Those of you who have followed me over the last 15+ years on MMO, are well aware of my disdain for the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA). I don’t really have anything against any of their individual writers, other than the clowns who held their votes against Mike Piazza. But as a voting body they are totally incompetent and I’m tired of all the shenanigans.

Of their many ridiculous and even laughable moves, one of their most egregious sins came in 2018, when they elected Trevor Hoffman into the Hall of Fame.

That’s not to say that the longtime San Diego closer was not worthy of induction, he most definitely was. However there was another closer on the ballot who was even more deserving of Cooperstown. A closer who was more dominant and who outshined and outperformed Hoffman in every way.  Of course I’m talking about former Met, Billy Wagner.

Now before you go and jump down my throat, let me first make my case and examine some of the facts.

I want to begin with a head-to-head look at their primary career numbers which by themselves clearly make a strong case for Wagner over Hoffman.

Wagner: 853 G, 2.31 ERA, 187 ERA+, 2.73 FIP, 0.998 WHIP, 11.9 SO/9, .187 BAA, 27.7 bWAR

Hoffman: 1,035 G, 2.87 ERA, 141 ERA+, 3.08 FIP, 1.058 WHIP, 9.4 SO/9, 2.11 BAA, 27.9 bWAR

There’s no way anyone can objectively look at those numbers and not come away thinking Wagner was clearly the most dominant of the two. He edges out Hoffman in almost every category, and completely annihilates him in ERA+, FIP and strikeouts-per-nine.

The only two categories in which Hoffman has a significant advantage over Wagner is in Appearances and Saves, arguably the most flawed statistic in baseball. But that’s an argument for another day.

Hoffman: 1,035 G, 601 Saves

Wagner:  853 G, 422 Saves

Also keep in mind that if Wags had not retired as early as he did, he probably narrows that gap considerably.

As a matter of fact, in his final season at age 38, Wagner delivered one of the best and most memorable seasons in his career.

In 71 appearances during the 2010 season Wagner posted a 1.43 ERA, 0.865 WHIP, .159 BAA and a 13.5 strikeout rate. Are you freaking kidding me?

Wagner decided to hang ’em up after that season, citing that he wanted to spend more time with his children – a noble gesture indeed – but he clearly had a ton of fuel left in the tank. Who says no?

When you consider their career WAR, Hoffman does have a slight edge, but he also pitched in 200 more games than Wagner. However when you examine their peak WAR as illustrated in Baseball Reference, it’s Wagner again who comes out on top.

Hoffman: 19.4 7yr-peak WAR

Wagner: 19.8 7yr-peak WAR

Not enough for you? There are some more notable achievements that strengthens Wagners case for Cooperstown.

☆ His 11.9 K/9 and 33.2% strikeout rate are both the highest in MLB history among pitchers with at least 800 innings pitched.

☆ His .187 opposing batting average is the lowest in MLB history among pitchers with 800+ innings pitched.

☆ Among all closers in the Hall of Fame, Wagner would rank second in ERA, ERA+, FIP, WHIP and K/9. Only the great Mariano Rivera bests Wagner in these categories.

Wagner also strutted his stuff with the New York Mets after signing a four-year, $43 million deal. One of the rare occasions that the Amazins got what they paid for and more from a free agent.

During the span of 2006 to 2009, all Billy managed to do was post a 2.37 ERA, 2.87 FIP, 1.054 WHIP and 10.9 K/9 in 183 appearances with 101 saves.

Let me close this by saying this was not intended to knock Trevor Hoffman who I thoroughly enjoyed watching in his illustrious career. But clearly, Billy Wagner has staked a claim on a Hall of Fame nod, and it’s high time that the BBWAA do their due diligence and set things straight.

Hey Cooperstown, here comes Billy the Kid.