Mike Mussina Retires After 18 Year Career With Baltimore Orioles And New York Yankees

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11/19/08

Mike Mussina Retires After 18 Year Career With Baltimore Orioles And New York Yankees

Moose Is Ready To Hang Them Up, After What May Have Been His Best Season Ever

MLB

Pat

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Yankees starting pitcher Mike Mussina intends to retire, instead of seeking another contract this offseason.

Mussina had one of the best seasons of his career in 2008, and has chosen to retire on top. He won 20 games for the first time in his career, and had a 3.37 ERA, his best since 2001. He was 6th in the 2008 AL Cy Young voting, and finished 19th in MVP voting as well. It was the 9th time that Mussina has finished in the top 6 in Cy Young voting.

Career highlights:
2,813 strikeouts
270 wins, 153 losses
3.68 ERA
7 Gold Glove awards
5-time All Star

In 5 years, Moose will probably be on a lot of peoples' minds when they are filling out their Hall of Fame ballots. He's no lock, but people will think long and hard about putting his name on their ballot. Feel free to discuss Mike Mussina's career, or debate his HOF worthiness here.

Congrats, Moose, on a long and excellent career.

Yankees' Mussina Set To Retire [YES]

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11/19/08

Ryan

I was kind of hoping that he would try to hang around to get to 300 wins. Regardless, I think he's got to get some serious consideration for the HOF. Maybe not a first-ballot pick, but I think he makes it.

He was one of the most dominating pitchers of his time. Plus, he appears to have avoided the in-career "balloon" effect that many of the players of this era seem to have gone through. (See Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, and Roger Clemens)

I've always liked him, so I'll be pulling for him!

11/20/08

100%InjuryRate

1	(Edited by 100%InjuryRate) If he can explain the knuckle-curve to me, then yes.

11/20/08

Ryan

0	I could care less that he played for the Yankees. I agree that Blyleven should probably be in as well.

11/20/08

Pat

2	Of all the reasons someone like myself might mention Moose in the HOF, being a Yankee is definitely way on the bottom of the list.

11/20/08

snbslugger

I agree Blyleven should be in also.

Looking at some of the names of eligible players over the next 5-6 years, I'd say he's in, and could possibly get in on the first ballot. After Rickey Henderson next year, the classes of eligible players get weak after that, especially 2010 and 2012.

Have a look. I bolded the guys I think will get in eventually.

2009: Steve Avery, Jay Bell, Mike Bordick, John Burkett, David Cone, Ron Gant, Mark Grace, Rickey Henderson, Todd Hundley, Orlando Merced, Denny Neagle, Jesse Orosco, Dan Plesac, Rick Reed, Greg Vaughn, Mo Vaughn, Matt Williams
2010: Roberto Alomar, Kevin Appier, Andy Ashby, Ellis Burks, Dave Burba, Andres Galarraga, Pat Hentgen, Mike Jackson, Eric Karros, Ray Lankford, Barry Larkin, Edgar Martinez, Fred McGriff, Mark McLemore, Shane Reynolds, David Segui, Robin Ventura, Fernando Vina, Todd Zeile
2011: Wilson Alvarez, Carlos Baerga, Jeff Bagwell, Bret Boone, Kevin Brown, Cal Eldred, John Franco, Juan Gonzalez, Marquis Grissom, Bobby Higginson, Charles Johnson, Al Leiter, Tino Martinez, Raul Mondesi, Jose Offerman, John Olerud, Rafael Palmeiro, Paul Quantrill, Steve Reed, Kirk Rueter, Rey Sanchez, Benito Santiago, B.J. Surhoff, Ugueth Urbina, Ismael Valdez, Larry Walker, Dan Wilson
2012: Pedro Astacio, David Bell, Jeromy Burnitz, Vinny Castilla, Scott Erickson, Carl Everett, Jeff Fassero, Alex S. Gonzalez, Danny Graves, Rick Helling, Dustin Hermanson, Jose Hernandez, Brian Jordan, Matt Lawton, Javy Lopez, Bill Mueller, Terry Mulholland, Jeff Nelson, Phil Nevin, Brad Radke, Joe Randa, Tim Salmon, Ruben Sierra, J.T. Snow, Jose Vizcaino, Bernie Williams, Eric Young
2013: Sandy Alomar Jr., Craig Biggio, Barry Bonds, Jeff Cirillo, Royce Clayton, Roger Clemens, Jeff Conine, Steve Finley, Julio Franco, Shawn Green, Ryan Klesko, Mike Lieberthal, Kenny Lofton, Jose Mesa, Damian Miller, Eric Milton, Russ Ortiz, Mike Piazza, Reggie Sanders, Aaron Sele, Mike Stanton, Todd Walker, David Wells, Rondell White, Bob Wickman, Woody Williams

11/20/08

Pat

1	I think you were even being a bit kind there, letting in guys like Franco, Walker and Palmeiro. Those guys aren't a lock by any stretch.

11/20/08

huskerdoug2009

0	He may not get in the Hall in 2010 or ever for that matter, however as someone who watched Andres Galarraga hit the ball a mile long on the field and bring crowds both in Denver and Venezuela the way Michael Jordan did off the field I will truly never forget him. The man is still a legend in Caracas

11/20/08

kramer

0	I don't think Moose is a first ballot HOFer, but he should eventually get in. Blyleven should be in before Moose's name is ever on the ballot though.

11/20/08

seanrrpsnm

0	As a yankee fan..id love to see him get in, but i really dont think his numbers are gonna do it for him...plus no WS victories; great pitcher, decent numbers...but i really dont believe that he gets in...just being a yankee..uuh NOT...these days that may keep you OUT of the HOF!!!!

11/20/08

Keeter

(Edited by Keeter)

I guess a lot of this depends on your definition of a 'Hall of Famer'.    In my definition, it is a 2-fold process:

1)   Does the player match up as one of the 'all-time greats' at their position
2)   Did the play dominate at/near the top of their position during their career

In my opinion, and I'm sure many people will take exception to this, I don't think Blylevin did.    His average record was 13 - 11; hardly dominating, or among the 'all-time best'.     His highest finish in a Cy Young voting was 3rd; meaning, that even in his best season, he was arguably just the 3rd best pitcher in the league.     Certainly not dominant for a stretch either.

Mussina though, has an edge over Blylevin.    Moose's average record is 15 - 8; not great but certainly better than Blylevin, who's strikeout #'s are inflated because he pitched for so long.     Moose also has 7 Gold Gloves, and that has to be taken into account as well.     Mussina did have a 2nd place finish for Cy Young; again, not dominant but certainly was among the better pitchers during his era.

Again, cases could also be made for Tommy John (at least get his left-elbow in the Hall !!), Jim Kaat (16 Gold Gloves & 283 wins), Ron Guidry (5 Gold Gloves, 170 wins and a great winning %), Jack Morris (254 wins, big playoff wins, 5 Top-5 Cy Young finishes), heck what about Wilbur Wood (he won 90 games in a 4-year stretch !!)    Well, OK, maybe not Wood, but the others could have a good case made.

I think Moose will make it, maybe a few (4-5) years after he first becomes eliglble....

11/20/08

Meat_CJ

0	He'll get in, not on the first ballot. His numbers are on par with HoF'ers. 17 seasons with 10 or more wins....not too shabby and small company! He's in.

11/20/08

gearhead

I won't get into the HoF debate yet, especially when compared to Blyleven. However, I pretty much have to say something. Obviously, when Moose was an Oriole, he was among my favorite players. Him leaving for the Yankees was a disaster and a major catalyst for Baltimore's decline. It might have even been a harbinger, as the CW was that the main non financial reason for Mussina leaving was hating Angelos. So yeah, I loved Mussina back in the day, and automatically hated him the last decade. Still though, thanks for the memories back in the day, but being a Yankee makes me much more ambivalent.

11/21/08

snbslugger

Pat wrote:

I think you were even being a bit kind there, letting in guys like Franco, Walker and Palmeiro. Those guys aren't a lock by any stretch.

I'm not picking locks here, I said they would get in eventually. I'm betting on guys like Franco and Walker standing up to the test of time and getting in via the veteran's committee a long way from now. I do think Bonds, McGwire, Palmeiro and Clemens will all get in at some point, if nothing else because they were top performers in a largely tainted era. I don't know if that's necessarily the right thing to do, but I think that's how it'll go.

Then again, guys like Blyleven and Jim Ed Rice get hosed every year so who knows?