The Porkchop Express said:
AgRyan04 said:
I just realized that Dan Quisenberry had finished top 5 in Cy Young voting five times from 1980-1985....including some top 10 MVP voting.
Was he THAT good? Or did no one know how to value closers in the early 80s?
He was routinely pitching 40%+ of the Royals' games, going way over 100 innings, and almost never walked anybody. He pitched 129-139 inning 4 years in a row (82-85) and his walk totals were 12, 11, 12, 16. In 1980 he was 12-7 with 33 saves. That's like some Hoyt Wilhelm action.
I just looked him up because I was curious, his strikeout totals are almost as amazing as the walks... because they are so low. He pitched over 1000 big league innings and only had 379 strikeouts. I can't imagine a guy with a K/9 rate that low being a closer ever again.
For reference, Lee Smith pitched 1200 innings and had a bit over 1200 Ks. And Goose Gossage pitched 1800 innings and had 1500 Ks. So even in a time where guys K'd less often, Quissenberey's K rate was extraordinarily low.