Poll: is Mariano Rivera one of the top 10 pitchers of all time?

[the 'stache]

Off the top of my head, I'd take:

Walter Johnson
Lefty Grove
Pedro Martinez
Sandy Koufax
Greg Maddux
Randy Johnson
Clayton Kershaw
Cy Young
Tom Seaver
Roger Clemens

In a heartbeat over Rivera. Then there are guys I'd probably take. Pete Alexander, Bob Gibson, probably Christy Mathewson. I'd need to think for a bit more, as it's 3 am, but Rivera doesn't crack my top ten. Again, only one pitch. Great at a very specialized job, but give me a dominant starter over a closer every day of the week. If that starter is on his game, I don't need a closer.

[jchcollins]

Originally Posted by the 'stache

Off the top of my head, I'd take:

Walter Johnson
Lefty Grove
Pedro Martinez
Sandy Koufax
Greg Maddux
Randy Johnson
Clayton Kershaw
Cy Young
Tom Seaver
Roger Clemens

In a heartbeat over Rivera. Then there are guys I'd probably take. Pete Alexander, Bob Gibson, probably Christy Mathewson. I'd need to think for a bit more, as it's 3 am, but Rivera doesn't crack my top ten. Again, only one pitch. Great at a very specialized job, but give me a dominant starter over a closer every day of the week. If that starter is on his game, I don't need a closer.

Bob Feller probably belongs in there somewhere as well.

[shelly]

Originally Posted by the 'stache

Off the top of my head, I'd take:

Walter Johnson
Lefty Grove
Pedro Martinez
Sandy Koufax
Greg Maddux
Randy Johnson
Clayton Kershaw
Cy Young
Tom Seaver
Roger Clemens

In a heartbeat over Rivera. Then there are guys I'd probably take. Pete Alexander, Bob Gibson, probably Christy Mathewson. I'd need to think for a bit more, as it's 3 am, but Rivera doesn't crack my top ten. Again, only one pitch. Great at a very specialized job, but give me a dominant starter over a closer every day of the week. If that starter is on his game, I don't need a closer.

No one has mentioned Feller 3 no hitters 13 one hitters and out of baseball for three years for the navy

[icollectDCsports]

Originally Posted by shelly

No one has mentioned Feller 3 no hitters 13 one hitters and out of baseball for three years for the navy

Absolutely -- and don't sleep on Warren Spahn, who is one of the most underappreciated pitchers in MLB history.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by shelly

No one has mentioned Feller 3 no hitters 13 one hitters and out of baseball for three years for the navy

Post 94.

[the 'stache]

Originally Posted by shelly

No one has mentioned Feller 3 no hitters 13 one hitters and out of baseball for three years for the navy

I thought of Feller. Just forgot to add him. It was 3 am.

[darwinbulldog]

Now that I've had more time to reflect on it, if I had to be more specific, I'd rank Rivera in the 15th-20th range, along with Blyleven, Niekro, and Mussina, excellent pitchers with excellent careers and definitely worthy of the Hall in my book, but clearly a step down from Seaver, Grove, et al. in the top 10.

There's no reason in principle that a closer couldn't be considered the greatest pitcher of all time, but he'd just have to put up even better numbers than Mariano did. If a hypothetical closer converted 95% of 800 save opportunities over 20 years with an ERA+ of 250 and a 0.8 WHIP, I'd declare him a greater pitcher than Walter Johnson. It's possible we'll see that someday, but that's significantly better than Mariano, and I think I'm more likely to see someone put together a 57 game hitting streak this year than I am to see a closer that good in the next 40 years or however long I may live.