Yankees: Andy Pettitte deserves more love in Hall of Fame debate

Yankees legend Andy Pettitte deserves more love in his Baseball Hall of Fame debate.

The New York Yankees have had their fingerprints all over the last two Hall of Fame classes as the likes of Mariano Rivera, Mike Mussina and Derek Jeter were all voted in. The former, of course, became the first unanimous selection ever, and the latter fell one vote short of joining his teammate in the record books.

Even though they were widely expected, those nods were incredibly satisfying. However, it would be understandable if Yankees fans were left wanting more regarding the final polls.

In his first year of eligibility for Cooperstown, club legend Andy Pettitte garnered just 9.9% of BBWAA (Baseball Writers of Association) voting, barely exceeding the 5% threshold to earn another spot on the ballots in 2020. This year, the former left-handed stalwart received 45 votes, or 11.3%, and we just don’t get why he’s being disrespected to this extent.

For the sake of argument, let’s take a look at how Pettitte’s resume stacks up, shall we?

• Career record/stats: 256-153 with a 3.85 ERA and 2,448 strikeouts
• 60.6 WAR (Wins Above Replacement), a 117 ERA+ and a 3.74 FIP
• Two-time 20-game winner and three-time All-Star
• Finished in the top six of Cy Young  voting five times
• Postseason stats: 19-11 record with a 3.81 ERA across 276.2 innings of work
• ALCS MVP
• Five-time World Series champion with the Yankees

Stats never lie, and Pettitte’s are absolutely Cooperstown worthy if Jack Morris’ are. That begs the question: Why is the former 18-year veteran so overlooked in this all-important aspect? It could be that voters are turned off by his (minimal) ties to performance-enhancing drugs.

Fans in the Bronx will remember him confessing to using HGH (Human Growth Hormone) to expedite his injury rehab back in 2002. That wasn’t a great look for Pettitte, but it’s worth noting that HGH wasn’t banned by Major League Baseball until 2005. He also remained officially clean for the remainder of his career following that one-time mishap.

The BBWAA has been entirely against voting in players who have knowingly cheated the game, but the likes of Roger Clemens (61%) and Barry Bonds (60.7%) barely missed getting the nod this year. Pettitte’s resume obviously isn’t as acclaimed as theirs, but his infractions weren’t nearly as damning as Clemens and Bonds’, either.

Not many pitchers delivered in October like the former ALCS MVP, and it’s time voters put more respect on his name. We’re not asking for him to be elected in 2021, but he should definitely make a sizable jump in terms of the percentage of votes he receives.