Baseball GOATstarting pitcher
Phil Niekro
Atlanta Braves, 1964–1987
64.6
Score, No. 60 all-time
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Ruth leads on both counts: 187.2 wins added to 84.4 over a career, and 83.8 to 44.8 across his seven best seasons.
starting pitcher
Atlanta Braves, 1964–1987
64.6
Score, No. 60 all-time
right field
New York Yankees, 1914–1935
135.5
Score, No. 1 all-time
Wins added is how many extra games a player’s teams won because they had him and not a replacement-level player, the kind of fill-in any team can find. In one season, 2 is a solid regular, 5 is an All-Star and 8 or more is an MVP-level year. Score is the average of the career total and the best seven seasons.
| Phil Niekro | Babe Ruth | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | ||
| 64.6 | Score | 135.5(better) |
| 84.4 | Wins added, career | 187.2(better) |
| 44.8 | Wins added, best 7 seasons | 83.8(better) |
| 60 | All-time rank | 1(better) |
| 24 | Seasons | 22 |
The dot marks the better number in each row. A hitter and a pitcher don’t share traditional stats, so this comparison uses the ratings only.