Does former Phillies pitcher and 25-year veteran Jaime Moyer have a chance to make the Baseball Hall of Fame in the future?
The Baseball Writer’s Association announced the 2018 Hall of Fame ballot Monday. There are several Phillies on the ballot, some of whom have a chance to make it into the Hall of Fame someday. Is Jaime Moyer among those with a chance?
Moyer spent nearly five seasons in Philadelphia, but by that time he was already a veteran of 19 major-league seasons. He came into the majors as a 23-year-old with the Cubs in 1986, pitching all the way until 2012 as a 49-year-old with the Rockies. He announced his retirement Oct. 2, 2013.
Moyer’s best years came as a Seattle Mariner, where he pitched for 11 seasons. In that time, he started 323 games, posted a 145-87 record, and had a 3.97 ERA. He was then traded to Philadelphia partway through the 2006 season for two minor-league pitchers.
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Moyer’s best season with the Phils came in 2008 when the team won the World Series. He made 33 starts that year, logging a 3.71 ERA and 2.8 WAR. He took both of Philadelphia’s losses in the NLDS and NLCS that year, but made up for it with a solid performance in Game Three of the World Series. He took a no-decision in the rain-delayed nailbiter that ended with Carlos Ruiz’s walk-off dribbler.
After the 2008 season, Moyer never fully returned to form, posting an ERA just below five in 2009 and 2010. Charlie Manuel moved Moyer to the bullpen once the team acquired Pedro Martinez in 2009. Moyer missed the 2009 playoffs after tearing three muscles in his lower abdomen, then missed the last two months of the 2010 season with an elbow injury.
By the numbers, Moyer’s career was fairly average. He wrapped up his long, 25-year career with a 269-209 record, 4.25 ERA, 1.322 WHIP, and 2.11 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Both of Baseball Reference’s Hall of Fame Monitor and Standards have Moyer well below the average/likely Hall-of-Famer.
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In terms of JAWS, Moyer ranks 132nd overall among all pitchers. He is ahead of a few Hall of Famers, but as a whole he still falls well below the average Hall of Fame pitcher in career and seven-year peak WAR.
The one thing that might get Moyer some votes is his longevity in the majors. He still pitched well into his 40s, even making an All-Star Game and receiving Cy Young votes at 40 years old in 2003. Despite his fastball velocity barely reaching into the 80s, Moyer used his five-pitch mix to keep hitters off balance and still get guys out.
Moyer was the oldest pitcher in the majors in 2008 when he was one of they key contributors to a Phils World Series team. Some of the guys on that team weren’t even alive when a nearly-18-year-old Moyer went to the 1980 World Series parade.
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Ultimately, Moyer’s chances to make the Hall of Fame are slim. He doesn’t have the flashy career or peak numbers that nearly every Hall of Famer has. While he may get some votes out of respect for how long Moyer stayed in the league, it’s hard to imagine him getting voted in. There may be a committee that selects Moyer based on a special vote, but otherwise it’s hard to imagine Moyer in Cooperstown.