Jim Kaat (Phillies 1976-1979)
Jim Kaat isn’t best known for being a Philadelphia Phillie, but he was one for four of his 25 years in the big leagues.
In all honesty, it’s astounding that Kaat isn’t in the Hall of Fame already based on his 16 Gold Glove awards, but as we proved with Dick Allen’s numbers, the Hall is kind of inconsistent. The pitcher won 12 in a row between 1962-1973, and then another four straight from 1974-1977; his last two were with the Phillies.
The versatile Kaat compiled a career 3.45 ERA over 898 games, including 625 starts and 17 saves. He threw 4,530 1/3 innings and struck out 2,461 batters. In an era when pitcher wins and losses meant something, he finished his career with a 283-237 record, making him 31st all-time in wins.
However, as Puckett’s Pond noted, the longtime Twins pitcher (he spent the majority of his career in Minnesota) didn’t have strong strikeout numbers and he’s 1-for-4 in Hall of Fame stats.