Is Andy Pettitte a Hall-of-Famer?
Andy Pettitte had a great run in the big leagues for 16 seasons, including 13 with the Bronx Bombers. Pettitte was on some great Yankee teams and was able to get an unprecedented five World Series rings. In two of his 16 seasons he won an incredible 21 games. Andy Pettitte will be missed on the field by many Yankee fans. Now the question comes up, is Andy Eugene Pettitte a Hall-of-Famer? Any Yankee fan will probably say yes to the previous question.
My controversial answer is……………………..No
Sure Pettitte is a great player, but that’s not what I’m saying. I just don’t think he belongs in the Hall. Pettite pitched for 16 seasons and has 240 wins, which ranks him tied for 54th on the all-time list. I know that sounds really good, but Pettitte was on some great teams where wins were not hard to come by. Let’s look at the only stat a pitcher can control, and that is ERA. Pettitte’s ERA is a whopping 3.88. That ranks him way, way down the list at 720th all-time. Ranking that far down the list, on the only stat he could control, tells me he doesn’t deserve to be in the Hall. In comparison, Barry Zito’s ERA is 3.86, and I know Zito is not going into the Hall-of-Fame.
You also have to take into account the HGH scandal, where Pettitte admitted to taking HGH to recover from an elbow injury in 2002. Then the next year, in 2003, Pettitte ties his career high for wins with 21. Although HGH wasn’t officially banned in baseball until 2005, it just doesn’t sit right with me or with a lot of Hall-of-Fame voters. I believe if baseball wants to clean up its image it should not enshrine those who have helped tarnish it.
There is one stat that Pettitte has that could make a case for Cooperstown. Pettite has 19 career post-season wins, which ranks 1st all-time. This stat is pretty incredible because second on that list is John Smoltz with 15. Post-season dominance has gotten other players a ticket to the Hall-of-Fame, but will it be enough for Pettitte?
Pettitte’s stats and all-time rankings
Wins: 240 (54th)
ERA: 3.88 (720)
SO: 2251 (55th)
All-Stars: 3
Cy Young’s 0
Post-Season Wins 19 (1st)
Pettite will go down as a New York Yankee legend, and will likely get his number retired. I believe you should be a super-exceptional player to be inducted into the Hall, and we should not just let anyone in. Major League Baseball should have strict guidelines, and no performance-enhancing drugs should be allowed.
None of Andy Pettite’s stats just jump out at you except playoff wins, and that is why I believe Cooperstown will pass on Pettitte. With many of the “steroid and HGH era” players getting ready to retire, it will be interesting to see whom they let into the Hall-of-Fame. I know that many baseball experts believe that if your name was on the Mitchell report, then it’s going to be hard for you to get in. I know Pettitte was a great pitcher and a Yankee hero, but I just don’t see enough great stats to put him into the Hall-of-Fame. Jarod Mitchell