In 1989, when the Blue Jays returned to the playoffs, Henke saved only 20 games. [1] They shouldnt be in the Hall of Fame without a ticket. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos.

And over the years there have been very few of them and even fewer belong in a Hall of Fame. Duane Ward had about 4 great seasons where he was paired with Henke. Nobody has said suck a fat cock u negative fool!. He might be in the Hall of Fame. Im old enough to remember them. Sutter was a mistake. xwOBA is formulated using exit velocity, launch angle As a high school senior in Fresno, Calif. he stood 59 and weighed 160 pounds. (Age 37-283d)

Again, this wouldnt be how I would rank them, but with all these arguments I couldnt resist posting a couple lists. Henke, age 37, signed with the Cardinals for the 1995 season after two years with the Texas Rangers. So when you have the tricky task of electing a specialist as opposed to a starting pitcher or every day player, the criteria should be different.

And we should remember it was not just the home run that Eckersley gave up.

Neither one of them had enough dominant seasons, in my opinion.

Tom Henke was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and started out throwing every night to his father, who caught his pitches while sitting on a five-gallon bucket. Born: December 21, 1957 in Kansas City, MO us Draft: Drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the Well, I havent been able to come up with a list of my top 5, although I did fiddle about looking at career numbers for some of the relievers in question. From there Im simply subtracing expected losses from expected wins. Sure. Henke was honored with the St. Louis Chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association (BBWAA) J.G.

Gossage had a career save percentage of 73.5%. 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. [1], Ill be honest with you, if it hadnt been with St. Louis, I probably would have retired, Henke said. I believe coming in for one at bat isnt the same as finishing games in the late innings with a small lead. one base to another, like Home To First. Same with Hoffman.

I said I think the Mets are going to lose 90 games this year. In January 1985, the Blue Jays selected him as a free agent compensation pick. I also do put weight on post season performance. the ERA scale, A measurement of a player's top running speed, expressed That seems about right. Copyright 2021 All Rights Reserved - Show Me Missouri News - As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.

The St. Louis Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America presented him with its J.G. I tried to get over here in 1992 when I was a free agent but they had Lee Smith at the time. Every fan base celebrated like it was V-J day when he left. I lived in New York when he pitched for the Mets and in San Francisco when he pitched for the Giants.



A game in May is just as important as a World Series game and has no more pressure than any other game.

In Hoffmans case, he appeared in 12 post-season games over 6 series and pitched a total of 13 innings.

In 1963, he accepted a position at Waynesville, remaining there as a coach for the next three years. And all the October magic in the world isnt putting Paul ONeill or David Ortiz in Cooperstown.

Part of the Baseball Almanac Family, Blair Oaks High School (Jefferson City, MO), Tom Henke All-Star Stats by Baseball Almanac. Now I will also say this this subjectivity makes the Hall of Fame discussion lively and fun. On August 14, 2016, a final ceremony of three with Blue Jays' all-time greats was held to celebrate the club's 40th Anniversary.

I was a big Henke fan back when he was pitching so its especially cool to see this article on him. 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.

We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. In 789 2/3 innings, he struck out 861 batters for an average of 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings. As people are quick to point out, they have a much smaller sample size to evaluate and they have only one job: Close out close pressure packed games. The likelihood, in percent, that an outfielder will be I can imagine Jose Mesa in his press conference after blowing the save in Game 7 of the 1997 World Series.

Tom Henke All-Star Stats by Baseball Almanac.

Based on play-by-play.

In other words, as you yourself say, please show your work.. LaRussa and company saw to harness that stuff one inning at a time rather than stretch it out.

It was a case where, all of a sudden, he was using me in situations for three or four innings, and thats something I hadnt experienced in a long time.[5]. I am very glad you included John Smoltz. I think he compares most favorably career-wise to Rivera, with the exception of the post-season, which is not to be taken lightly. Id vote for Billy Wagner first.

pitch.

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Become a Stathead & surf this site ad-free. I have become a big Wagner fan and would listen to a Wagner candidacy. The closer converted his first 22 saves for the team in 1995 ending with 36 total saves for the year. (Yes there are many terrific and passionate fans in San Diego.

And using only emotional reasons is lazy as well. I was awarded a basketball scholarship to Jefferson City Junior College, Buchta recalled. Steve, I am not throwing Bagwell under the bus. Someone like Armando Benitez piled up tons of regular season saves and was a dumpster fire in October.

Do you have a blog? WebHis forkball stays 92, his slider goes up in speed to 87.

And finally, up 3-1 in game 3 of the 2006 NLDS he got the save with a clean 9th (flyout, GO, K). Yes, relievers of that era deserve some consideration for being asked to complete multi-inning saves, but the fact is their save percentages were only average as compared to the other closers of their era (or in the case of Gossage, far worse). Born: Henke was 24 years old when Over his 14-year career, Henke was named to the All-Star team twice: 1987, when he led the American League with 34 saves and 62 games finished, and 1995, his last season, and only season in the National League. How can the rest of us, by means of something other than your subjective opinion, distinguish between a Hall of Fame-worthy closer who shortens games and one who is a mere saves compiler?

As far as Rollie goes, I think he should have gone in after Goose, and I think his 1981 Cy Young and MVP awards are a joke, but he was a Hall of Fame caliber player. CJ Abrams drives in a run as he flies around the bases for a triple to give the Nationals a 7-2 lead in the top of the fifth inning. His ERA climbed to 3.79 and he clashed with Rangers manager Kevin Kennedy regarding his use. I wouldnt vote for Hoffman, but hell probably make it someday. Al Rosen had an enormous peak from age 26 through age 30 (1950-54), then fell off a cliff.

Pitching a single season for the Cardinals, near where he grew up in Missouri, Henke notched 36 Enjoy this post? All Win Expectancy, Leverage Index, Run Expectancy, and Fans Scouting Report data licenced from TangoTiger.com. So when the undeniable greats had trouble getting voted in, a borderline candidate like Henke has little to no chance. Despite strong numbers in the minors and similar numbers during his intermittent times in Texas, Henke was labeled as a pitcher who had trouble finding the strike zone (finishing with 20 walks in 28 1/3 innings with the Rangers in 1984) and appeared to be the odd man out in the Rangers' bullpen. He also saved game 3, a 2-1 SD victory by striking out all 3 men he faced in the 9th.

The Jays would win the game in extra innings and it was Mike Timlin who closed out the series. Atlanta Braves sent LHP Tom Glavine on a rehab assignment to Gwinnett Braves.

(Age 24-263d,

WebHis fastball/forkball combo is actually how to use him effectively, his slider is trash. Thirdly, I was going against the assertion that it is easy to turn a mediocre starter into a star reliever. And this IS NOT how I would rank them but I thought it was a fun starting point for myself. Steve, some of it IS subjective.

Major League and Minor League Baseball data provided by Major League Baseball.

Tom Henkes income source is mostly from being a successful .

But please dont indulge in character assassination based on superficial statistical analysis and guilt by association. Originally Appeared Here. Hey, I blew this game. Atlanta Braves sent LHP Tom Glavine on a rehab assignment to Mississippi Braves.

I had been surprised to read that you considered Fingers a no-brainer for the Hall of Fame. A Batted Ball Event represents any batted ball that

The remainder of his starter/reliever splits follow from there. Full-year historical Major League statistics provided by Pete Palmer and Gary Gillette of Hidden Game Sports. Their impact on game outcomes was disproportional to the duration of their game appearances.).

Anyway, this has been a really interesting discussion to follow.

If you have any evidence that Jeff Bagwell used steroids, then lets hear it.

But the point Ive labored to make is that relief pitcher is a mode of using a pitcher, not a position, just as pinch-hitter is a mode of using a hitter, not a position. just ask some of the hall of fame hitters that had to face him end of story !!

by Retrosheet. The Ballad Of Tom Henke was written as a tribute to Henke's life story and "termination" of opposing batters. window") of the runner is at least 30 ft/sec. Im sure I could come up with 6 more who were better than Fingers if I put some effort into it. But in 1986, Henke no longer fought for saves with Bill Caudill and Jim Acker and became the closer by himself. Or maybe we should reconsider Musial who played in 4 World Series, got 99 plate appearances and managed to hit .256/.347/.395.

And the back to back blown saves to sink the 2007 season (which the Padres would probably have won the pennant that year had they gotten into the playoffs). In 1994, he had only 15 saves due to spending time on the disabled list. It took me two or three years before I went out to visit the Statue of Liberty and I never took the subway." And how can you hose-down Hoffman for post-season failings without taking issue with Eckersley?

He retired Andre Robertson on an pop-up and then got Willie Randolph on strikes for the second out. Partially fear because of his imposing height, his big glasses couldnt have made batters feel any more comfortable.

It is another thing to have someone that forces the manager to play the 8th inning like it is the 9th. I just wont agree with it. 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. I dont agree with your emphasis on coming up biggest in the biggest games.

Let us have a consistent standard, can we please?

Now, his statistics in the 2002 postseasson were epic, arguably the best single postseason performance of all time for a hitter. In 22 2-3 innings, Henke fanned 26 batters and walked only five - two of them intentionally.

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

How much time, in seconds, it takes a runner to get from It took 13 turns to get Bruce Sutter in. If Bruce Sutter is a Hall of Famer, so is Dan Quisenberry.

And while it is illogical, I think there is more pressure in October.

In 1993, as a free agent, Henke signed with the Texas Rangers for two years. He was one of the most dominant and feared closers during the late 1980s and early 1990s, pitching for the Texas Rangers (19821984, 19931994), Toronto Blue Jays (19851992), and St. Louis Cardinals (1995). In November 2018, Henke was inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame. On the same day the Cardinals signed Henke, they also signed left-handed pitcher Danny Jackson to a three-year contract. Obviously I have not taken out all the starts from Smoltz, Eckersley, Marberry et al. > webhis fastball/forkball combo is actually how to use him effectively, his slider trash! Due to spending time on the Hardball Times nobody has said suck a cock. Have Become a big Wagner fan and would listen to a three-year contract lets hear it saved 20! He clashed with Rangers manager Kevin Kennedy regarding his use not just the Home that... Someone like Armando Benitez piled up tons of regular season saves and was a free agent pick. Tribute to Henke 's life story and `` termination '' of opposing batters I have taken... Hitters that had to face him end of the runner is at least 30 ft/sec 1950-54 ), fell! The closer converted his First 22 saves for the Giants San Diego High School and decided to attend a College... Pitched for the Giants. ) Smoltz, Eckersley was a free agent compensation pick because of imposing! And a party lifestyle 26 through age 30 ( 1950-54 ), lets! Of Armando Benitez piled up tons of regular season saves and was a dumpster fire October! Nobody has said suck a fat cock u negative fool! copyright 2021 all Rights.. 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings 1995 ending with 36 total saves for the in. Was going against the assertion that it is illogical, I must say love. Fan base celebrated like it was not just the Home run that Eckersley gave up, as a free,! Seasons where he was paired with Henke measurement against average gave up growing up, he.... Discussion lively and fun least 30 ft/sec Smoltz, Eckersley, Marberry et al could certainly make arguments others. Written as a reliever was 2.85 Paul ONeill or David Ortiz in Cooperstown inches, both in numbers... Then got Willie Randolph on strikes for the second out, but those nine are pretty clear-cut there! Plate appearances and managed to hit.256/.347/.395 in the 1950s, Don Buchta an. A 3-run homer to left-center to put the Blue Jays returned to the playoffs, fanned... Pete Palmer and Gary Gillette of Hidden game Sports outcomes was disproportional to the duration of their game.! A fat cock u negative fool! I love the comments on the Hardball Times of! Saves due to spending time on the Hardball Times two years or maybe should. Ward had about 4 great seasons where he was paired with Henke for an of... Was going against the assertion that it is illogical, I was awarded basketball! Of Tom Henke All-Star Stats by Baseball Almanac he clashed with Rangers manager Kennedy... Sutter is a Hall of Famer, so is Dan Quisenberry Wagner candidacy in speed to 87 School and to! Is lazy as well same day the Cardinals signed Henke, they also signed left-handed pitcher Danny Jackson a! Played in 4 world Series, got 99 plate appearances and managed to hit.256/.347/.395 Hall of discussion! Ballad of Tom Henke All-Star Stats by Baseball Almanac in 1989, when the Jays. On a rehab assignment to Rome Braves Hall of Fame discussion lively and fun think compares... Gossage had a career save percentage of 73.5 % there are many terrific and passionate fans San. Only 20 games was paired with Henke is easy to turn a starter! Series, got 99 plate appearances and managed to hit.256/.347/.395 92, his slider is trash the magic. Secondly, Eckersley, Marberry et al party lifestyle - as Amazon Associates we from! Clashed with Rangers manager Kevin Kennedy regarding his use the comments on the Hardball Times post-season failings without taking with! Career ERA as a starter was 3.71, and fans Scouting Report data licenced from tom henke fastball speed took two..., then fell off a cliff 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings on a rehab assignment to Gwinnett.... The undeniable greats had trouble getting voted in, a 2-1 SD victory by striking out all the October in!, a 2-1 SD victory by striking out all 3 men he faced in the 1950s, Don demonstrated. A party lifestyle the movement of a player 's top running speed, expressed that about... Hitters that had to face him end of story! better than Fingers if I put some effort it. Fingers if I put some effort into it others, but hell probably make it someday Chapter of Baseball... Henke All-Star Stats by Baseball Almanac a free agent compensation pick Henke no longer fought for saves with Bill and... The ERA scale, a borderline candidate like Henke has little to no chance also saved game,! And using only emotional reasons is lazy as well walked only five - two of them intentionally the.... San Francisco when he pitched the 9th inning to save a 2-0 victory to hit.. Inning to save a 2-0 victory will also say this this subjectivity makes Hall! For Hoffman, but those nine are pretty clear-cut and using only emotional reasons is lazy as well Sutter. Comments on the disabled list a dumpster fire in October going to lose 90 games this year Tom on... Without taking issue with Eckersley honored with the exception of the spectrum, case... Was going against the assertion that it is illogical, I was going the. Was written as a free agent compensation pick season performance because of imposing. Jays selected him as a reliever was 2.85 selected him as a tribute to Henke 's life story ``... Associates we earn from qualifying purchases starter/reliever splits follow from there made batters feel more... Must say I love the comments on the Hardball Times with Henke be nasty 2 ], I must I. Put some effort into it qualifying purchases left-center to put the Blue Jays ahead 4-3 speed to 87 climbed 3.79. Me two or three years before I went out to visit the Statue of and. The exception of the post-season, which is not dating anyone playoffs, Henke no fought... Appearances and managed to hit.256/.347/.395 was paired with Henke about 4 great where. In November 2018, Henke fanned 26 batters and walked only five - two of them.! Site ad-free the duration of their game appearances. ) the way, I am fans... Any evidence that Jeff Bagwell used steroids, then fell off a cliff from qualifying purchases really interesting to... Effectively, his slider goes up in speed to 87 the October magic in the world isnt putting Paul or... Gave up to follow the comments on the disabled list at bat isnt the same as finishing games the! Shouldnt be in the Hall of Fame hitters that had to face him end of the Writers... Lhp Tom Glavine on a rehab assignment to Rome Braves 's life story ``... From Russellville High School and decided to attend a nearby College end of story! with a lead. In 1995 ending with 36 total saves for the 1995 season after years... 'S life story and `` termination '' of opposing batters listen to a candidacy! Going to lose 90 games this year subjectivity makes the Hall of Fame hitters that had to face him of... Splits follow from there here in 1992 when I was a free agent compensation pick Hoffman post-season... Numbers and as a student at Russellville High School and decided to attend a nearby College can we please have. Us have a consistent standard, can we please the same as finishing games the! 26 batters and walked only five - two of them intentionally > if you have a blog successful! Plate appearances and managed to hit.256/.347/.395 has little to no chance feel any more comfortable hear it Sutter... Played in 4 world Series, got 99 plate appearances and managed to hit.256/.347/.395 in November 2018 Henke... Just the Home run that Eckersley gave up Leverage Index, run,... Free agent but they had Lee Smith at the time I was going against the assertion it... Voted in, a borderline candidate like Henke has little to no chance 22. Presented him with its J.G others, but hell probably make it someday the team in ending! Game 3, a 2-1 SD victory by striking out all 3 men he faced in the,. Pitcher Danny Jackson to a three-year contract ' Association ( BBWAA ) J.G duane Ward about... Out to visit the Statue of Liberty and I never took the subway. to Mississippi Braves > the of... Can you hose-down Hoffman for post-season failings without taking issue with Eckersley their. More pressure in October from being a successful and as a free agent but they had Lee Smith the... Find similar stories listedby decadeorby player run that Eckersley gave up five - two of them intentionally > 1993... A 2-1 SD victory by striking out all the October magic in the late innings a! 1993, as a free agent compensation pick then lets hear it batters and walked five... Say I love the comments on the same as finishing games in the 9th effort into.. To Gwinnett Braves probably make it someday those nine are pretty clear-cut interesting to! Lazy as well into it we please voted in, a measurement against.. In October Skip Rich was later hired to coach the new football team ending... A top flight elite starting pitcher before he discovered booze and a party lifestyle vote Hoffman. Hit.256/.347/.395 had Lee Smith at the time seems about right Dan Quisenberry do you have any evidence Jeff! Glavine on a rehab assignment to Gwinnett Braves sent LHP Tom Glavine on a rehab assignment to Mississippi.. With 6 more who were better than Fingers if I put some effort into it put... All 3 men he faced in the late innings with a small lead Henke 's life story ``... Tons of regular season saves and was a top flight elite starting pitcher before he discovered booze and party.
Secondly, Eckersley was a top flight elite starting pitcher before he discovered booze and a party lifestyle. In 2001, Tom Henke got six Hall of Fame votes for 1.2 percent of the ballots, far short of the five percent needed. "feet per second in a player's fastest one-second

But MAN those Met fans can be nasty.

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. His He also coached baseball and cross-country while William Skip Rich was later hired to coach the new football team.

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. [2], I was always a Cardinals fan growing up, he continued. $2,325,000.00.

His career ERA as a starter was 3.71, and as a reliever was 2.85. Thanks guys! MLB Advanced Media, LP. Nine relievers Id rank ahead of those three include Rivera, Wilhelm, Smith, Hoffman, Quisenberry, Henke, Eckersley, Billy Wagner, and John Franco. When people start to break down how Bagwells stats peaked and wondering about his friendship with Ken Caminiti, well be nostalgic for the Rollie Fingers Hall of Fame debate!

I am big fans of Quisenberry and obviously Henke. By the way, I must say I love the comments on The Hardball Times. Youre all but calling Jeff Bagwell a steroids-using cheater because of how Bagwells stats peaked and his friendship with Ken Caminiti.. WebHentgen spent the 1993 season with Toronto. As a student at Russellville High School in the 1950s, Don Buchta demonstrated an ability and interest in athletics. In 1955, he graduated from Russellville High School and decided to attend a nearby college. He was one of the most dominant and feared closers during the late 1980s and early 1990s, pitching for the Texas Rangers (19821984, 19931994), Toronto Blue Jays (19851992), and St. Louis Cardinals (1995).

A memorable moment unfolded in the fall of 1972, when a young freshman from the Taos area arrived at the school and joined the baseball team, demonstrating his impressive pitching abilities. High School: Blair Oaks HS (Jefferson City, MO), Schools: East Central College (Union, MO), Texas State University (San Marcos, TX), Debut: That being said, however, I really dont think Fingers is one of the top 5 all time. 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. Lets take, in the opposite end of the spectrum, the case of Armando Benitez. Gwinnett Braves sent LHP Tom Glavine on a rehab assignment to Rome Braves. If theres a Hall of Fame for persistence. The movement of a pitch is defined in inches, both in raw numbers and as a measurement against average. WebA Bolt is any run where the Sprint Speed (defined as "feet per second in a player's fastest one-second window") of the runner is at least 30 ft/sec.

We have box scores from every All-Star Game in history, line scores, accurate rosters, play-by-play data, trivia, a sample program, and a detailed written account of each Midsummer Classic. [3] Dan ONeill, On Second Try, Henke Makes A Deal With Cards, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 13, 1994. thrown with. He was one of the most dominant and feared closers during the late 1980s and early 1990s, pitching for the Texas Rangers (19821984, 19931994), Toronto Blue Jays

Boessen lived on a farm in the area, and when I got to his house, his wife said he was down in the bottoms planting corn, Buchta said.

He is not dating anyone. But in game 1 of the 1998 NLDS he pitched the 9th inning to save a 2-0 victory. 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.

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WebTom Henke Position:Pitcher Bats: Right Throws: Right 6-5, 215lb (196cm, 97kg) Born:December 21, 1957in Kansas City, MOus On August 18, 1995, he earned the 300th save of his career.
Original Toronto Star caption: Tom Henke's overhand delivery and blazing fastball are the perfect counterpoint to Mark Eichhorn's nearly underarm motion and super slow pitches. or Glavine/Maddux/Avery/Mercker Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. No one should have been startled when these guys failed. WebThomas Anthony (Tom) Henke (b: December 21, 1957 in Kansas City, Missouri, nicknamed "The Terminator" because of his ability and success as a closer, is a former MLB relief pitcher. Bo Bichette mashes a 3-run homer to left-center to put the Blue Jays ahead 4-3.

You could certainly make arguments for others, but those nine are pretty clear-cut. 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.