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Old 03-08-2013, 08:16 AM   #60
VanillaGorilla
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Class of 2041 (1969), Pitchers: Case, Koufax

Charlie Case, at the age of 87, becomes the oldest player to be inducted into the HOF.

A 10th overall pick, Case was selected by the Rangers in the 1973 amateur draft.

Debuting in 1974 when quality pitchers dominated hitters, Case was 28-5 with 344 Ks in 341 2/3 IP and posted an OOTP ERA of 1.32 (npa ERA+ 276). This performance did not garner him a CYA or ROY. His sophomore season he came out of the cute 13-1, but a wrist injury ended his season in June.

By 1980 the pitching talent had equalized, but Case was still dominant. He won his first of 2 CYAs by posting a 21-9 record with a 2.89 OOTP ERA pitching in his new home, the Kingdome.

In 1983, pitching for the Padres, he was 22-7 with a 2.12 OOTP ERA (npa ERA+ 180). Case had adjusted with age. No longer flaming batters, he struck out only 106 men in 272 IP. This was one more strikeout than he recorded in his 1980 CYA season.

For his career he was 176-102. His .635 win% is 15th highest in history. His career OOTP ERA of 2.96 makes for an outstanding 154 npa ERA+. In his first 3 (2 1/2, actually) he struck out 874 hitters. When he retired in 1989 his career total was 1399.

Though he only made 11 starts in 1977, Case contributed to the Rangers WS title effort. HOF James Shields anchored that rotation.

Case enters the HOF on the Veteran Standard.

Black Ink: 23
Gray Ink: 82
HOFm: 115
HOFs: 36

Gorilla Composite: 2.4

ADD: Case is 15th on the career ERA List.
ADD: Case holds the single season record for IP with 357 (1976).

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When he entered the draft in 1998, it was no surprise when the first team to pick, the Devil Rays, chose Sandy Koufax.

Koufax was not the dominant pitcher of his era, nor did he suffer a CEI at age 30, as he did in real life. Instead, he was a 3 time All-Star who picked up one CYA for a solid HOF career that culminated with an induction into the converted tractor shed on the Veteran Standard.

Koufax won 209 career games (4 way t-43, one more than HOF Ralph Branca, one fewer than HOFers HOFers Fergie Jenkins and Mike Moore) vs 167 losses. His 3677 strikeouts (in 3486 IP) rank him 9th on the career list. His career OOTP ERA of 3.50 give him a npa ERA+ of 131.

In 2005 his season, after tossing a no-hitter, was halved by an elbow injury. This was not an omen of impending injuries. Even though upon his return he was DLed with a shoulder issue in September. That Shoulder injury in 2005 would be the last injury of his career. A career that lasted through the 2019 season.

In 2006, and now a Washington National, he was healthy, rested, and ready to win the CYA. He posted a mark of 20-5 with an OOTP ERA of 1.90 (npa ERA+ 227) with 316 Ks in 232 2/3 innings of work. This was the only season that could be called a Koufaxian season.

Koufax took the Nats to the post season 5 times. In 13 starts he was 5-2 with an OOTP ERA below 3. He struck out 102 men in 85 1/3 IP. The Nats made it to one WS, but fell short in 2012. Koufax had a career post season WHIP of 0.95.

Koufax is a great example of how the player dev model and the recalc function mesh together. Because this is a HOF thread, players are written about here that come out of nowhere (in regards to their RL careers) and become HOFers. It takes a Koufax (or Babe Ruth) to see the pendulum swing the other way but still result in a HOF career.

Koufax is the 27th player to be inducted into this and the previous HOF, the 22nd RL player to be inducted here, and the 8th player to be enshrined in all three.

Black Ink: 18 (78)
Gray Ink: 149 (151)
HOFm: 106.5 (227)
HOFs: 40 (46)

Gorilla Composite: 2.6 (4.9)

Last edited by VanillaGorilla; 03-08-2013 at 02:52 PM.
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