Lee Smith and Harold Baines elected to Baseball Hall of Fame

Lee Smith and Harold Baines elected to Baseball Hall of Fame Dec 10, 2018 19:51:58 GMT

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Post by Rufus-T on Dec 10, 2018 19:51:58 GMT

Dec 10, 2018 19:22:41 GMT @crimeboss said:

Dec 10, 2018 14:35:45 GMT OrsonSwelles said:

Maybe no one was close in opportunities because he was healthy, consistent AND good while others of the era weren't. BTW he was the all time leader in saves from 1993-2006. The modern save has been going on for 30+ years now. How many guys have more than him?

Nope.

As I stated above, the save was a new stat that wasn't used nearly as much. Lee Smith is more a product of timing than anything else.

1969-1979 (First 11 years of the save stat): 8209 league saves

1980-1990 (First 11 years of Smith's career): 10592 league saves

1969-1979 (First 11 years of the save stat): 8725 complete games
1980-1990 (First 11 years of Smith's career): 5184 complete games

Prior to Smith's time, the game was managed differently.

1969-1981 (First 13 years of save stat): 9716 league saves

1982-1994 (First 13 years of Smith's closer career): 13295 league saves

1969-1981 (First 13 years of save stat): 9786 complete games

1982-1994 (First 13 years of Smith's closer career): 5151 complete games

Closers are taking a prominent role in the game. The way that the game is being managed by Tampa Bay and The Brewers, middle relief is gaining more importance. The dominant starters is dwindling to a selected few. The recognition of closers opens the door for the above average closers like Billy Wagner, Francisco Rodríguez, John Franco, and Troy Percival, and God forbid, Jose Mesa.