Jim Perry

[Cowtipper]

Jim Perry played from 1959 to 1975, going 215-174 with a 3.45 ERA. A three time All-Star, Perry won 15 games five times and 20 games twice, and in 1970 he won the AL Cy Young Award. He led the league twice in wins, in 1960 and 1970, and in those years he led the league in games started as well. Perry also led the league in shutouts in 1960.

In 1981, Perry received six votes for the Hall of Fame; in 1983, he received seven and he is statistically similar to one Hall of Famer: Catfish Hunter.

What do you think? Should the older Perry brother be in the Hall of Fame?

[Fuzzy Bear]

I voted "no". But Perry COULD have been a HOFer with a little luck. It's not clear why he struggled for so many years, and why he was a back-of-the-rotation guy for so long.

[dgarza]

Better than Joe Niekro.

:shrug: Received MVP votes almost a decade before receiving any CY votes :shrug:

[THE OX]

His overall record (W-L, ERA) is very similar to that of Billy Pierce, whom I DO think should be a HOF'er.

The only reason that Perry's HOF-worthiness is less than Pierce's, IMO, is that he was maybe somewhere in the top 10 or 15 right-handers in the AL during much of his playing career, whereas Pierce was frequently the TOP lefty, or at least in the top 3 for most of his AL career.

Truly top-notch lefties have always been much less numerous than elite right-handers, so a lefty with a record comparable to a top-notch right-hander is perhaps 5 times more unusual and therefore valuable.

All that said, Perry was an excellent right-handed starter and worthy of a great deal of respect.

[Paul Wendt]

I voted "no". But Perry COULD have been a HOFer with a little luck. It's not clear why he struggled for so many years, and why he was a back-of-the-rotation guy for so long.

first half, well said
second half, there was some discussion of the 1960s team decisions and Perry's skills and performance over at the Hall of Merit --either in a "Jim Perry" thread or a general discussion thread when he became eligible (+/- one year).

[Freakshow]

Better than Joe Niekro.

:shrug: Received MVP votes almost a decade before receiving any CY votes :shrug:
Really no mystery here. The Cy Young voters put one name on their ballot in the early years of the award, through 1969, IIRC.

[Mike90]

From 1965 to '68, Perry posted ERA+ of 135, 142, 114, and 138 respectively with innings ranging from 131 to 184. As soon as he became a regular member of the rotation, he had back-to-back 20-win seasons and won a Cy Young without pitching any more effectively than he had in the previous 4 seasons. His record is better than that of a few hall of famers, but I do not think he's especially close.

[KCGHOST]

Just a somewhat above average career with a decent six-year peak.