Debut Teams - Pitchers
by James Strapp
Last Thursday, I offered an analysis of batters and the major league team with which they debuted. Montreal was the clear winner in terms of being the debut team of successful major league batters and Toronto was second or third depending upon how you measured it.
Today, we’ll look at pitchers. Same scenario: A player stays with the major league team with which he debuted, no trades, no free agency.
I extracted the records of major league pitchers over the last 10 years from Sean Lahman’s Baseball Archive and determined the debut team for each player. The results may surprise (and perhaps frustrate) Canadian ball fans.
Last year, more innings were pitched by players who started their major league careers with the Chicago Cubs than any other team. We’re talking Zambrano, Prior, and Wood still with the Cubs, and adding Maddux (who has since returned to the Cubs), Moyer, and Trachsel, all of whom pitched more than 200 innings last year. Players who originally debuted with the Cubs also had the most wins and strikeouts last year.
Following the Cubs last year were Atlanta, then Montreal in third and Toronto in fourth. Top ex-Expos in 2003 include Pavano, Lilly, Rueter, Bullinger, and Randy Johnson. Besides Halladay, Escobar, and Hendrickson, Woody Williams, David Wells, Pat Hentgen, and Dave Weathers debuted with the Jays.
When looking at the total contribution over the last ten years though, the Cubs dropped to seventh. The LA Dodgers clearly take top crown in all three categories with inning eaters like Pedro Martinez, Astacio, Nomo, Ismael Valdes, Belcher, Chan Ho Park, and Hershiser.
The Jays? They finish second overall in innings pitched and wins, and third in strikeouts. Add Stottlemyre, Guzman, Blair, Weathers, Key and Carpenter to the 2003 list above.
Montreal? Third in wins and strikeouts, and fourth, behind the Pirates, in innings pitched. Their 10-year debut roster adds Fassero, Mark Gardner, Vazquez, Bottenfield, Carlos Perez.
So what does this mean? Well, yes the first major league team is only surrogate for an organization’s ability to draft and develop solid major league ballplayers, but it is a pretty good one. So at its grandest, this analysis is a testament of the ability (and perhaps reliance upon) of the Jays and Expos to develop their own players, both batters and pitchers. At it simplest, it means we have been fortunate as fans in Canada to be able see a lot of high-quality young players develop and debut in the major leagues.
The rankings of total innings pitched, wins, and strikeouts since 1994 by the team the player made his debut with, omitting expansion teams, are below. Note that Florida, despite only starting as a team in 1993, already ranks well ahead of Cincinnati and California.
Team | IP |
| Team | Wins |
| Team | SO |
1. LAN | 20,192 |
| 1. LAN | 1,249 |
| 1. LAN | 16,631 |
2. TOR | 19,172 |
| 2. TOR | 1,119 |
| 2. MON | 14,220 |
3. PIT | 19,100 |
| 3. MON | 1,025 |
| 3. TOR | 13,465 |
4. MON | 18,088 |
| 4. ATL | 1,020 |
| 4. PIT | 13,426 |
5. MIN | 17,527 |
| 5. PIT | 1,000 |
| 5. BAL | 13,019 |
6. TEX | 16,944 |
| 6. MIN | 976 |
| 6. ATL | 12,523 |
7. CHN | 16,663 |
| 7. TEX | 968 |
| 7. CHN | 12,370 |
8. BAL | 16,620 |
| 8. BAL | 963 |
| 8. SDN | 11,956 |
9. ATL | 16,447 |
| 9. CHN | 957 |
| 9. MIN | 11,886 |
10. SDN | 15,636 |
| 10. NYA | 900 |
| 10. TEX | 11,757 |
11. CHA | 14,722 |
| 11. SEA | 859 |
| 11. NYA | 10,782 |
12. NYA | 14,610 |
| 12. CLE | 836 |
| 12. SEA | 10,385 |
13. SEA | 14,489 |
| 13. CHA | 832 |
| 13. HOU | 10,309 |
14. CLE | 14,117 |
| 14. SFN | 804 |
| 14. CHA | 10,228 |
15. NYN | 14,085 |
| 15. SDN | 803 |
| 15. CLE | 10,080 |
16. SFN | 14,082 |
| 16. HOU | 773 |
| 16. SFN | 9,855 |
17. HOU | 13,154 |
| 17. NYN | 750 |
| 17. NYN | 9,831 |
18. SLN | 13,043 |
| 18. SLN | 716 |
| 18. SLN | 8,960 |
19. KCA | 12,467 |
| 19. KCA | 691 |
| 19. PHI | 8,880 |
20. PHI | 12,244 |
| 20. OAK | 642 |
| 20. KCA | 8,798 |
21. DET | 12,166 |
| 21. PHI | 627 |
| 21. OAK | 8,467 |
22. OAK | 11,906 |
| 22. DET | 569 |
| 22. DET | 7,682 |
23. BOS | 9,505 |
| 23. BOS | 549 |
| 23. BOS | 6,813 |
| 24. CIN | 8,823 |
| 24. CIN | 456 |
| 24. CIN | 6,612 |
25. CAL | 7,138 |
| 25. CAL | 397 |
| 25. CAL | 5,096 |
And here are the active debut Jays and Expos with more than 50 innings pitched, sorted by innings pitched last year. Players no longer with their debut team are marked with an asterisk.
Your Debut Jays | Your Debut Expos |
1. Roy Halladay | 1. Javier Vazquez* |
2. Woody Williams* | 2. Carl Pavano* |
3. David Wells* | 3. Ted Lilly* |
4. Kelvim Escobar* | 4. Kirk Rueter* |
5. Pat Hentgen | 5. Kirk Bullinger* |
6. Mark Hendrickson* | 6. Zach Day |
7. Dave Weathers* | 7. Claudio Vargas |
8. Mike Timlin* | 8. Randy Johnson* |
9. Aquilino Lopez | 9. Guillermo Mota* |
10. Leo Estrella* | 10. T.J. Tucker |
11. Gary Glover* | 11. Jeff Fassero* |
12. Brandon Lyon* | 12. Ugueth Urbina* |
13. Peter Munro* | 13. Luis Ayala |
14. Billy Koch* | 14. Steve Kline* |
| 15. Scott Stewart* |
| 16. Scott Strickland |
|
| 17. Joey Eischen |
