WHY I THINK BOBBY SHANTZ SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

WHY I THINK BOBBY SHANTZ SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN 

By- Damien 

Bobby Shantz has a very interesting case for the Hall of Fame. He only won 119 games, but three factors play into my selecting him. Firstly, he was the AL MVP in 1952, the ERA champion in 1957, and, across his last eight seasons, he won the Gold Glove award each year and put up a combined ERA of 2.82 as a semi-regular. Bobby Shantz started his career with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1949, winning six games in 127 innings. He won eight in 1950 and was first an all-star in 1951. That season he added a knuckleball to his arsenal and it helped him mightily, helping him to go 18-10 in fewer innings than he pitched the season before. Shantz put up a 2.48 ERA in 279 ⅔ innings and led the AL in five pitching categories in 1952 to win the AL MVP Award. In September, he busted his wrist when he was hit by a pitch, an injury that devastated his career. In 1953, he went only 5-9, injuring himself again in a game against the Red Sox. Shantz was only sub-par until 1957, his first season with the Yankees, when he surprised everyone in baseball when he went 11-5 and led the MLB with an ERA of 2.45. He spent three more years with the Yankees as a very good reliever and an occasional starter, but the expansion draft occurred in 1960 and he was drafted by the new Washington Senators (now the Rangers). Soon after, Shantz was traded to the Pirates. In 1961, he went 6-3. From 1962-1964, Shantz picked up three more Gold Gloves and put up a combined 2.51 ERA. He finished out his career in 1964 with the Phillies. Bobby Shantz was a great pitcher, a good fighter, a former MVP, and an eight time Gold Glove award winner. If the award had been in existence in 1952, he also would have been the Cy Young Award winner. For all of his accomplishments, Bobby Shantz is a Hall of Famer to me. What about you? 

LIFETIME STATISTICS 

Games Pitched career: 537 season high: 55 in 1963 

Starts career: 171 season high: 33 in 1952 

Complete Games career: 78 season high: 27 in 1952 

Shutouts career: 15 season high: 5 in 1952 

Games Finished career: 192 season high: 32 in 1963 

Wins career: 119 season high: 24 in 1952 led AL: 24 in 1952 

Losses career: 99 season high: 14 in 1950 

Winning Percentage career: .546 season high: .774 in 1952 led AL: .774 in 1952 

ERA career: 3.38 season low: 2.45 in 1957 led AL: 2.45 in 1957 

WHIP career: 1.260 season low: 1.048 in 1952 led AL: 1.048 in 1952 

Innings Pitched career: 1,935 ⅔ season high: 279 ⅔ in 1952 

Strikeouts career: 1,072 season high: 152 in 1952 

Strikeouts Per Nine Innings career: 5.0 season high: 4.9 in 1952* 

Walks career: 643 (75 intentional) season high: 85 in 1950 

Strikeouts Per Walk career: 1.67 season high: 2.41 in 1952 led AL: 2.41 in 1952 

Saves career: 48 season high: 11 in 1960 and 1963 

Fielding Percentage career: .976 season high: 1.000 in 1952 led AL P: 1.000 in 1952 

Double Plays career: 48 season high: 8 in 1957 led AL P: 7 in 1951, 8 in 1957

Putouts career: 175 season high: 29 in 1952 

Assists career: 468 season high: 52 in 1950 

DID YOU KNOW? 

-brother of Billy Shantz 

-also finished 21st in the AL MVP Award voting in 1951 and 26th in 1957 

-was the 1952 AL TSN Pitcher of the Year 

-In the 1952 all-star game, he finished off the game by striking out Whitey Lockman and Hall of Famers Jackie Robinson and Stan Musial  

-allowed the fewest walks per nine innings in the AL in 1952 (2.0) 

-saved Game 2 of the 1960 World Series 

-batted .438 in 1961 and .333 in 1954 

-had 13 sacrifice hits in 1952
-homered off of Allie Reynolds in 1950 

-batted .333 in the 1960 World Series 

-had a career fielding percentage 19 points above the league average 

-also played one game in centerfield and 42 as a pinch runner 

-is the oldest living member of the Cubs, Astros, and Phillies, as well as the oldest living MVP Award recipient