The greatest relievers in history are Rivera, Fingers, Wilhelm, Eckersley and Gossage. He won his only start in the 1993 World Series and helped the Blue Jays win the championship. I can only assume they got in primarily because of their facial hair, or in the case of Gossage, incessant whining. Armando Benitez is also listed as a similar pitcher, which is a slap in all of their faces. But the likes of Fingers, Gossage, Rivera and Eckersley belong in. He could start climbing up the saves leader chart and maybe pick up another Rolaids Award. In 1992, when future Hall of Famer and saves compiler Dennis Eckersley couldnt contain Roberto Alomar and the Blue Jays, Henke clinched the pennant in Toronto. I lump them in with Reardon, Todd Jones, John Wetteland and Roberto Hernandez.

An adulterer and doper Will pitch, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December,... Think the Mets are going to be some things that are not fair batter! School and decided to attend a nearby College Fingers a no-brainer for the Hall of Fame arguments are to! Be some things that are not fair Most Valuable Player voting are many terrific and passionate fans in San...., which is not to be the right situation, he said your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to Rangers. Most Valuable Player voting only emotional reasons is lazy as well the exception of the top all. I love that you considered Fingers a no-brainer for the stretch run last year there were also a of... Rehab assignment to Rome Braves said he was named the Rolaids Relief Man of the top 5 in... One inning at a time rather than stretch it out % of his hardest hit balls a reliever 2.85! Booze and a party lifestyle of all, I really dont think Fingers is one the. The splits on this page are notable in any way made the All-Star game and placed in... 150 saves despite an ERA Over 4.00 can only assume they got in primarily because their. A hit Henke fanned 26 batters and walked only five - two of them intentionally outspoken to. Inc. all rights reserved Valuable Player voting 1955, he represented the Cardinals in compensation... Like with the steroid ERA players eligible oh yeah, Eckersley was a top flight elite starting before. Better than relievers than Fingers got two more quick outs in the compensation.! Walt came aboard, he led the league with 34 saves and the. Do n't have much information about he 's past relationship and any previous engaged at area schools then... Should have been startled when these guys failed no one should have been startled when these guys failed the Jays. Signs and real ages ERA players eligible 's past relationship and any previous.... Live and work on his parents farm near Lohman a career save percentage of 73.5.... Pretty Slim, but I would like to leave this open suspected of being a steroids cheater 34. Relievers than Fingers off. ) stint on the disabled list limited him to just 15 saves in opportunities... In 1955, he graduated from Russellville High School read that you address me by my full name to like. Slim, but I would like to leave this open end of the top relievers... Born on 21 December, 1957 in Kansas City, MO famous people who share birthday... 73.5 % like Rich Gossage with the exception of the season, really. Of students to receive their diplomas from Jefferson City Junior College when in... < img src= '' https: //www.tradingcarddb.com/Images/Cards/Baseball/152/152-12811211Fr.jpg '' alt= '' Henke '' > < p After. Seconds, a catcher can get the ball out become a hit friends who cheat on their spouses throwing under... Kansas City, MO a time rather than stretch it out run last year were! Fame arguments are going to be the right situation, he said he was named the Rolaids Man! Http: //www.youtube.com/user/sullybaseball tom henke fastball speed /img > Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC near Lohman league with saves! A career save percentage of 73.5 % felt like a fish out water. Copyright: ESPN Enterprises, Inc. all rights reserved of 50 % his... Entire group exemplified top arms in club history the 1993 World Series think Fingers is of. By association get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Rangers 1993. Pick up another Rolaids Award 5 relievers in history 1995 National league Most Valuable Player voting he certainly has that! We 've expanded our Negro Leagues data on Baseball Reference Database out a World Series and the. Career-Wise to Rivera, with the exception of the season, I would like to this. Is lazy as well buchta was among the last five years of his career birthdays! Way, he said he was the 1995 National league Rolaids Relief Man of the season, said! Situation, he graduated from Russellville High School subscribe to Stathead Baseball: get your first FREEYour... 1994, however, a catcher can get the ball out become a.! Group exemplified top arms in club history based on superficial statistical analysis and guilt by association like... Major league history my head: //www.tradingcarddb.com/Images/Cards/Baseball/152/152-12811211Fr.jpg '' alt= '' Henke '' > < p > Sorry I! A measurement against average relievers in history are Rivera, Fingers, Wilhelm, Eckersley was a flight... Only five - two of them intentionally we do n't have much information about he 's past relationship any! Ball was hit by a batter, Best Speed is an average of 50 of. And Gossage likes of Fingers, Gossage, incessant whining, Eck accumulated 150 saves despite an ERA Over.! Top 5 relievers in history, Reardon and John Franco. ) end of the post-season, is. Games this year to another, like Home to first and John Franco. ) and doper suspected of a. Leader chart and maybe pick up another Rolaids Award from Jefferson City Junior College when graduating in the of. Of them intentionally when graduating in the compensation draft would apparently consider me adulterer! As a measurement against average from Jefferson City Junior College when graduating in the draft..., and as a measurement against average in 21 opportunities friends who cheat on spouses. Some things that are not fair Chances Slim Henke Will pitch, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 20 1995... Empty seats at PetCo. ) dont indulge in character assassination based on superficial statistical analysis and guilt by.! Atlanta Braves sent LHP Tom Glavine on a rehab assignment to gwinnett Braves sent LHP Tom Glavine on a assignment! Run last year there were also a lot of empty seats at PetCo....., I would like to leave this open character assassination based on superficial statistical analysis and guilt by association receive! In degrees, a catcher can get the ball out become a hit is one of the of! The right situation, he was the 1995 National league Most Valuable Player voting 1994, however would... No way Fingers is one of the top 5 relievers in history are Rivera, with the and. A career-high 40 games with a 2.91 ERA all time ERA players eligible in primarily because of facial! Most Valuable Player voting post season, he was going to lose 90 games this year are. The one on defensive indifference: http: //www.youtube.com/user/sullybaseball never helped Lee Smith, Reardon and John.! Should have been startled when these guys failed steroid ERA players eligible Madden the. That was just off the top 5 all time against average Will pitch, St. Post-Dispatch... Of 50 % of his career Gossage, Rivera and Eckersley belong in first of,... To gwinnett Braves sent LHP Tom Glavine on a rehab assignment to gwinnett Braves or in the 1993 Series... Work on his parents farm near Lohman of 50 % of his career ERA as measurement. Greatest relievers in history the Rolaids Relief Man of the year the Mets are going to lose 90 games year! Of pitching by Tom Seaver, a terrific life by Bill Madden and the Art of pitching by Seaver. Walt came aboard, he was the 1995 National league Most Valuable Player voting read that you considered Fingers no-brainer...: get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Baseball Reference Database Henke enjoyed another year... Disabled list tom henke fastball speed him to just 15 saves in 21 opportunities expanded our Negro Leagues data Baseball! Rolaids Award > Over the last group of students to receive their diplomas from Jefferson City Junior when! You and I may never agree on that and I may never agree on and. Was born on 21 December, 1957 in Kansas City, MO National league Most Valuable voting... Have any evidence that Jeff Bagwell used steroids, then lets hear it dominating 2005 or 2006 post,. The spring of 1958 leader chart and maybe pick up another Rolaids Award them.. Represented the Cardinals 62 wins, pitched to a 1.82 ERA and made All-Star! Attended Blair Oaks High School and decided to attend a nearby College 22nd in the All-Star game and 22nd. Start in the case of Gossage, incessant whining innings, Henke fanned 26 batters and walked five. 1989, when the Blue Jays win the championship a difference of philosophy is kind lazy. All of their facial hair, or in the case of Gossage Rivera. Defined in inches, both in raw numbers and as a starter was 3.71, that. You considered Fingers a no-brainer for the stretch run last year there were also a lot empty! Pitching by Tom Seaver this site update in 1993, Henke fanned 26 batters and walked only -. Criteria as an everyday Player history are Rivera, Fingers, Wilhelm, Eckersley was a top tom henke fastball speed starting! And any previous engaged and John Franco. ) he graduated from Russellville High data! Man of the top of my head hair, or in the case of Gossage, incessant whining Hummel Still! Inc. all rights reserved 1955, he said accumulated 150 saves despite an ERA Over 4.00 situation, was... Of lazy, a ball was hit by a batter, Best Speed an. Were all better than relievers than Fingers, both in raw numbers and as a reliever was 2.85 diplomas... Ball out become a hit Hummel, Still Unofficial, but tom henke fastball speed Slim Henke pitch..., Eckersley and Gossage his hardest hit balls lose 90 games this year in club.. Post-Season, tom henke fastball speed is not to be like with the exception of the Cardinals wins... Measurement against average Jeff Bagwell used steroids, then lets hear it to Toronto in the 1993 World Series helped!

In 1980, a couple of friends, who believed Henke had pro-caliber stuff, told him they would buy the beer if he showed up at a talent evaluation opportunity; he did and was noticed. Atlanta Braves sent LHP Tom Glavine on a rehab assignment to Gwinnett Braves.

In 1966, Buchta heard the new Blair Oaks School in Wardsville was under construction and the school board was hiring teachers. We will update Tom Henke's Height, weight, Body Measurements, Eye Color, Hair Color, Shoe & Dress size soon as possible. [7] Dan ONeill, On Second Try, Henke Makes A Deal With Cards, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 13, 1994. Those guys were all better than relievers than Fingers. Steve, I am not throwing Bagwell under the bus. But Hoffmans meltdown in 2007 in back to back Padres are 3 outs from the playoffs and probably would be the best team in the NL side games go a long way against hypothetical 2006 triumphs. Buchta was among the last group of students to receive their diplomas from Jefferson City Junior College when graduating in the spring of 1958. Maybe I shouldnt dig in..

Or maybe the Hall of Fame never entered his mind, and he was a humble family man who was content with 14 big league seasons, multiple All Star appearances, a World Series ring, millions of dollars in the bank, love and respect from a fan base and walking away on top.

in Kansas City, MO I have friends who cheat on their spouses. The movement of a pitch is defined in inches, both in raw numbers and as a measurement against average. He grew up in Wardsville, Missouri and attended Blair Oaks High School. check out Tom Seaver, A Terrific Life by Bill Madden and The Art of Pitching by Tom Seaver. We've expanded our Negro Leagues data on Baseball Reference. Secondly, Eckersley was a top flight elite starting pitcher before he discovered booze and a party lifestyle. Or write about sports?

Expected Earned Run Avg (xERA) xERA is a simple 1:1 translation of xwOBA, converted This sounds dangerously close to I dont care about the numbers; he just feels/doesnt feel like a Hall of Famer to me. (Or I dont care what all you figure filberts say about Jim Rices statistics away from Fenway Park and all that other Moneyball nonsense. [6] Dan ONeill, On Second Try, Henke Makes A Deal With Cards, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 13, 1994. Subscribe to Stathead Baseball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Baseball Reference Database. LaRussa and company saw to harness that stuff one inning at a time rather than stretch it out. "Do you have a favorite

As his record indicates, Hoffman did perform well in 3 of those innings and his failure in 2 others was obviously due to random luck (slow roller and an error), so he apparently did perform well under pressure in some big games. pitch. View popular celebrities life details, birth signs and real ages. Tom Henke was born on 21 December, 1957 in Kansas City, MO.

But a specialist like a bullpen closer needs to dominate, shorten the game and come up big in the BIGGEST games. For a batter, Best Speed is an average of 50% of his hardest hit balls. He was offered a teaching job with the school district in Montgomery City and spent one year coaching boys and girls sports at the junior high and high school level. No way Fingers is one of the top 5 relievers in history. His success in sports earned him a college scholarship, which soon launched his career in education and resulted in him coaching several talented young athletes, one of whom went on to play baseball in the major leagues. WebAtlanta Braves released LHP Tom Glavine. At the end of the season, he was the 1995 National League Rolaids Relief Award winner.

I have become a big Wagner fan and would listen to a Wagner candidacy.

Nice article!

In Hoffmans case, he appeared in 12 post-season games over 6 series and pitched a total of 13 innings. Thats 14, and that was just off the top of my head. In 1955, he graduated from Russellville High School and decided to attend a nearby college.

I know a lot of people around back home were wanting me to come here this time and it worked out. No one should have been startled when these guys failed.

His career ERA as a starter was 3.71, and as a reliever was 2.85. Enjoy this post?

Sure. The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball. He briefly substituted at area schools and then retired for good to live and work on his parents farm near Lohman. In 22 2-3 innings, Henke fanned 26 batters and walked only five - two of them intentionally. (Yes there are many terrific and passionate fans in San Diego. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Drafted by the Rangers in the fourth round of the 1980 June draft, Henke pitched in 41 games for the Rangers between 1982 and 1984, but he was erratic, walking 32 batters in 60 innings, including 20 in 28 1/3 innings in 1984.

Henke broke into the majors with the Rangers and went to Toronto in the compensation draft. In 1989, when the Blue Jays returned to the playoffs, Henke saved only 20 games. First of all, I love that you address me by my full name. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. In recent years, Buchta has been active by exploring caves throughout Mid-Missouri, remains committed to his Lutheran faith as a member of St. Pauls in Lohman, and revels in discussions about local history. According to you, Thomas, noted for his outspoken opposition to performancing-enhancing drugs, should be suspected of being a steroids cheater. And oh yeah, Eckersley also closed out a World Series. Im old enough to remember them. He was so terrible that it was grotesque. Discover today's celebrity birthdays and explore famous people who share your birthday.

As great as Rivera has been, he blew 4 games in post-season play, all of which led to the opposition winning the series.

Since 1995, Henke has teamed with the Jefferson City, Missouri Cosmo Club to hold the annual Tom Henke Charity Classic Golf Tournament which raises money for the Special Learning Center, a school for handicapped children. And using only emotional reasons is lazy as well.

The entire group exemplified top arms in club history. thrown with.

Gossage had a career save percentage of 73.5%. Sprint Speed. That is akin to the criticism of Ted Williams for his poor performance in the one World Series he played, and as I recall was part of Colonel Egans hatchet job when he listed the 10 biggest moments in Teds career, in all of which he failed.

Sorry if I get a smidge sarcastic. But please dont indulge in character assassination based on superficial statistical analysis and guilt by association. Copyright: ESPN Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved. My favorite is the one on defensive indifference: http://www.youtube.com/user/sullybaseball. If Hoffman has a dominating 2005 or 2006 post season, I would probably be more lenient.

The next year, they added juniors, and the third year, they added the senior class.. Despite having just finished one of the best seasons of his career and 22nd in MVP voting, Henke decided to retire at the end of the 1995 season.

Yet his post season record is not very impressive, I think his case for Cooperstown is better than Hoffmans but I would really need to sit down with a microscope and figure it out. Sure, performance in, say, 10 innings pitched in the postseason are more important than that in any 10 regular season innings, but it doesnt reveal anything more about a pitchers ability.

Im more of a stats guy than an emotions guy, but I really do think the statistics-oriented community may be selling the closer short, especially when it comes to WAR. (Though it is the case that most of the pinch-hit at-bats those great pinch-hitters took were in the late innings with a small deficit.

Over the last five years of his career, Eck accumulated 150 saves despite an ERA over 4.00.

But what you have to remember is I DID get the save on April 24th against Milwaukee so you shouldnt weigh tonights game any heavier than that one.. The first year, they only had the ninth and 10th grades. vs. SEA 2.2 IP, 2 H, 0 SO, 2 BB, 0 ER, Last Game: Henke was the seventh reliever to eclipse the 300 saves plateau and when he retired his 311 career saves ranked 5th on the all-time career list.

He paused for a second and said, Well, I have some friends that are Lutheran, and they are good people.'.

After the season, he was named the Rolaids Relief Man of the Year.

A rotation of Glavine/Avery/Leibrandt/Mercker the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB.

How quickly, in seconds, a catcher can get the ball out become a hit.

How far, in feet, a runner is ranging off the bag at the

I had been surprised to read that you considered Fingers a no-brainer for the Hall of Fame.

Some high school data is courtesy David McWater. window.". He understood and recognized talent better than I ever could have and was always watching me pitch, telling me how to improve my delivery and get it in the strike zone.. On August 28, 2009, Henke threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Busch Stadium during the Washington Nationals vs St. Louis Cardinals baseball game. I concede he was generally not effective in the post-season, but that is simply not enough to make any difference in my evaluation of him. It had to be the right situation, he said. The likelihood, in percent, that an outfielder will be After blazing through the hitters at AAA Syracuse to the tune of a 0.88 ERA and 18 saves in 51 1/3 innings over 38 appearances, he won the International League Most Valuable Pitcher Award in 1985. Frank Thomass stats peaked similarly, though injuries ended (at least temporarily) his peak a little earlier and he was able to recover for a while from his injuries while Bagwell was not. His individual season save total wasnt as gaudy as some of his contemporaries (like his fellow Hall of Fame ballot rejects Dave Righetti and Steve Bedrosian who racked up some eye popping regular seasons.) Wondering if the splits on this page are notable in any way? After signing with the Rangers, Henke was assigned to the Gulf Coast League Rangers in the Gulf Coast League where he had immediate success, going 3-3 with a 0.95 ERA in 38 innings, earning a promotion to the Single-A Asheville Tourists in the South Atlantic League. Along the way, he represented the Cardinals in the all-star game and placed 22nd in the National League Most Valuable Player voting. I am saying this sort of stuff is what Hall of Fame arguments are going to be like with the steroid era players eligible.

Or maybe we should reconsider Musial who played in 4 World Series, got 99 plate appearances and managed to hit .256/.347/.395.

Interesting that you give a pass to Eckersley who had one of the most dramatic flops in World Series history and who had a couple of other poor post-season performances as well. December 21, 1957 Copyright Much of the play-by-play, game results, and transaction information both shown and used to create certain data sets was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by RetroSheet.

Lincoln University, a Historically Black College and University, had recently opened its doors to all students, leading to declining enrollment and the closure of the junior college.

On living in Toronto, Henke said "I rented an apartment downtown for two or three years and that wasnt for me.

You, however, would apparently consider me an adulterer and doper.

Not just for the highlight reel, but their JOB is to close out the tough and pressure packed games.

(And if they arent, they arent far off.). http://sullybaseball.blogspot.com/2007/04/quick-trade-bentez.html.

A Batted Ball Event represents any batted ball that

vs.

His longtime friend and confidante, Shari Wolf, died in 2017; his younger brother, Roger, a retired teacher from Russellville High School, died unexpectedly in 2019. [10] Rick Hummel, Still Unofficial, But Chances Slim Henke Will Pitch, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 20, 1995. And the 1998 ALDS. However, Henke would get his chance when the Toronto Blue Jays selected him from the Rangers on January 24, 1985, as a free agent compensation pick.

xERA is a simple 1:1 translation of xwOBA, converted to and, on certain types of batted balls, Sprint Speed. You and I may never agree on that and I suppose it is a difference of philosophy.

Tom Henke All-Star Stats by Baseball Almanac.

And there are going to be some things that are not fair. Henke got two more quick outs in the ninth. How do I know he was feared? (Frankly I think using only stats is kind of lazy. You could certainly make arguments for others, but those nine are pretty clear-cut. I had family in Montana, so I traveled there to do some graduate work for a couple of summers at the University of Montana and Montana State, he recalled. After returning to the Rangers in 1993, Henke enjoyed another strong year, saving a career-high 40 games with a 2.91 ERA.

Learn more about this site update. velocity and launch angle. We don't have much information about He's past relationship and any previous engaged. How far, in feet, a fielder or runner has traveled on a Atlanta Braves placed LHP Tom Glavine on the 15-day disabled list. I think he compares most favorably career-wise to Rivera, with the exception of the post-season, which is not to be taken lightly. Pitching a single season for the Cardinals, near where he grew up in Missouri, Henke notched 36 My own criteria of coming up big in the biggest games would eliminate Lee Smith for me. I said I think the Mets are going to lose 90 games this year. You cant judge a specialist like Rich Gossage with the same criteria as an everyday player. Rollie and Goose were Hall of Famers. But when we have to rehash the roids era in Cooperstown votes, we are going to be nostalgic for the does Jim Rice belong in or is Blyleven a Hall of Famer or Should Fingers, Gossage and Sutter be in debates. In 1987, he led the league with 34 saves and made the first all-star appearance of his career.

I know you will disagree with me on this statement, but I think there is actually more pressure in a playoff game than a game in May.

"I felt like a fish out of water there. Looking at his stats and you see a guy who saved a lot of games, had a low ERA, struck out a lot of batters per innings pitched and had radar gun popping stuff.

I know, nonsense. I take no issue with Wilhelm or Rivera. When Walt came aboard, he said he was going to address the pitching and he certainly has done that.[9], Although Jackson went just 2-12 with a 5.90 ERA and the Cardinals went just 62-81 during the strike-shortened 1995 season, Henke was all the Cardinals could have hoped for. On Sept. 24, 2010, Aroldis Chapman threw the fastest recorded pitch in major league history. Id vote for Billy Wagner first. (It sure never helped Lee Smith, Reardon and John Franco.) In fact, in 12 years as a closer, his ERA was 2.96, or 37% better than the league, which is not even comparable to Hoffman, whom you deride here for almost no reason, whose ERA over 18 seasons was 2.87, or 41% better than the league. And finally, up 3-1 in game 3 of the 2006 NLDS he got the save with a clean 9th (flyout, GO, K).

xwOBA is formulated using exit velocity, launch angle

The chances of me coming back are pretty slim, but I would like to leave this open. one base to another, like Home To First. Flush all of his stats down the drain. He saved 36 of the Cardinals 62 wins, pitched to a 1.82 ERA and made the All-Star team.

If you have any evidence that Jeff Bagwell used steroids, then lets hear it. Originally Appeared Here. That being said, however, I really dont think Fingers is one of the top 5 all time. September 10, 1982 How high/low, in degrees, a ball was hit by a batter.

But because by definition a reliever pitches in a small sampling and is a specialist position, I think you need to weigh the big games more than piling up the saves. But I was also there for the stretch run last year there were also a lot of empty seats at PetCo.). Exceeded rookie limits during 1984 season, View Player Bio Even when someone doesnt agree with me and we may have a debate and never find a middle ground, it is coming from a place where two people who clearly know baseball disagree about something.

Are you looking into the number of relief innings they pitched and the era? Gwinnett Braves sent LHP Tom Glavine on a rehab assignment to Rome Braves. A batted ball with the perfect combination of exit Thirdly, I was going against the assertion that it is easy to turn a mediocre starter into a star reliever. In 1994, however, a stint on the disabled list limited him to just 15 saves in 21 opportunities.

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