WHY I THINK WES FERRELL SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

WHY I THINK WES FERRELL SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN 

By- Damien 

In September of 2021, I wrote a post about Rick Ferrell complaining about his election to the Hall of Fame. Near the end of the post, I briefly mentioned his brother, Wes, and that he had a rising push for induction. Since the post was about Rick, I kind of dismissed it, and stated that neither Ferrell brother belonged in Cooperstown. While I still hold that belief, I do believe that Wes’s Hall of Fame case is not built on being better than Rick’s, and that it should be taken seriously. 

Wes Ferrell is generally regarded as the greatest hitting pitcher in MLB history. Now this alone does not merit induction, but it is what he’s best known for. He had a lifetime batting average of .280 in over 1,000 at bats. Ferrell hit more home runs than any other pitcher in history (38; ten more than Rick), and also holds the single season record with nine in 1931. All of this is great, but back in the 1930’s when Ferrell played, pitchers had to know how to hit if they wanted a job. There was no DH back then, and every spot in the batting order is very important. Ferrell’s best selling point is, not surprisingly, his pitching. He was a staff workhorse, topping the AL in complete games four times and in innings three times. Ferrell was also a big winner, with six 20-win seasons and a career winning percentage of .601. Wes Ferrell started his career with the Cleveland Indians in 1927, getting shelled in his MLB debut. He impressed the club with two quality starts in 1928, and earned a starting spot in 1929. Ferrell responded big, as he had 21 wins and also saved five games out of the bullpen. He won 25 the next year and became the first pitcher ever to win over 20 games in each of his first four seasons. Ferrell made the very first AL all-star team as a representative of the Red Sox in 1933, and also formed a brother battery with Rick which became the backbone of the club. The famous battery lasted through 1938 with two clubs, and enjoyed great success. Rick became one of the best hitting catchers in baseball, and Wes enjoyed another 25-win season in 1935. Wes had one last all-star season in 1937, but slid badly in 1938 (15-10, 6.28 ERA in 179 innings). He hung around until 1941, and was released by his final Big League club, the Boston Braves, early in 1941. He pitched a little in the minors after that but mainly got his kicks at bat, as he won two batting titles in the minors as an outfielder, including a monster season in 1948 with Marion of the Western Carolina League (.425 average, 24 homers in 381 at bats) at the age of 40. 

Wes Ferrell was a very good pitcher and an awesome hitter. A few things stand in his way for a Hall of Fame plaque (such as a 4.04 ERA, which is perfectly respectable for the time period, and 193 wins), but he is nonetheless a credible candidate. 

LIFETIME STATISTICS 

Games Pitched career: 374 season high: 43 in 1929 and 1930 

Starts career: 323 season high: 38 in 1935 and 1936 led AL: 38 in 1935 and 1936 

Complete Games career: 227 season high: 31 in 1935 led AL: 27 in 1931, 31 in 1935, 28 in 1936, 26 in 1937 

Shutouts career: 17 season high: 3 in 1932, 1934, 1935, and 1936 

Games Finished career: 43 season high: 12 in 1929 

Wins career: 193 season high: 25 in 1930 and 1935 led AL: 25 in 1935 

Losses career: 128 season high: 19 in 1937 

Winning Percentage career: .601 season high: .737 in 1934 

ERA career: 4.04 season low: 3.31 in 1930 

WHIP career: 1.481 season low: 1.365 in 1930 

Innings Pitched career: 2,623 season high: 322 ⅓ in 1935 led AL: 322 ⅓ in 1935, 301 in 1936, 281 in 1937 

Strikeouts career: 985 season high: 143 in 1930 

Strikeouts Per Nine Innings career: 3.4 season high: 4.3 in 1930 

Walks career: 1,040 (59 intentional) season high: 130 in 1931 led AL: 130 in 1931 

Strikeouts Per Walk career: 0.95 season high: 1.37 in 1934 

Saves career: 13 season high: 5 in 1929 

*Games career: 548 season high: 75 in 1935 

At Bats career: 1,176 season high: 150 in 1935 

Runs career: 175 season high: 26 in 1933 

Hits career: 329 season high: 52 in 1935 

Doubles career: 57 season high: 8 in 1930 

Triples career: 12 season high: 3 in 1929 and 1930 

Home Runs career: 38 season high: 9 in 1931 

Runs Batted In career: 208 season high: 32 in 1935 

Stolen Bases career: 2 season high: 1 in 1929 and 1934 

Walks career: 129 season high: 21 in 1935 

Strikeouts career: 185 season high: 28 in 1929 

Batting Average career: .280 season high: .347 in 1935 

On Base Percentage career: .351 season high: .427 in 1935 

Slugging Percentage career: .446 season high: .621 in 1931 

Total Bases career: 524 season high: 80 in 1935 

Sacrifice Hits career: 40 season high: 8 in 1935 

Fielding Percentage career: .976 season high: 1.000 in 1933 led AL P: 1.000 in 1933 

Double Plays career: 31 season high: 6 in 1938 

Putouts career: 153 season high: 43 in 1933 led AL P: 19 in 1930 

Assists career: 533 season high: 76 in 1935 led AL P: 74 in 1931 

Caught Stealing Percentage career: .473 season high: 1.000 in 1933 

Pickoffs career: 11 season high: 2 in 1929, 1930, and 1932 

DID YOU KNOW? 

-finished second in the AL MVP Award voting in 1935, eighth in 1934, 11th in 1931, and 19th in 1932 

-threw a no-hitter against Rick’s St. Louis Browns on April 29, 1931, a game in which he homered, doubled, and drove in four runs 

-allowed the fewest walks per nine innings in the AL in 1934 (2.4) 

-led the AL in batters faced in 1935 (1,391), 1936 (1,341), and 1937 (1,266) 

-had five career multi-homer games 

-hit walk-off home runs in back to back games in 1935 

-was the youngest player in the AL in 1927 

-also played 13 games in leftfield and 163 as a pinch hitter 

-is a member of both the Cleveland Indians Hall of Fame and the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame 

*give for pitchers who also played other positions (and get hitting stats by getting 500+ hits or being named Wes Ferrell) 

league leaders in po (P and C), cs% (P)