Best of the good, not great pitchers

[micsmith]

How would you rank the following pitchers? Are any of them substantially better or worse than the others?

Dwight Gooden
Bret Saberhagen
Jack Morris
Orel Hershiser
Frenando Valenzuela
David Cone
Dave Stewart
David Wells
Jamie Moyer
Bob Welch
Dennis Martinez
Frank Tanana
Charlie Hough
Luis Tiant
JR Richard
Joe Niekro
Jim Perry
Jerry Koosman
Jerry Reuss
Rick Reuschel
Mickey Lolich
Kevin Brown
Vida Blue
Mark Langston
Chuck Finley
Jim Kaat
Ron Guidry
Frank Viola

I'm having trouble ranking this group of second tier pitchers.

[Pine Tar]

How would you rank the following pitchers? Are any of them substantially better or worse than the others?

Dwight Gooden
Bret Saberhagen
Jack Morris
Orel Hershiser
Frenando Valenzuela
David Cone
Dave Stewart
David Wells
Jamie Moyer
Bob Welch
Dennis Martinez
Frank Tanana
Charlie Hough
Luis Tiant
JR Richard
Joe Niekro
Jim Perry
Jerry Koosman
Jerry Reuss
Rick Reuschel
Mickey Lolich
Kevin Brown
Vida Blue
Mark Langston
Chuck Finley
Jim Kaat
Ron Guidry
Frank Viola

I'm having trouble ranking this group of second tier pitchers.

I would say that Kevin Brown in the best pitcher on that list. I think Jim Kaat stands out as well simply by being so durable for so long. I think he has a good chance of being elected to the hall by the veteran's committee. Luis Tiant is another one on that list that I think should have gotten more hall consideration. He won 20 games 4 times, and has a good career ERA+ even though he stuck around 3 years too long. A lot of people are big fans of Jack Morris as well, but I am not. Finally, I would say David Cone had a better than good career.

[Francoeurstein]

Gooden was very, very good in his pitching peak. But it was really, really short most people on that list had a much longer peak. So you can keep him on that list of yours but I don't think he pitched good long enough to belong on it.

[Bothrops Atrox]

I have Brown ranked #66 all-time, Tiant, # 70, and Kaat, # 80, Morris # 92, and Guidry # 95. (w/ 7-9 Negro League pitchers in front of them.) The rest I don't have in my top 100. I would say Cone would be the next I would include. Then maybe Blue, Koosman or Lolich.