Man, Steve Carlton was great. I mean, he is in the Hall of Fame, so of course, he is. But man! Look at this:
- 329 career wins
- During his peak–from 1967 to 1984–he averaged 262 innings a 17 wins a season. 262 innings!
- He won 20-games six times, including a 27-win season in 1972.
- Selected to 10 All-Star Games, won a Gold Glove
- Four-time Cy Young winner
- Two time World Series winner
He has the 45th highest WAR in history with 90.2.
Of all those stats, it’s the 262 innings a season that gets me the most. Justin Verlander is the next best pitcher in a position to overtake him in career WAR (at #73 with 77), and he has averaged 223 during his career.
Oh! Fun fact: in 1987 Carlton signed with the Cleveland Indians, and for a brief time was in a rotation with fellow future HOF pitcher Phil Niekro. Neither pitched particularly well for Cleveland, but then again nobody did that season.