Dean Chance

[micsmith]

I just wanted to see what people thought of Dean Chance. How good was he? And is he even close to derserving enshrinement?

[538280]

Chance has almost indentical credentials to Ron Guidry. A good pitcher for a short time, very low career IP, and one tremendous year. Neither is even close to HOF quality.

[KCGHOST]

Really not quie as good as Guidry. Closer example might be Andy Messersmith.

[Fuzzy Bear]

Really not quie as good as Guidry. Closer example might be Andy Messersmith.

Messersmith and Jim Maloney are good examples of comparable pitchers. Chance, though, was better than both of them at his best. Chance won the Cy Young Award in 1964, and deserved it. Chance arguably deserved the AL Cy Young Award in 1967; indeed, Chance may well have been the best pitcher in the majors in 1967 as well.

All three guys were on HOF paths when they got hurt with injuries that ruined their careers. Chance's career is above Messersmith's and Maloney's, but below Bret Saberhagen's and Frank Viola's, as well as below Guidry's. All of them were on HOF paces. The difference is that Viola, Guidry, and even Saberhagen were able to last longer. (Had Saberhagen been healthy, he would have challenged Clemens and Maddux for being the best starter in baseball, but he wasn't healthy, so . . .)

[Paul Wendt]

No, not even close.

Messersmith and Jim Maloney are good examples of comparable pitchers. Chance, though, was better than both of them at his best. Chance won the Cy Young Award in 1964, and deserved it. Chance arguably deserved the AL Cy Young Award in 1967; indeed, Chance may well have been the best pitcher in the majors in 1967 as well.

All three guys were on HOF paths when they got hurt with injuries that ruined their careers. . .

Maloney was never a workhorse as Chance was, maybe never on HOF path(?). But he had more stuff. See the three no-hitters and the strikeout rate (walk rate too) more like Nolan Ryan and Sam McDowell than Chance and Messersmith.

Strikeouts are popular.
Maybe McDowell was on the highest path but the record can't be good for pitchers approaching 2000 innings at age 27 (McDowell and Chance).

[Fuzzy Bear]

No, not even close.



Maloney was never a workhorse as Chance was, maybe never on HOF path(?). But he had more stuff. See the three no-hitters and the strikeout rate (walk rate too) more like Nolan Ryan and Sam McDowell than Chance and Messersmith.

Strikeouts are popular.
Maybe McDowell was on the highest path but the record can't be good for pitchers approaching 2000 innings at age 27 (McDowell and Chance).

Chance did, however, pitch in an incredibly super era for pitchers, so his 2,000 innings probably involved significantly fewer pitches thrown than would be thrown by a pitcher (especially in the AL, with the DH rule) in 2,000 innings in this day and age.