WHY I THINK JOHN WETTELAND SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

WHY I THINK JOHN WETTELAND SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN 

By- Damien 

John Wetteland was one of the finest relief pitchers ever to take the mound. The Rangers’ most successful closer ever, Wetteland was also the Yankees’ closer before first ballot Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera came into prominence. He had a 2.93 career ERA and 330 saves as the rare relief pitcher who specialized in four different pitches, dominating hitters with a fastball, a changeup, a curveball, and a devastating slider. Wetteland started his career with the Dodgers in 1989, winning five games and whiffing 96 batters in 102 ⅔ innings of work. Wetteland slowed to 2-4 in 1990 but went 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 1991. For the remaining nine years of his career, Wetteland saved no less than 25 games per year (including the strike shortened seasons of 1994 and 1995) and averaged 37 per season. Among his accomplishments include 212 strikeouts from 1992-1993, 9 wins in 1993 and 7 in 1997, and some of his best ERA’s (1.37 in 1993, 1.94 in 1997, 2.03 in 1998). Wetteland won Rolaids Relief in 1996, saved the 1999 all-star game for the AL, and won the World Series with the Yankees in 1996. He was the Series MVP with a record four saves and a 2.08 ERA. John Wetteland was a great relief pitcher who was better than most Hall of Fame closers. He is certainly deserving of the Hall of Fame himself but, alas, is on the outside looking in. 

LIFETIME STATISTICS 

Games career: 618 season high: 70 in 1993 

Starts career: 17 season high: 12 in 1989 

Complete Games career: 0 

Shutouts career: 0 

Games Finished career: 523 season high: 59 in 1998 and 1999 

Wins career: 48 season high: 9 in 1993 

Losses career: 45 season high: 8 in 1989 

Winning Percentage career: .516 season high: 1.000 in 1991 

ERA career: 2.93 season low: 0.00 in 1991 

WHIP career: 1.135 season low: 0.880 in 1995 

Innings Pitched career: 765 season high: 102 ⅔ in 1989 

Strikeouts career: 804 season high: 113 in 1993 

Strikeouts Per Nine Innings career: 9.5 season high: 11.9 in 1993 

Walks career: 252 season high: 36 in 1992 

Strikeouts Per Walk career: 3.19 season high: 5.14 in 1998 

Saves career: 330 season high: 43 in 1993, 1996 and 1999 led AL: 43 in 1996 

Fielding Percentage career: .879 season high: 1.000 in 1996, 1997 and 2000 

Double Plays career: 2 season high: 1 in 1995 and 1996 

Putouts career: 27 season high: 7 in 1992 

Assists career: 60 season high: 8 in 1989 

DID YOU KNOW? 

-was 16th in the AL MVP Award voting in 1998 and 19th in 1996 

-finished 22nd in the NL MVP Award voting in 1992 and was 24th in 1993 

-finished sixth in the AL Cy Young Award voting in 1999 

-won two Player of the Week awards and the September 1993 NL Pitcher of the Month award 

-was a three time all-star (in 1996, 1998, and 1999) 

-recorded a strikeout and allowed no earned runs in his first MLB game (one inning) 

-won his last game ever 

-won five or more games in a season four times 

-had a winning percentage of .750 or higher four times 

-got two saves in the 1996 ALDS with a 0.00 ERA and had another in the ALCS, totaling a record seven saves in one postseason 

-was scoreless in his only innings in the 1998 and 1999 ALDSes 

-doubled in his only at bat in 1997 and homered in 1990 

-ranks 15th in career saves and 36th in games finished 

-was inducted into the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame in 2005 as their all time saves leader with 150