Jacob deGrom: one of greatest pitchers since 1920 ... with at least 1,500 innings. How many innings?

Jacob deGrom

Position: Pitcher

Bats: Left  •  Throws: Right

6-4, 180lb (193cm, 81kg)

Team: Texas Rangers (majors)

Born: June 19, 1988 (Age: 38-011d) in DeLand, FL us

Today, I'm minding my own business with MLB Network on TV in the background and I half heard that Jacob deGrom is one of greatest pitchers since 1920 blah, blah, blah ... with at least 1,500 innings.

I thought: what? How many innings? Babe Ruth had most of his innings before 1920 pitching for the Red Sox but the Babe had 1,221 total regular season innings, including 31 with the Yankees (5-0). 1,500 for a starting pitcher seems irrelevant.

deGrom won consecutive National League Cy Young awards as best pitcher in 2018 and 2019 with the Mets. His innings pitched in those seasons were 217 and 204. But since then 2025 with Texas was his next season with at least 100 innings: 172 and ERA+ 126, which is good but nothing extraordinary. 100 is league average. 126 is 26% above league average.

With 88 innings so far in 2026 with ERA+ only 107, deGrom is at 1,626 innings for his career. Career ERA+ 148.

The list of Hall of Fame pitchers since 1920 includes some whose career numbers are truncated. For instance, Walter Johnson's career started in 1907 and his full innings were 5,914. The list has 58 pitchers, including relief pitchers. The point is to look at their innings, not their other stats.

https://www.sports-reference.com/stathead/tiny/EYiqn

For combined seasons, since 1920, Playing in the AL or NL, a member of the Hall of Fame, in the regular season, requiring Innings Pitched >= 903, sorted by ascending Innings Pitched.

The ridiculous 903 innings is to include the ridiculous election of relief pitcher Billy Wagner.

Here are the fewest innings:

Rk	Player	IP	From	To	Age	W	L	W-L%	Dec	ERA	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV
1	Billy Wagner	903.0	1995	2010	23-38	47	40	.540	87	2.31	853	0	0	0	422
2	Rube Marquard	1000.1	1920	1925	33-38	52	60	.464	112	3.93	176	130	47	6	2
3	Bruce Sutter	1042.0	1976	1988	23-35	68	71	.489	139	2.83	661	0	0	0	300
4	Trevor Hoffman	1089.1	1993	2010	25-42	61	75	.449	136	2.87	1035	0	0	0	601
5	Mariano Rivera	1283.2	1995	2013	25-43	82	60	.577	142	2.21	1115	10	0	0	652
6	Lee Smith	1289.1	1980	1997	22-39	71	92	.436	163	3.03	1022	6	0	0	478
7	Rollie Fingers	1701.1	1968	1985	21-38	114	118	.491	232	2.90	944	37	4	2	341
8	Rich Gossage	1809.1	1972	1994	20-42	124	107	.537	231	3.01	1002	37	16	0	310
9	Walter Johnson	1823.2	1920	1927	32-39	120	88	.577	208	3.33	258	227	143	24	12
10	Stan Coveleski	1933.2	1920	1928	30-38	133	89	.599	222	3.20	274	253	137	21	9
11	Dizzy Dean	1967.1	1930	1947	20-37	150	83	.644	233	3.02	317	230	154	26	31
12	Hoyt Wilhelm	2254.1	1952	1972	29-49	143	122	.540	265	2.52	1070	52	20	5	228
13	Sandy Koufax	2324.1	1955	1966	19-30	165	87	.655	252	2.76	397	314	137	40

Dean and Koufax were known to have had great but short careers. Will deGrom's innings even reach Dean much less Koufax? Among the fewest 8, only Marquard was a starting pitcher. His career started in 1908 and his innings were 3,306. That's more than twice deGrom's 1,626.

This is not meant as a criticism of deGrom. He has legitimate credentials and he has battled injuries for years.

My problem is with MLB Network. Geez, I know they need to fill time but use some common sense.

Height of Hall of Fame pitchers since 1903. 14% shorter than 6 feet, including Lyons, Ford, Martinez.

Whitey Ford

Position: Pitcher

Bats: Left  •  Throws: Left

5-10, 178lb (178cm, 80kg)

Born: October 21, 1928 in New York, NY us

Died: October 8, 2020 (Aged 91-353d) in Lake Success, NY

10 of 70 shorter than six feet: 14%. Whitey Ford was the shortest of the modern starters. Innings were reduced to include 903 Innings Billy Wagner but it causes Babe Ruth to be included. Hey, it's always nice to see the Babe.

https://www.sports-reference.com/stathead/tiny/jHvlI

For combined seasons, since 1903, Playing in the AL or NL or FL or AA or PL or UA or NA, a member of the Hall of Fame, in the regular season, requiring Innings Pitched >= 903, sorted by ascending Height (ft & inches).

Some pitchers had seasons before the start of this dataset: Mathewson, Young, Chesbro, McGinnity, Plank, Joss, Willis, Nichols, Waddell. As such their data is incomplete. The purpose of this post is to show height.

Rk	Player	Ht	IP	From	To	Age	W	L	W-L%	Dec	ERA	G	GS	CG	SHO	HR	BB	SO	ERA+
1	Jack Chesbro	5-9	1958.0	1903	1909	29-35	128	94	.577	222	2.59	270	228	168	18	27	438	916	109
2	Mordecai Brown	5-10	3172.1	1903	1916	26-39	239	130	.648	369	2.06	481	332	271	55	43	673	1375	138
3	Whitey Ford	5-10	3170.1	1950	1967	21-38	236	106	.690	342	2.75	498	438	156	45	228	1086	1956	133
4	Burleigh Grimes	5-10	4180.0	1916	1934	22-40	270	212	.560	482	3.53	616	497	314	35	148	1295	1512	108
5	Billy Wagner	5-10	903.0	1995	2010	23-38	47	40	.540	87	2.31	853	0	0	0	82	300	1196	187
6	Stan Coveleski	5-11	3082.0	1912	1928	22-38	215	142	.602	357	2.89	450	385	223	38	66	802	981	127
7	Ted Lyons	5-11	4161.0	1923	1946	22-45	260	230	.531	490	3.67	594	484	356	27	222	1121	1073	118
8	Pedro Martínez	5-11	2827.1	1992	2009	20-37	219	100	.687	319	2.93	476	409	46	17	239	760	3154	154
9	Joe McGinnity	5-11	1998.1	1903	1908	32-37	143	80	.641	223	2.40	281	221	170	25	33	432	720	118
10	Eddie Plank	5-11	3935.0	1903	1917	27-41	289	166	.635	455	2.21	554	465	351	67	34	943	2049	125
11	Bob Feller	6-0	3827.0	1936	1956	17-37	266	162	.621	428	3.25	570	484	279	44	224	1764	2581	122
12	Tom Glavine	6-0	4413.1	1987	2008	21-42	305	203	.600	508	3.54	682	682	56	25	356	1500	2607	118
13	Jesse Haines	6-0	3208.2	1918	1937	24-43	210	158	.571	368	3.64	555	387	209	23	165	871	981	109
14	Waite Hoyt	6-0	3762.1	1918	1938	18-38	237	182	.566	419	3.59	674	425	226	26	154	1003	1206	112
15	Carl Hubbell	6-0	3590.1	1928	1943	25-40	253	154	.622	407	2.98	535	433	260	36	227	725	1677	130
16	Catfish Hunter	6-0	3449.1	1965	1979	19-33	224	166	.574	390	3.26	500	476	181	42	374	954	2012	104
17	Bob Lemon	6-0	2850.0	1941	1958	20-37	207	128	.618	335	3.23	460	350	188	31	180	1251	1277	119
18	Greg Maddux	6-0	5008.1	1986	2008	20-42	355	227	.610	582	3.16	744	740	109	35	353	999	3371	132
19	Juan Marichal	6-0	3507.0	1960	1975	22-37	243	142	.631	385	2.89	471	457	244	52	320	709	2303	123
20	Herb Pennock	6-0	3571.2	1912	1934	18-40	241	162	.598	403	3.60	617	419	249	35	128	916	1227	106
Rk	Player	Ht	IP	From	To	Age	W	L	W-L%	Dec	ERA	G	GS	CG	SHO	HR	BB	SO	ERA+
21	Robin Roberts	6-0	4688.2	1948	1966	21-39	286	245	.539	531	3.41	676	609	305	45	505	902	2357	113
22	Warren Spahn	6-0	5243.2	1942	1965	21-44	363	245	.597	608	3.09	750	665	382	63	434	1434	2583	119
23	Hoyt Wilhelm	6-0	2254.1	1952	1972	29-49	143	122	.540	265	2.52	1070	52	20	5	150	778	1610	147
24	Early Wynn	6-0	4564.0	1939	1963	19-43	300	244	.551	544	3.54	691	611	289	49	338	1775	2334	107
25	Grover Alexander	6-1	5190.0	1911	1930	24-43	373	208	.642	581	2.56	696	600	436	90	165	951	2198	135
26	Bob Gibson	6-1	3884.1	1959	1975	23-39	251	174	.591	425	2.91	528	482	255	56	257	1336	3117	127
27	Trevor Hoffman	6-1	1089.1	1993	2010	25-42	61	75	.449	136	2.87	1035	0	0	0	100	307	1133	141
28	Walter Johnson	6-1	5914.1	1907	1927	19-39	417	279	.599	696	2.17	802	666	531	110	97	1363	3509	147
29	Christy Mathewson	6-1	4134.1	1903	1916	22-35	339	151	.692	490	2.09	555	480	368	66	82	654	2107	138
30	Phil Niekro	6-1	5404.0	1964	1987	25-48	318	274	.537	592	3.35	864	716	245	45	482	1809	3342	115
31	Red Ruffing	6-1	4344.0	1924	1947	19-42	273	225	.548	498	3.80	624	538	335	45	254	1541	1987	109
32	Tom Seaver	6-1	4783.0	1967	1986	22-41	311	205	.603	516	2.86	656	647	231	61	380	1390	3640	127
33	Don Sutton	6-1	5282.1	1966	1988	21-43	324	256	.559	580	3.26	774	756	178	58	472	1343	3574	108
34	Rube Waddell	6-1	2132.0	1903	1910	26-33	140	104	.574	244	2.01	302	251	183	44	18	589	1755	133
35	Ed Walsh	6-1	2964.1	1904	1917	23-36	195	126	.607	321	1.82	430	315	250	57	23	617	1736	146
36	Charles Bender	6-2	3017.0	1903	1925	19-41	212	127	.625	339	2.46	459	334	255	40	40	712	1711	112
37	Dizzy Dean	6-2	1967.1	1930	1947	20-37	150	83	.644	233	3.02	317	230	154	26	95	453	1163	131
38	Dennis Eckersley	6-2	3285.2	1975	1998	20-43	197	171	.535	368	3.50	1071	361	100	20	347	738	2401	116
39	Red Faber	6-2	4086.2	1914	1933	25-44	254	213	.544	467	3.15	669	483	273	29	111	1213	1471	119
40	Lefty Gomez	6-2	2503.0	1930	1943	21-34	189	102	.649	291	3.34	368	320	173	28	138	1095	1468	125
Rk	Player	Ht	IP	From	To	Age	W	L	W-L%	Dec	ERA	G	GS	CG	SHO	HR	BB	SO	ERA+
41	Sandy Koufax	6-2	2324.1	1955	1966	19-30	165	87	.655	252	2.76	397	314	137	40	204	817	2396	131
42	Mike Mussina	6-2	3562.2	1991	2008	22-39	270	153	.638	423	3.68	537	536	57	23	376	785	2813	123
43	Hal Newhouser	6-2	2993.0	1939	1955	18-34	207	150	.580	357	3.06	488	374	212	33	136	1249	1796	130
44	Mariano Rivera	6-2	1283.2	1995	2013	25-43	82	60	.577	142	2.21	1115	10	0	0	71	286	1173	205
45	Babe Ruth	6-2	1221.1	1914	1935	19-40	94	46	.671	140	2.28	163	147	107	17	10	441	488	122
46	Nolan Ryan	6-2	5386.0	1966	1993	19-46	324	292	.526	616	3.19	807	773	222	61	321	2795	5714	112
47	Bruce Sutter	6-2	1042.0	1976	1988	23-35	68	71	.489	139	2.83	661	0	0	0	77	309	861	136
48	Dazzy Vance	6-2	2966.2	1915	1935	24-44	197	140	.585	337	3.24	442	349	217	29	132	840	2045	125
49	Vic Willis	6-2	2391.0	1903	1910	27-34	140	130	.519	270	2.57	310	285	224	32	32	662	960	106
50	Cy Young	6-2	2556.1	1903	1911	36-44	160	125	.561	285	2.18	313	285	252	36	32	323	1245	125
51	Bert Blyleven	6-3	4970.0	1970	1992	19-41	287	250	.534	537	3.31	692	685	242	60	430	1322	3701	118
52	Jim Bunning	6-3	3760.1	1955	1971	23-39	224	184	.549	408	3.27	591	519	151	40	372	1000	2855	115
53	Rich Gossage	6-3	1809.1	1972	1994	20-42	124	107	.537	231	3.01	1002	37	16	0	119	732	1502	126
54	Lefty Grove	6-3	3940.2	1925	1941	25-41	300	141	.680	441	3.06	616	457	298	35	162	1187	2266	148
55	Addie Joss	6-3	2057.2	1903	1910	23-30	143	84	.630	227	1.77	254	231	206	40	17	289	814	146
56	Rube Marquard	6-3	3306.2	1908	1925	21-38	201	177	.532	378	3.08	536	408	197	30	107	858	1593	103
57	Jack Morris	6-3	3824.0	1977	1994	22-39	254	186	.577	440	3.90	549	527	175	28	389	1390	2478	105
58	Jim Palmer	6-3	3948.0	1965	1984	19-38	268	152	.638	420	2.86	558	521	211	53	303	1311	2212	125
59	John Smoltz	6-3	3473.0	1988	2009	21-42	213	155	.579	368	3.33	723	481	53	16	288	1010	3084	125
60	Steve Carlton	6-4	5217.2	1965	1988	20-43	329	244	.574	573	3.22	741	709	254	55	414	1833	4136	115
Rk	Player	Ht	IP	From	To	Age	W	L	W-L%	Dec	ERA	G	GS	CG	SHO	HR	BB	SO	ERA+
61	Rollie Fingers	6-4	1701.1	1968	1985	21-38	114	118	.491	232	2.90	944	37	4	2	123	492	1299	120
62	Jim Kaat	6-4	4530.1	1959	1983	20-44	283	237	.544	520	3.45	898	625	180	31	395	1083	2461	108
63	Gaylord Perry	6-4	5350.0	1962	1983	23-44	314	265	.542	579	3.11	777	690	303	53	399	1379	3534	117
64	Don Drysdale	6-5	3432.0	1956	1969	19-32	209	166	.557	375	2.95	518	465	167	49	280	855	2486	121
65	Fergie Jenkins	6-5	4500.2	1965	1983	22-40	284	226	.557	510	3.34	664	594	267	49	484	997	3192	115
66	Eppa Rixey	6-5	4494.2	1912	1933	21-42	266	251	.515	517	3.15	692	554	290	37	93	1082	1350	115
67	Lee Smith	6-5	1289.1	1980	1997	22-39	71	92	.436	163	3.03	1022	6	0	0	89	486	1251	132
68	Roy Halladay	6-6	2749.1	1998	2013	21-36	203	105	.659	308	3.38	416	390	67	20	236	592	2117	131
69	CC Sabathia	6-6	3577.1	2001	2019	20-38	251	161	.609	412	3.74	561	560	38	12	382	1099	3093	116
70	Randy Johnson	6-10	4135.1	1988	2009	24-45	303	166	.646	469	3.29	618	603	100	37	411	1497	4875	135

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Generated 6/18/2026.