Ryan Craig: John Smoltz - Hall of Famer

Tonight, John Smoltz won the 200th game of his illustrious career. In doing so, he became the first player in Major League history to win 200 games and save 150. I don’t care what anyone says, the man belongs in Cooperstown.

The lifetime Atlanta Braves hurler has everything a voter could ask for in a candidate. He is an accomplished player, with 200 wins and 154 saves in his career (he likely would be close to 300 wins by now had he not spent three years as a closer). He has a Cy Young, a championship ring and was part of arguably the greatest starting rotation in the history of the league when he joined forces with Tom Glavine (ironically, tonight’s losing pitcher for the Mets), Greg Maddux and Steve Avery, to pace the Braves franchise to a division title in every non-strike-shortened year from 1991-2005. At some point, he has led the majors in strikeouts (1992 - 215), led the National League in wins (1996 - 24), and in an incredible showcase of versatility, even led the major leagues in saves (2002 - 55).

Perhaps most importantly, he is a class act. In 2005 he won the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award, an honor given to the player that best exemplifies Gehrig’s character and integrity on and off the field. In an era when any kind of historic accomplishment is accompanied by a cloud of suspicion, there is no steroids buzz about the Braves righty,– people aren’t constantly questioning the validity of his stats like certain power hitting Rangers right fielders, forced-into-retirement, finger-pointing, Orioles first basemen, or slow-footed, “I was wrong for doing that stuff,” Yankees DH’s. No, the numbers on the back of Smoltz’s baseball cards need no asterisks.

The Hall of Fame voters can be a fickle and unpredictable crew. Nolan Ryan actually received a few “no” votes on his first ballot, which is about all you need to know. Some panelists want numbers, and others, a player that brings something unique to the game. Lucky for anyone fortunate enough to have seen him compete at the highest level over the past 18+ seasons, number 29 brings both.