He had something like nine straight seasons of a 150 ERA+ or better. But some here have pointed out that Grove dodged the best offenses of his era, making his numbers look better. He had high IP totals, but not outstanding; he never topped 300 in a season. He generally had good defenses backing him. Grove didn't need good defenses behind him, but they helped his numbers. Where do you rank Lefty Grove, and why? Do any of these factors affect your ranking?
My top pitchers, right now, are:
1. Walter Johnson
2. Greg Maddux
3. Roger Clemens
4. Cy Young
5. Grover Cleveland Alexander
6. Lefty Grove
7. Tom Seaver
8. Satchel Paige
9. Randy Johnson
10. Christy Mathewson
Don't ask me how I came up with that list; to be honest, I can't really remember. But, it looks good to me, so I'm sticking with it. I originally had Clemens number one, but frankly, I don't believe him. So I dropped him a couple of spots, and could even see him going down one more, behind Cy Young. I used to have Grove higher, but started trying to get at least some LQ adjustment in there, which moved Clemens and Maddux up, and thought I was underrating Young and Alexander. Finally, there was the top offense dodging. So that's how Lefty Grove ends up out of my top five.
My top pitchers, right now, are:
1. Walter Johnson
2. Greg Maddux
3. Roger Clemens
4. Cy Young
5. Grover Cleveland Alexander
6. Lefty Grove
7. Tom Seaver
8. Satchel Paige
9. Randy Johnson
10. Christy Mathewson
Don't ask me how I came up with that list; to be honest, I can't really remember. But, it looks good to me, so I'm sticking with it. I originally had Clemens number one, but frankly, I don't believe him. So I dropped him a couple of spots, and could even see him going down one more, behind Cy Young. I used to have Grove higher, but started trying to get at least some LQ adjustment in there, which moved Clemens and Maddux up, and thought I was underrating Young and Alexander. Finally, there was the top offense dodging. So that's how Lefty Grove ends up out of my top five.
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