Ted Williams wrote a book in 1995 called “Ted Williams’ Hit List.” ”Production is the sum of slugging percentage and on base percentage.” Baseball should rename OPS, Production in honor of Ted Williams. The top three lifetime of these are Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, and Lou Gehrig.
In pitching we really don’t have anything like OPS. If you take ERA and add WHIP you will get a number similar to OPS. If you take it a step further, you could subtract the number of strikeouts per inning that you get from adding ERA and WHIP. That would define the greatest pitchers in the game. Smoky Joe Wood would come in third, and have pitched over 1,400 innings. Bruce Sutter is in the Hall and he only pitch 1,000 innings.
If you take out all the pitchers from the deadball era, you get a clearer look at the best pitchers in the game. The pitcher with the best number lifetime is really Jonathan Papelbon. With an ERA of 1.62 and a WHIP of 0.921, his total would be 2.541 and his mark of 193 strikeouts in 160.7 innings would give him 1.201 strikeouts per inning for a PP number of 1.340, the lowest in history.
The list is dominated by closers. If you look at just starters the top ten would be:
Pedro Martinez, Sandy Koufax, Randy Johnson, Tom Seaver, Andy Messersmith, Johan Santana, Bob Gibson, Roger Clemens, Juan Marichal, and Whitey Ford
This is the list of the top pitchers in the game, from 1920 on.
Power Pitching (PP) ERA + WHIP - K/I = PP
1. Billy Wagner ERA 2.400 + WHIP 1.106 = 3.416 - K/I 1.315 = 2.101 PP
2. Francisco Rodriguez ERA 2.370 + WHIP 1.083 = 3.453 - K/I 1.331 = 2.122 PP
3. Mariano Rivera ERA 2.350 + WHIP 1.046 = 3.396 - K/I .899 = 2.497 PP
4. Tom Henke ERA 2.670 + WHIP 1.092 = 3.762 - K/I 1.090 = 2.672 PP
5. Pedro Martinez ERA 2.800 + WHIP 1.030 = 3.830 -K/I 1.133 = 2.697 PP
6 Trevor Hoffman ERA 2.730 + WHIP 1.049 =3.779 - K/I 1.070 = 2.709 PP
7. Sandy Koufax ERA 2.760 + WHIP 1.106 = 3.866 - K/I 1.031 = 2.835 PP
8. Hoyt Wilhelm ERA 2.520 + WHIP 1.125 = 3.655 - K/I .714 = 2.941 PP
9 Troy Percival ERA 3.020 + WHIP 1.090 = 4.110 - K/I 1.129 = 2.981 PP
10 John Wettleand ERA 2.930 + WHIP 1.135 =4.065 - K/I 1.051 = 3.014 PP
11. Robb Nen ERA 2.980 + WHIP 1.213 = 4.193 - K/I 1.109 + 3.084 PP
12. Armando Benitez ERA 3.110 + WHIP 1.219 = 4.329 - K/I 1.213 = 3.116 PP
13. Joe Nathan ERA 3.000 + WHIP 1.154 = 4.154 - K/I 1.011 = 3.143 PP
14. Bruce Sutter ERA 2.830 + WHIP 1.140 = 3.970 - K/I .826 = 3.144 PP
15. Randy Johnson ERA 3.220 + WHIP 1.164 = 4.384 - K/I 1.197 = 3.187 PP
16 Tom Seaver ERA 2.860 + WHIP 1.121 = 3.981 - K/I .761 = 3.220 PP
17 Dick Radatz ERA 3.130 + WHIP 1.194 = 4.324 - K/I 1.074 = 3.250 PP
18 John Hiller ERA 2.830 + WHIP 1.268 = 4.098 - K/I .834 = 3.264 PP
19 Andy Messersmith ERA 2.860 + WHIP 1.143 =4.003 - K/I .729 = 3.274 PP
20 Johan Santana ERA 3.220 + WHIP 1.094 = 4.334 - K/I 1.055 = 3.279 PP
21. Rollie Fingers ERA 2.90 + WHIP 1.156 = 4.056 - K/I .764 = 3.292 PP
22. Bob Gibson ERA 2.910 + WHIP 1.188 = 4.098 - K/I .802 = 3.296 PP
23 Eric Gagne ERA 3.310 + WHIP 1.132 = 4.442 -K/I 1.139 = 3.303 PP
24 Lee Smith ERA 3.030 + WHIP 1.256 = 4.286 - K/I .970 = 3.316 PP
25. Roger Clemens ERA 3.120 + WHIP 1.173 = 4.293 - K/I .968 = 3.325 PP
26. B. J. Ryan ERA 3.280 + WHIP 1.255 = 4.535 -K/I 1.210 = 3.325 PP
27 Juan Marichal ERA 2.890 + WHIP 1.101 = 3.991 - K/I .657 = 3.334 PP
28 Whitey Ford ERA 2.750 + WHIP 1.215 = 3.965 - K/I .617 = 3.348 PP
29. Don Drysdale ERA 2.950 + WHIP 1.148 = 4.098 - K/I .724 = 3.374 PP
30. Goose Gossage ERA 3.010 + WHIP 1.232 = 4.242 - K/I .830 = 3.412 PP
31. Todd Worrell ERA 3.090 + WHIP 1.233 = 4.323 - K/I .905 = 3.418 PP
32 John Franco ERA 2.890 + WHIP 1.333 = 4.223 - K/I .783 = 3.440 PP
33. Don McMahon ERA 2.960 + WHIP 1.246 = 4.206 - K/I .765 = 3.441 PP
34 Kevin Foulke ERA 3.300 + WHIP 1.065 = 4.365 - K/I .920 = 3.445 PP
34. Jim Palmer ERA 2.860 + WHIP 1.180 = 4.040 - K/I .650 = 3.480 PP
36. J.R. Richard ERA 3.150 + WHIP 1.243 = 4.393 - K/I .911 = 3.482 PP
37 Jake Peavy ERA 3.310 + WHIP 1.187 = 4.497 -K/I 1.002 = 3.495 PP
38 Randy Myers ERA 3.190 + WHIP 1.303 = 4.494 - K/I .999 = 3.495 PP
39 Sparky Lyle ERA 2.88 + WHIP 1.275 = 4.155 - K/I .628 = 3.527 PP
40 Ron Perranoski ERA 2.790 + WHIP 1.332 = 4.122 - K/I .585 = 3.537 PP
41 Roy Oswalt ERA 3.070 + WHIP 1.201 = 4.371 - K/I .828 = 3.543 PP
42 John Smoltz ERA 3.260 + WHIP 1.170 = 4.430 - K/I .884 = 3.546 PP
43. Kent Tekulve ERA 2.850 + WHIP 1.250 = 4.100 - K/I .542 = 3.558 PP
44 Dan Quisenberry ERA 2.760 + WHIP 1.175 = 3.935 - K/I .363 = 3.572 PP
45. Greg Maddox ERA 3.110 + WHIP 1.141 = 4.251 - K/I .680 = 3.579 PP
46 Jeff Reardon ERA 3.16 + WHIP 1.199 = 4.359 - K/I .775 = 3.584 PP
47 Gaylord Perry ERA 3.110 + WHIP 1.181 = 4.291 - K/I .661 = 3.630 PP
48. Curt Schilling ERA 3.460 + WHIP 1.137 = 4.597 - K/I .956 = 3.641 PP
Rick Swanson