The Top 30 Starting Pitchers of All-Time

RankPlayerYears
1Roger Clemens1984-2007
2Randy Johnson1988-2009
3Greg Maddux1986-2008
4Clayton Kershaw2008-2025
5Pedro Martinez1992-2009
6Justin Verlander2005-active
7Max Scherzer2008-active
8Sandy Koufax1955-1966
9Bob Gibson1959-1975
10Tom Seaver1967-1986
11Walter Johnson1907-1927
12Lefty Grove1925-1941
13Warren Spahn1942-1965
14Jim Palmer1965-1984
15Steve Carlton1965-1988
16Curt Schilling1988-2007
17Christy Mathewson1900-1916
18Pete Alexander1911-1930
19Tom Glavine1987-2008
20Gaylord Perry1962-1983
21John Smoltz1988-2009
22Roy Halladay1998-2013
23Nolan Ryan1966-1993
24Whitey Ford1950-1967
25Johan Santana2000-2012
26Cy Young1890-1911
27Carl Hubbell1928-1943
28Hal Newhouser1939-1955
29Bob Feller1936-1956
30Robin Roberts1948-1966

Leave a Reply

Hi (hopefully) awesome reader! I welcome your comments. However, please be aware that I make all of my arguments using facts, statistics, and logic. Unfortunately, the average comment on a top-100 list goes something like this:

"UR StooPid. (Insert player) is trash. I've watched (pick a sport) for (pick a number of years) and (pick a player) is better than everyone. UR DUMB. HAHA6969."

–Some Jabroni

As cognitively stimulating as this species of comment is, it ends up being a missed opportunity to share a nuanced perspective. I reply to all comments that show even the most basic levels of thought and humility. The people who make the comments like the example above are under the assumption that the three seconds of thought that popped into their brains after reading the list is more than the 1000s of hours that I put into creating and maintaining the lists. I would be happy to defend any placement, or make an adjustment if one is warranted. If you are a jabroni, like the one above, then your comment will die in the lonely void of the unpublished comments section.

For everyone else, I look forward to your comments!

P.S. A theme of this site and the top-100 lists is that athletes from previous generations have historically been grossly overrated by sports publications in a way that is statistically improbable. Click on the "About" dropdown menu to see just how badly the average top-100 list disproportionately favors athletes from older generations when leagues were smaller, race quotas existed, and globalization wasn't a thing. Also, please consider reading "The History" section of the sport you are commenting on.

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