher in baseball. He never led the American League in ERA, and only came close once. And although he was a key contributor to the Tigers' 1935 World Series victory, he was never the clear ace for a pennant winner. Teammate Schoolboy Rowe finished 4th in AL MVP voting in 1934, and had very similar stats to Bridges.

The next-best non-HOF pitcher of this era, if I had to pick, is probably Walters, based on peak. He led the NL in wins, complete games, and innings three times each, and led in ERA twice. He was NL MVP in 1939 and was the Reds' best player when they won the World Series in 1940. He was also a much better hitter than Bridges. Walters didn't miss any time because of the war, and more of his production came against wartime competition, but his JAWS rating is 85th, well ahead of Bridges (117), so perhaps I've got them in the wrong order. It's close, with Wes Ferrell also in the mix. I don't think any of them was a Hall of Famer, but they were fine pitchers who deserve to be remembered.

This series will continue next week with 1950-74.

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