Is Andy Pettitte a Hall of Famer???

[tripolie atche]

ESPN.com

The left-hander has decided to retire and will make an announcement on Friday, a source told Michael Kay of ESPN Radio in New York on Thursday. The announcement will take place at Yankee Stadium, a source told The Associated Press.

A high-ranking team official confirmed the reports.

"He's on a plane right now, and unless he changes his mind in the air there will be a press conference tomorrow and he will retire," the official said.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has been trying to find another starter to follow CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes and A.J. Burnett. He recently signed deals with Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon, and the veteran right-handers will get a look in spring training.

Youngster Ivan Nova and journeyman Sergio Mitre will also compete for a spot.

Pettitte got off to one of the best starts of his career last season, earning an All-Star nod. A groin injury derailed his season, however, and he finished 11-3 with a 3.28 ERA in only 21 starts.

Pettitte had told the Yankees to prepare for the season as if he weren't pitching.

"Andy has told me he's not in play, and that's what I am assuming,'' Cashman said Jan. 18. "Until he tells me otherwise, I'm assuming he's not going to be here.''

The 38-year-old is 240-138 with a 3.88 ERA in 16 seasons with the Yankees and Houston Astros. He made three All-Star teams and won 20 games twice.

But Pettitte is perhaps best known as a clutch playoff performer. He holds the record for most postseason wins with 19 and was a part of five Yankees World Series championship teams.

Pettitte is expected to testify against Roger Clemens during a trial scheduled for this summer on charges that his former teammate lied about the use of performance-enhancing drugs during a congressional hearing. Clemens denies using PEDs. Pettitte admitted he used human growth hormone and claimed Clemens admitted privately he did, too.

So if this is true & he doesnt change his mind between now & tomorrow, is he a Hall of Famer???

Pros:
- Postseason Success (Most postseason wins in the history of MLB with 19; was part of 8 World Series teams, winning 5 of them, etc.)
- Led the 2000s in wins with 148

Cons:
- Has only 240 wins (We all know 300 wins is what a SP needs to reach to have a great shot at getting into the HOF, although getting to 300 wins has become rare these days & will continue to do so in the foreseeable future)
- Use of PEDs (admitted to using HGH a couple of times in 2002 to help heal an injury)
- Never won any major awards like a Cy Young
- Is only a 3-time All-Star

dont know if im forgetting anything else but feel free to add anything else on to the Pros & Cons, anyways I think he'll eventually get in but it wont come until probably his 11th or 12th time on the ballot (I think after you don't get in after 15 tries, then your off the ballot & can only get into the HOF through the Veterans Committee)

 

[Dr. Stinger A. Zoidberg]

First off, what a huge blow this is to the 2011 Yankees. Now they really have to scramble to find starting pitching. I see a trade in the near future for one.

Now that Burt Blyleven is in the Hall Of Fame, I think Andy Pettitte has a chance of getting in. Andy was basically the Blyleven of our time. Sure, he never did win a Cy Young award, but he did pitch extremely well over his career. He helped The Yankees win multiple World Championships, and was a 3-time Allstar. As you said, it'll probably take some time before Andy gets to be in the Hall Of Fame, and will end up like Blyleven. He'll have to wait many years and then he'll finally get in. But yes, I do think Pettitte is an eventual Hall Of Famer. Of course, that could just be my inner Yankee speaking.

 

[6timehitta]

While I think he will eventually, I think he will need a few years of discussion, and The HGH is the reason. Once they let even ONE man in that has even came close to HGH then the flood gates open for McGuire, Sosa, Canseco, Palmeiro, and Clemens. I think while he deserves it, he wont make it, only because of the HGH. Sad Story imo

 

[The Brain]

When I think of Andy Pettitte I don’t think of a hall of famer. One of the truest ways to define a hall of fame player is someone who dominated the game during his career. That is obviously open to interpretation but I’ve never considered Pettitte to be a dominant pitcher. When I think of the dominant pitchers over the last fifteen to twenty years there are a lot of names that come to mind before Pettitte. Pettitte was a three time all star. That’s nothing to be ashamed of but I think someone who would go to the hall of fame would have gone to more all star games. He has some good career numbers but nothing jumps off the page as great hall of fame numbers. I expect Pettitte to get some nice support, but come January 2016 I expect him to come up short.

Please realize saying someone is not a hall of famer is in no way an insult or a criticism of that player. Andy Pettitte had a very good career. I’ll even say he had a great career. The hall of fame is the highest honor a player can receive and is a place where only the truly elite players end up. There are plenty of players who have had great careers but were not elite enough to make it to the hall.

 

[hatehabsforever]

Andy Pettitte was a very good pitcher. He had a career he should be very proud of. But I think he would be considered a borderline candidate for the Hall of Fame under the best of circumstances. Throw in his admission of use of HGH, and I think it is going to be an uphill battle for him to make it to Cooperstown. Personally, if I were one of the writers who had a vote for eligibility to the hall, I would vote no. As good as his numbers were, and as valuable as he was to his various teams, this is all offset by his usage of PED's. It would take astronomical numbers to counteract the damage to his legacy caused by HGH, and quite frankly, his numbers were good, but not astronomical.

 

[Big Sexy]

This is a tough one. Without the HGH usage I would have leaned towards yes. His regular season numbers weren't astronomical but they were very good and his postseason stats are off the chart. This is a guy who has won 5 World Series and pitched in 8 different World Series with two different teams. He is second all time in World Series starts.

With the HGH admission I'm going to say no but it is close. I wouldn't be surprised to see him get into the Hall a little later down the line but if I have to pick I'm going to say no.

 

[48.7 is Approximately 49 Times Better Than You]

Disclaimer: This is coming from an enormous Yankee fan.

Andy Pettitte is the consummate professional. He is beloved by his fans, his city, his organization, the league, and, most importantly, by his teammates. Never once have you heard whispering of off-the-field issues, such as those that have tarnished the reputations of Tiger Woods, Ben Rothlisberger, and even Josh Hamilton. He's a winner - having pitched in 8 World Series, winning 5. Pettitte is the winningest post-season pitcher in the history of baseball, which best represents his career in my opinion. A 3.86 ERA in baseball's most powerful division is good, but not elite. 240 wins is good, but not elite. However, only one pitcher aside from Andy Pettitte has 100 more wins than losses that is not in the hall-of-fame. Andy Pettitte is the only pitcher in baseball history to pitch 16 years and not have a single losing season. 46 led the league from 1995-2009 in wins and had the most wins in the first decade of the 2000s. He was old-faithful, a workhorse, reliable.

All of this being said, Andy Pettitte should not be a hall-of-famer. The Baseball (and basketball) Hall of Fame is incredibly diluted. There are dozens of players that should not be in it. It should be a pantheon of the elite players to ever play, reflecting the first class of inductees. (Cobb, Johnson, Matthewson, Ruth, Wagner). Instead, we have Tony Perez. Andy Pettitte is a great player and should be remembered as such, but he was never elite. Only a 3-time all-star and only 4 times in the top-5 of Cy Young voting. He's not a hall-of-famer by stats, and definitely not with the HGH admission in the voters' minds. He's an elite level teammate and human being, though; he's someone that I would want to go to war with. If I need a game 7 starter in the Series, give me Andy Pettitte all day, every day.