Top 50 Starting Pitchers of All-Time

Ranking the Starting Pitchers

The brilliance of Carl Hubbell and Lefty Grove hasn't faded after all these years. The pair of southpaws, shown here, rank 15th and first, respectively on our all-time list of starting pitchers. In an era of offense, Grove dominated batters with his fastball, while Hubbell tossed a devastating screwball.

♦  Most durable, Roberts ⇒
♦  Most unlikely career, Niekro ⇒
♦  Best post-season pitcher, Smoltz ⇒

1.   Lefty Grove
2.   Tom Seaver
3.   Walter Johnson
4.   Pedro Martinez
5.   Satchel Paige
6.   Greg Maddux
7.   Bob Feller
8.   Christy Mathewson
9.   Sandy Koufax
10.   Bob Gibson
11.   Warren Spahn
12.   Steve Carlton
13.   Randy Johnson
14.   Pete Alexander
15.   Carl Hubbell
16.   Roger Clemens
17.   Cy Young
18.   Mordecai Brown
19.   Dizzy Dean
20.   Nolan Ryan
21.   Ed Walsh
22.   Smoky Joe Williams
23.   Juan Marichal
24.   Jim Palmer
25.   Eddie Plank
26.   Kid Nichols
27.   Robin Roberts
28.   Whitey Ford
29.   Phil Niekro
30.   Addie Joss
31.   Rube Waddell
32.   Gaylord Perry
33.   Fergie Jenkins
34.   John Smoltz
35.   Leon Day
36.   Early Wynn
37.   Wes Ferrell
38.   Bert Blyleven
39.   Don Sutton
40.   Jim Bunning
41.   Ted Lyons
42.   Don Drysdale
43.   Dazzy Vance
44.   Curt Schilling
45.   Jack Morris
46.   Luis Tiant
47.   Smoky Joe Wood
48.   Carl Mays
49.   Hal Newhouser
50.   Bob Lemon

Pitchers who Managed
Walter Johnson
Clark Griffith
Fred Hutchinson
Bob Lemon
Tommy Lasorda
George Bamberger
Roger Craig
Larry Dierker
Bud Black

The Next Nine
51. Lon Warneke
52. Catfish Hunter
53. Don Newcombe
54. Red Ruffing
55. Lefty Gomez
56. Joe McGinnity
57. Babe Adams
58. Tom Keefe
59. Dave Stieb

Most Intimidating
Bob Gibson
Randy Johnson
Don Drysdale

Best Hitting Pitchers
Don Newcombe
George Uhle
Bob Lemon
Double-Duty Radcliffe

Best Fastballs
Nolan Ryan
Sam McDowell
Bob Feller
Walter Johnson

Best Curveballs
Bert Blyleven
Mike Cuellar
Sal Maglie

Tom Glavine, Warren Spahn, and Early Wynn are the only pitchers in history to win 300 games despite never striking out 200 batters in any season... Jim Palmer never surrendered a grand slam... Walter Johnson and Luis Tiant are the only pitchers with two shutout streaks of 40 innings or more in their career.

Slowest Delivery
Lefty Eddie Plank made it to the Hall of Fame using stall tactics, but he didn't have any routine to go with it. With a batter waiting at the plate, Plank would move an inch forward on the mound, then half an inch back, as if trying to perfect the relationship between himself and the world. Eddie Plank's page ⇒

"I like ice cream, but I don't like it crammed down my throat a gallon at a time."
— Reggie Jackson, discussing why a fastball hitter still feared hitting against Nolan Ryan

Nolan Ryan's page ⇒

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