After Kershaw, Verlander, and Scherzer, will there be another Hall of Fame starting pitcher? A hundred years ago, the world knew a Hall of Fame starting pitcher when they saw one. But that was before the Hall of Fame was invented. So, instead, let's look at 80 years ago. Back then, the criteria for a Hall of Fame starting pitcher was simple: win 397 games. The first five inductees - Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, Cy Young, Grover Cleveland Alexander, and Old Hoss Radbourn - averaged exactly that. Baseball was different then. Now, the question is: will the world still recognize a Hall of Fame starting pitcher in the future? Clayton Kershaw, Justin Verlander, and Max Scherzer are Hall of Fame locks, but what about after them? The Hall of Fame election process is changing, and it's causing confusion among players and fans alike. Félix Hernández, a 169-game winner, received 46% of the vote, surprising many. CC Sabathia, a Hall of Famer, admitted he has no idea what a Hall of Fame starting pitcher will look like in the future. The traditional metric of wins is being questioned, as pitchers like Jacob deGrom, Chris Sale, and Zack Wheeler are dominating without reaching the traditional win threshold. The focus is shifting to advanced metrics like WAR, WHIP, and strikeout rate. The debate is whether these new metrics will define the Hall of Fame, and if so, who will be included? The future of the Hall of Fame is uncertain, but one thing is clear: the traditional definition of a Hall of Fame starting pitcher is evolving.
