Who is Baseball's most dominant starter

Who is baseball’s most dominant starter today?

By Jonathan Pariente

The game of baseball has seen its share of dominance in starting pitching for many years. It started with the man who is the all time leader in wins, and the award his name now bears given to the best starting pitcher for the regular season, Cy Young.

Below is a list of starting pitchers that I believe were the best pitchers from the 1930s until today with stats and facts to back it up.

1930s Carl Hubbell

253 wins, Career 2.98 ERA

9 time All Star (1933-1938, 1940-1942)

2 time National League MVP (1933, 1936)

1933 World Series Champion

Led the NL in wins 3 times (1933, 1936, 1937)

Led the NL in ERA 3 times (1933, 1934, 1936)

One Career No Hitter (1929)

1933 Threw complete game 18 inning shutout

Struck out Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Joe Cronin, Babe Ruth, and Al Simmons in succession in the 1934 All Star Game.

1940s Bob Feller

266 wins, 279 complete games, 44 shutouts, and 3.25 ERA.

Led the American League in wins 6 times, (1939-1941, 1946-1947, 1951) 
Led the American League in Strikeouts 7 times (1938-1941, 1946-1948)

8 time All Star (1938-1941, 1946-1948, 1950)

1940 Triple Crown Winner

1948 World Series Champion

3 career No Hitters (1940, 1946, 1951)

Served 4 years in World War II

1950s Warren Spahn

363 wins, Career 3.09 ERA

1957 Cy Young Award Winner

1957 World Series Champion

17 time All Star (1947, 1949-1954, 1956-1959(dheader), 1961(dheader), 1962(dheader), 1963

Warren Spahn Award (given to best left handed pitchers for the year) named in his honor.

2 career no hitters

Famous saying: “Hitting is Timing. Pitching is upsetting timing." 

1960s Sandy Koufax

165 wins, Career 2.76 ERA

3 time Cy Young Award Winner (1963, 1965, 1966)

4 time World Series Champion (1955, 1959, 1963, 1965)

2 time World Series MVP (1963, 1965)

3 time Triple Crown Winner (1963, 1965, 1966)

4 career no hitters, 1 Perfect Game (September 9, 1965)

6 time All Star (1961-1966)

1970s Tom Seaver

311 wins, Career 2.86 ERA

3 time NL Cy Young Award Winner (1969, 1973, 1975)

1967 NL Rookie of the Year

Led NL in ERA 3 times (1970, 1971, 1973)

Led NL in Wins 3 times (1969, 1975, 1981)

Led NL in Strikeouts 5 times (1970, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1976)

1969 World Series Champion

One Career No Hitter June 16, 1978

12 time All Star (1967-1973, 1975-1978, 1981)

1980s Nolan Ryan

324 wins, Career 3.19 ERA

8 time All Star (1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1985, 1989)

7 Career No Hitters (2 in 1973, 1974, 1975, 1981, 1990, 1991)

5,714 Strikeouts (All Time Leader)

1969 World Series Champion

1990s Greg Maddux

355 wins, Career 3.16 ERA

8 time All Star (1988, 1992, 1994-1998, 2000)

1995 World Series Champion

4 time NL Cy Young Award Winner (1992-1995)

18 time Gold Glove Award Winner (1990-2002, 2004-2008)

2000s Randy Johnson

303 wins, Career 3.29 ERA 4,875 Strikeouts (2^nd all time) Most ever by a lefty.

10 time All Star (1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004)

2001 World Series Champion

5 time Cy Young Award Winner (1995, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002)

World Series MVP 2001

Triple Crown winner (2002)

Pitched no Hitter June 2, 1990

Pitched Perfect Game May 18, 2004

Led the League in Strikeouts 9 times (1992-1995, 1999-2002, 2004)

Led the League in ERA 4 times (1995, 1999, 2001, 2002)

Has defeated every major league team at least once

10.6 Ks/9 innings

2010s Clayton Kershaw

3 time All Star (2011, 2012, 2013)

NL Cy Young Award Winner (2011)

Gold Glove Award Winner (2011)

NL Triple Crown (2011)

NL Strikeout Champion (2011)

2 time MLB ERA Champion (2011, 2012)

NL Wins Champion (2011)

Warren Spahn Award Winner (2011)

Clayton Kershaw currently has 73 wins at just 25 years old. Currently has a career 2.63 ERA, 3rd all time in the live ball era, and the best ERA all time for an active starting pitcher who has thrown at least 1,000 innings in the live ball era. 

Over 1150 strikeouts, 9.2 strikeouts per 9 innings, a WHIP of 1.089, since 2009 has had an era below 3. The scariest part is he isn’t even in his prime yet. He also has not had more losses than wins in any regular season of his career. Plus, his demeanor on the mound and his curveball remind me of Sandy Koufax. Koufax had he pitched longer could easily have had 300 wins, and his game was improving up until he had to retire at the age of 30. I feel as though Kershaw is like a mirror image of Koufax, both of whom are left handers, have the best curveball, and very deceptive deliveries. 
It is rare that I ever compare someone to another pitcher. 

Given time, Clayton Kershaw could go down in history as one of the greatest starting pitchers in the history of baseball, and once the legendary Mariano Rivera retires at the end of the 2013 season, he will have the best ERA for all active players.