100 wins and still with his original team

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Thanks to offseason transactions, Justin Verlander is now the only active 100-game winner who is still with his original team. Verlander is signed with Detroit for another three years.

As you see in the table below, there were two such pitchers at the end of 2011, both toiling in the Windy City:

Rk	Player	Franch.	W ▾	L	ERA	ERA+	WAR	From	To	Age	G	GS	CG	SHO	IP	BB	SO	HR	Tm
1	Mark Buehrle	1	161	119	3.83	120	46.6	2000	2011	21-32	390	365	27	8	2476.2	564	1396	274	CHW
2	Carlos Zambrano	1	125	81	3.60	122	31.8	2001	2011	20-30	319	282	9	4	1826.2	823	1542	152	CHC
3	Justin Verlander	1	107	57	3.54	124	27.2	2005	2011	22-28	199	199	14	5	1315.1	410	1215	118	DET
4	Ervin Santana	1	87	67	4.22	101	15.8	2005	2011	22-28	206	203	13	6	1297.2	414	1034	164	LAA
5	Brandon Webb	1	87	62	3.27	142	29.2	2003	2009	24-30	199	198	15	8	1319.2	435	1065	92	ARI
6	Felix Hernandez	1	85	67	3.24	129	29.1	2005	2011	19-25	205	205	18	4	1388.1	424	1264	116	SEA
7	Jered Weaver	1	82	47	3.31	128	26.8	2006	2011	23-28	177	177	8	4	1131.2	308	977	121	LAA

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 2/3/2012.

But those 2011 leaders are now both with Miami: Mark Buehrle went free agent after 161 wins in the pale hose (#6 on the franchise list, 2 shy of Wilbur Wood), while Carlos Zambrano was mercy-traded to the Marlins after wearing out his welcome both on and off the Wrigley playing field. Big Z is #11 on the Cubs’ career list with 125 wins, 3 short of Pete Alexander.

Only three other active one-team pitchers have 80+ wins: Ervin Santana (87) and Jered Weaver (82) of the Angels, and Seattle’s Felix Hernandez (85), who is the active SP leader in WAR for his original team (29.1 to Verlander’s 27.2). All three are under contract for at least the next two years, though there is much trade speculation about King Felix.

Buehrle’s departure from the South Side means that Ron Guidry remains the one-franchise leader in the free-agent era with 170 wins:

Rk	Player	Franch.	W ▾	L	ERA	ERA+	WAR	From	To	Age	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	BB	SO	HR	Tm
1	Ron Guidry	1	170	91	3.29	119	44.4	1975	1988	24-37	368	323	95	26	4	2392.0	633	1778	226	NYY
2	Mark Buehrle	1	161	119	3.83	120	46.6	2000	2011	21-32	390	365	27	8	0	2476.2	564	1396	274	CHW
3	Brad Radke	1	148	139	4.22	113	41.4	1995	2006	22-33	378	377	37	10	0	2451.0	445	1467	326	MIN
4	Dennis Leonard	1	144	102	3.68	107	24.2	1975	1986	24-35	307	298	103	23	1	2165.0	610	1315	202	KCR
5	Jim Palmer	1	139	83	2.98	124	35.8	1975	1984	29-38	290	278	113	27	2	2081.1	622	1035	170	BAL
6	Scott McGregor	1	138	108	3.99	99	17.5	1976	1988	22-34	356	309	83	23	5	2140.2	518	904	235	BAL
7	Steve Rogers	1	133	125	3.13	117	40.3	1975	1985	25-35	344	338	111	33	2	2450.0	747	1403	127	MON
8	Carlos Zambrano	1	125	81	3.60	122	31.8	2001	2011	20-30	319	282	9	4	0	1826.2	823	1542	152	CHC
9	Bob Stanley	1	115	97	3.64	119	21.5	1977	1989	22-34	637	85	21	7	132	1707.0	471	693	113	BOS
10	Paul Splittorff	1	113	91	3.91	102	11.5	1975	1984	28-37	296	262	50	8	1	1697.2	520	627	134	KCR
11	Justin Verlander	1	107	57	3.54	124	27.2	2005	2011	22-28	199	199	14	5	0	1315.1	410	1215	118	DET
12	Mario Soto	1	100	92	3.47	108	26.9	1977	1988	20-31	297	224	72	13	4	1730.1	657	1449	172	CIN

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 2/3/2012.

From 1920 through 1974 — comprising 958 team-seasons — there were 30 pitchers with at least 200 wins, of which 15 won 200+ on behalf of one team (whether or not they also pitched elsewhere). But since the dawn of free agency in 1975 (comprising 1,024 team-seasons), only 3 out of 23 pitchers with 200 wins did so for one team: teammates Tom Glavine (244) and John Smoltz (210) with Atlanta, and Andy Pettitte (203) with the Yankees. Three more came close: Jack Morris won 198 with Detroit, Greg Maddux 194 with Atlanta and Roger Clemens 192 with Boston.

Sidebar: Verlander and Weaver have been linked ever since they were drafted in 2004:

Verlander went #2 over all that year, while Weaver (the collegiate player of the year) slipped to #12 due to “signability concerns” (Latin name: Borasthesia).
Both were MLB fixtures within 2 years; Verlander broke camp with the 2006 Tigers and wound up as Rookie of the Year, while Weaver was called up in late May and placed 5th on that ballot.
Each has at least 11 wins every year since 2006; they rank #1 and #4 in AL wins in that span.
Verlander led the majors in strikeouts last year, Weaver the year before.
Verlander edged Weaver for the AL ERA crown last year, 2.40 to 2.41.
Verlander also holds a slim edge in their 5 career face-offs, with a 3-2 record and 3.89 ERA, compared to 2-3, 4.50 for Weaver.
Their career bWAR values are virtually the same — 27.2 for Verlander, 26.8 for Weaver.

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DaveR

12 years ago

I have been a Padres fan since I started following baseball in 1977. It is disappointing to me that the franchise leaders in wins (100) and home runs (163) will likely never be broken because of free agency.

vivaeljason

12 years ago

Reply to DaveR

It always shocks me how LOW the Padres home run total is. I mean, if you look at the list of franchise leaders, you get legendary names like Ruth, Williams, Aaron, Schmidt, Killebrew, and Mays as well as guys who aren’t on that same tier but still who had a run of dominance (the Mets and Darryl Strawberry spring to mind, as well as the Blue Jays and Carlos Delgado). Then you get the Padres and Nate Colbert. Granted, some teams have lower home run setters (the Marlins have Dan Uggla at 154 and the Rays have Carlos Pena at… Read more »

DaveR

12 years ago

Reply to vivaeljason

Yeah, he was just a couple back. Maybe in ten years, the Padres can reaquire him near the end of his career and he can hit a few more. You know that the record will STILL be there for him to break!

Luis Gomez

12 years ago

Reply to DaveR

How about Jake Peavy? He was within striking distance of the Padres career wins record before being traded to Chicago.

Hub Kid

12 years ago

Reply to Luis Gomez

Of course neither Adrian Gonzalez nor Jake Peavy fit John A.’s exact criteria of counting stats achieved while on the original team only. Jake Peavy does fit them more closely: the Padres were his original team, unlike Adrian Gonzalez, who did spend some time with the Rangers (although I’d forgotten until checking b-ref). It would be nifty to see him return for 8-9 more wins with the Padres, although it doesn’t seem very likely. There are lots of ways to quibble about “single team players,” and I guess they are mostly technicalities. This is a great post; i personally find… Read more »

DaveR

12 years ago

Reply to Luis Gomez

Yeah, but the Padres have to get him soon, because he looks close to done. Maybe Randy Jones can toe it up for a few more.

Lawrence Azrin

12 years ago

Reply to vivaeljason

Dave R, Vivaeljason;

Yeah, I was really surprised that the Padres all-time HR was only 163; I guessed “Dave Winfield”, but he was a little short at 151. Tony Gwynn spent his entire 20-year career with the Padres, but he was no HR-hitter.

Until Frank Thomas came along,I think that the White Sox’s career HR leader was similarly surprisingly low {Bill Melton?}.

ajnrules

12 years ago

Pitchers that spent their entire careers with one teams are pretty rare even before the free agent era. Walter Johnson holds the all-time record for wins for a single team with 417, and he’s the only member of the 300-win club that spent his entire career with one club. Even if you extend it to the 250-win club, the only people who got all their wins with one team are Jim Palmer (268), Bob Feller (266), Ted Lyons (260), Red Faber (254), Carl Hubbell (253), and Bob Gibson (251).

Dr. Doom

12 years ago

Wow… spammed three comments in a row. You’ve really hit the big time, fellas!

Anyway, great post, JA. I hadn’t ever really thought about this topic, and it’s a good one. As much as almost everyone around here decries pitcher wins (and rightfully so) they can still be helpful for things like this “study.” Anyway, I can’t believe Bradke is #2 on the FA era list. He’s one of my all-time faves.

Hartvig

12 years ago

Reply to Dr. Doom

What? Gazpacho Recipe Informational Website isn’t a real person? Say it isn’t so. Odd too that both current leaders went to the same team. Buehrle has long been a favorite of mine and has always reminded me of Jim Kaat- good fielding lefty who doesn’t mess around on the mound. It does seem that more pitchers are starting to realize the more time you spend on the field on a hot & humid summer day the greater a toll it takes on your pitching as well as the defense you have playing behind you. If I were a catcher for… Read more »

vivaeljason

12 years ago

Reply to Hartvig

I am *SO* changing my user name to Gazpacho Recipe Informational Website.

kds

12 years ago

Reply to vivaeljason

That’s taken, how about Vichyssoise Recipe Informational Website. Of course potatoes and leaks will refer to different baseball players than tomatoes, cucumber, onions and garlic.

Mike L

12 years ago

Really interesting post. I also wonder whether the decline also correlates to the movement to five man rotations, the increased use of bullpens and reduction in complete games.

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Andy

12 years ago

Yeah I manually spam a few comments on my threads but I’ll leave it up to JA and Raphy to do it on their own posts 🙂

Latefortheparty

12 years ago

I wonder which of those non-Buehrle, non-Zambrano pitchers will a) spend the most time with one team and b) win the most with that one team. Predictions? Speculations? WAGs? I’m confident it won’t be Webb.

Hartvig

12 years ago

Reply to Latefortheparty

As a Tiger fan I’m really hoping it will be Verlander in Detroit for another 200 or so wins.

Kahuna Tuna

12 years ago

Ervin Santana (87) and Jered Weaver (82) of the Angels, and Seattle’s Felix Hernandez (85) of Seattle

I think you’ve garbled the syntax for the wrong team, John.

(-:þ

Author

John Autin

12 years ago

Reply to Kahuna Tuna

Well quipped, sir! Obviously, I meant “Seattle’s Felix Hernandez of Edgar Martinez Drive….”

Dr. Remulak

12 years ago

Sad in a way that Guidry’s 170 is #1 in the free agent era.

Author

John Autin

12 years ago

Reply to Dr. Remulak

Not for us Cajuns!

Author

John Autin

12 years ago

I think expansion is also a significant cause of the increase in player movement. With more teams, it should be easier for a GM to find a trading partner.

Dr. Remulak

12 years ago

Pettitte’s unfortunate 3-year exile in Houston kept him off this list.

Question (and recognizing that W-L records are derided in these parts): How many pitchers who are >100 games above .500 are NOT in the HOF?

Dr. Remulak

12 years ago

Pettitte’s unfortunate 3-year exile in Houston kept him off this list.

Question (recognizing the general disdain for W-L here): how many pitchers who are >100 games over .500 are NOT in the HOF?

MikeD

12 years ago

Reply to Dr. Remulak

I believe all pitchers 100+ games over .500 are in the HOF, with the exception of two — Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte. Of course, neither are yet eligible. I fully support Mussina’s case. In my book he’s a no-brainer. Pettitte is a better pitcher than some people want to credit, and he would not lower the standard of the Hall, but he falls short in my book. His best chance would have been consistent “very goodness” (sorry!)over a long period. His best chance would have been to get up into the 280-career win category, coupled with by then would… Read more »

Doug

12 years ago

Reply to Dr. Remulak

You can add these recent, soon to be Hall-eligible guys to the list. All should make the Hall, IMHO.
• Greg Maddux, 355-227
• Roger Clemens, 354-184
• Tom Glavine, 305-203
• Randy Johnson, 303-166
• Pedro Martinez, 219-100

Have to go back to the 19th century to find someone who missed the Hall.
• Bob Caruthers, 218-99

NJ Baseball

12 years ago

I understand the reason for limiting the list to the era of free agency, but why only count wins earned during the free-agency era? Palmer had 268 in his career, all with the Orioles, and though his entire career wasn’t played in the FA era, obviously a good chunk of it was — meaning he did have the option to pitch for another team should he have chosen to do so.

MikeD

12 years ago

Verlander and King Felix certainly have both the ability, and youth, to challenge for the record. It’ll all come down to if their teams can afford to keep them. As the Tigers just showed with Prince Fielder, the Tigers certainly can afford to pay Verlander. King Felix might be more tricky. The Mariners are not a small-market team and they have access to plenty of cash, yet that doesn’t mean they still won’t trade Hernandez for the right package of prospects.

My guess is one of these two guys — probably Verlander — will take the #1 spot eventually.

Doug

12 years ago

This is the first time in the free-agent era that there has been only one pitcher with 100 career wins still playing for his first team. Here’s the list. 2011, 1, Verlander 2010, 2, Buehrle, Zambrano 2009, 5, Buehrle, Zambrano, Halladay, Lackey, Oswalt 2008, 4, Buehrle, Halladay, Oswalt, Smoltz 2007, 5, Buehrle, Halladay, Oswalt, Sabathia, Smoltz 2006, 3, Radke, Smoltz, Zito 2005, 3, Radke, Smoltz, Morris 2004, 2, Radke, Smoltz 2003, 3, Pettitte, Radke, Smoltz 2002, 6, Glavine, Nagy, Pettitte, Radke, Reynolds, Smoltz 2001, 5, Glavine, Nagy, Pettitte, Reynolds, Smoltz 2000, 5, Glavine, Nagy, Pettitte, Mussina, Smoltz 1999, 6, Finley,… Read more »

AlvaroEspinoza

12 years ago

Mariano Rivera is not too far behind on that list with 75 wins.