Womack: Will Tim Hudson be a one-and-done Hall of Fame candidate?

From SABR member Graham Womack at The Sporting News on September 15, 2015, with mention of SABR member Adam Darowski:

On Sept. 8, the man who has quietly ranked as the winningest active pitcher the past two seasons announced he’ll retire at the end of this year. In quitting, Tim Hudson may have also finally shut the door on his Hall of Fame candidacy.

For the past few years, 40-year-old Hudson has seemed destined to be the kind of candidate sabermetricians lament: worthy of Cooperstown, but only after far more consideration than the average voter from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America will ever give. Baseball history is littered with these types of pitchers, the Rick Reuschels, David Cones and Kevin Browns of the sport.

The best thing Hudson seemed to have going for his candidacy was a kind of agelessness and ability to keep building traditional stats many voters still rely on. It’s unfortunate a pitcher has a far better chance for Cooperstown with 250 wins than 200 and is a lock with 300 wins unless his name is Roger Clemens, but it is what it is. The best thing a starting pitcher can do for a plaque is keep getting credited for wins. According to Baseball-Reference.com, 12 of the 23 pitchers since 1871 with 250-299 wins are enshrined; 19 of 69 pitchers with 200-249 wins are in.

Hudson’s 221-132 record and 3.49 ERA might get him 10 or 15 percent of the BBWAA vote when he becomes eligible in five years. Sure, voters will remember Hudson and some may even write columns praising his consistency and professionalism. Plaque or no, Hudson ranks as one of the best pitchers of his generation. Critics of sabermetrics can point to Hudson as one of the reasons the Moneyball A’s won as often as they did. But nowhere close to the necessary 75 percent of voters will support Hudson out of the gate.

Read the full article here: http://www.sportingnews.com/mlb/story/2015-09-15/will-tim-hudson-be-a-one-and-done-hall-of-fame-candidate



Originally published: September 15, 2015. Last Updated: September 15, 2015.