WHY I THINK JESSE TANNEHILL SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN
By- Damien
Jesse Tannehill was an unbelievable control artist, allowing only 1.6 walks per nine innings for his career. He was also a six time 20 game winner and the author of an ERA title in 1901. Time and time again hitters were brought to their knees against Tannehill’s slow curveball, a rarely seen pitch for a lefthander at the time. He was also a great fielding pitcher and also one of the greatest hitting pitchers that the sport has ever seen. Jesse Tannehill started his career with the Reds in 1894, going 1-1. He stayed out of baseball until 1897, when he went a pleasant 9-9 for the Pirates. Tannehill took off and became a huge star in 1898, when he went 25-13 with five shutouts at a time when shutouts were scarce. He won 24, 20, 18, and 20 games from 1899 through 1902 before being traded to the New York Highlanders following a salary dispute. The transaction seemed to do him no good, as he fell off to 15-15 in 1903. That off season resulted in his trade to the defending World Series Champion Boston Americans in 1904. Tannehill went 21-11 in his first year in Boston and 22-9 in his next. He slumped to 13-11 in 1906 and seemed finished after he went 6-7 in 1907. Tannehill went a combined 2-4 in 1908 with the Red Sox (who had just changed their name) and the Washington Senators. He went 1-1 in 1909 before taking the 1910 season off. Tannehill came back and pitched one game (a no-decision) with the Cincinnati Reds in 1911 before he retired for good. Jesse Tannehill was among the best control pitchers in history and a consistent winner. He was easily good enough to be in the Hall of Fame.
LIFETIME STATISTICS
Games Pitches career: 359 season high: 43 in 1898
Starts career: 321 season high: 38 in 1898
Complete Games career: 264 season high: 34 in 1898
Shutouts career: 34 season high: 6 in 1905
Games Finished career: 37 season high: 5 in 1897, 1899 and 1905
Wins career: 197 season high: 25 in 1898
Losses career: 117 season high: 15 in 1903
Winning Percentage career: .627 season high: .769 in 1900 and 1902
ERA career: 2.80 season low: 1.95 in 1902 led NL: 2.18 in 1901
WHIP career: 1.186 season low: 0.987 in 1902
Innings Pitched career: 2,759 ⅓ season high: 326 ⅔ in 1898
Strikeouts career: 944 season high: 118 in 1901
Strikeouts Per Nine Innings career: 3.1 season high: 4.2 in 1901
Walks career: 478 season high: 63 in 1898
Strikeouts Per Walk career: 1.97 season high: 4.00 in 1902
Saves career: 7 season high: 2 in 1898
Fielding Percentage career: .948 season high: .991 in 1904
Double Plays career: 31 season high: 7 in 1899
Putouts career: 267 season high: 89 in 1897
Assists career: 854 season high: 107 in 1904
DID YOU KNOW?
-brother of Lee Tannehill
-nicknamed “Powder” or “Tanny”
-was a switch hitter
-pitched 4 ⅓ innings with no earned runs and a strikeout during his last MLB game
-pitched 231 innings in 1902 without giving up a home run, the most in the NL
-batted .255 for his career (361-for-1,414) with 55 doubles, 23 triples, five home runs, 190 runs scored, 142 RBI’s, and 105 walks
-holds the AL record for the most triples in a season by a pitcher with six in 1904
-pitched a 6-0 no-hitter against the White Sox on August 17, 1904
-also played 87 games in the outfield, 39 as a pinch hitter, and one as a pinch runner
-coached the Philadelphia Phillies during the 1920 season
There's an argument for players with a high peak but who didn't last very long, like Tannehill. Let's say that Tannehill by pitching longer, or starting earlier, or somehow, ended up with another 103 wins and another 103 losses, so he ended his career with a 300-220 record. As he got 300 wins, he almost certainly would've ended up in the Hall of Fame. But how much value would he have actually given to his team? Being average provides value to a team, but being average doesn't put you in the Hall of Fame.
ReplyDeleteIt's something to think about.