Clayton Kershaw's position among MLB's greatest pitchers ever, and why he falls within the top 20. Analysis of the retiring Dodgers icon's career.
Clayton Kershaw, a left-handed pitcher, has established himself as one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history. Over the last 18 years, his career has been marked by sustained excellence and dominance, earning him a place among the legends of the sport.
Kershaw's seven-year span from 2011 to 2018 was particularly exceptional. During this period, he claimed three Cy Young Awards, an MVP, and five ERA titles, showcasing his remarkable peak and longevity. His performance during this timeframe places him in the same league as some of the greatest left-handed pitchers of all time, including Lefty Grove, Randy Johnson, and Warren Spahn.
Kershaw's career stats bear out his greatness, despite the challenges posed by hulking power hitters over the years. He leads the league in ERA five times, innings once, strikeouts three times, and WHIP four times. His achievements have earned him a spot in the top 0.17% of pitchers to ever grace the mound, according to Fangraphs.
Kershaw's career accomplishments have not gone unnoticed. He is expected to receive over 90% of the vote for the Baseball Hall of Fame on his first ballot in five years. His career, which is nearing completion, has solidified his status as one of the 20 greatest pitchers ever.
In discussions about the greatest pitcher of this current century, Kershaw, Justin Verlander, and Max Scherzer are often mentioned as the Big Three. Despite the emergence of promising talents like Framber Valdez, no active left-handed pitchers have definitively proven to surpass Kershaw’s combined career achievements.
Kershaw ranks 6th all-time in WAR among left-handed pitchers, with a total of 77.6. In the JAWS system, which attempts to mesh WAR with the prime performance of each player, he ranks 20th. The pitchers above him in the JAWS system, in order, are Walter Johnson, Cy Young, Roger Clemens, Grover Alexander, Lefty Grove, Tom Seaver, Kid Nichols, Greg Maddux, Randy Johnson, Christy Mathewson, Warren Spahn, Pedro Martinez, Bob Gibson, Phil Niekro, Steve Carlton, Eddie Plank, Justin Verlander, and Gaylord Perry.
Nearly all of Sandy Koufax's greatness was packed into five below seasons, while Kershaw had a more sustained career of excellence. This sustained greatness, combined with his impressive statistics, solidifies Kershaw's place as one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history.
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