Evaluating 5 former New York Yankees up for 2022 Hall of Fame election

4. Andy Pettitte

Pettitte was drafted by the Bombers in 1990. After reaching the major leagues in 1995, he finished third in voting for the AL Rookie of the Year Award. In 1996, Pettitte compiled an AL high 21 wins and was second in the AL Cy Young Award vote.

He was considered one of the “Core Four” players who helped guide the Yankees’ late-1990s dynasty that captured four championships. In 2001 he received the AL Championship Series MVP Award for helping his team win the pennant.

Pettitte had a good track record as a starting pitcher. In 3,316 innings, he struck out 2,448 batters and notched 256 wins.

Following Pettitte’s last pitch, the lefty posted a WAR of 60.2, a WAR7 of 34.1, and a JAWS of 47.2. But the averages for all HOF starting pitchers for WAR and JAWS are 73.9 and 62.1, respectively, exceeding Pettitte’s numbers. Also, his career regular-season ERA is high (3.85) compared to other pitchers in the Hall. Still, the left-hander was a postseason legend. He won 19 postseason games, which is the most in history.

Pettitte first appeared on the HOF ballot in 2019. Based on the quality of his candidacy compared to other pitchers in Cooperstown, he has only a slight chance of being elected to the Hall.

Another complication is that he admitted to using human growth hormone (HGH) (documented in the George J. Mitchell Report). Although he expressed remorse and apologized in public, many writers might hold this against him. Pettitte received a meager 13.7% of the HOF vote in 2021.