
Bob Gibson-Pitcher
Intimidation and power is what can be expected from St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Bob Gibson. He took home an MVP award in 1968 with numbers that are baffling to this day.
During this historic campaign, Bob Gibson posted a 1.12 ERA and threw 13 shutouts. To put that dominance in perspective, when Kershaw won his MVP he had a 1.77 ERA and threw 2 shutouts. Gibson ended that season with a sub-one WHIP, and a league-leading 268 strikeouts.
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That season is the only one that ended with an MVP for Gibson, but that wasn’t close to being the only accolade of his career. In a 17-year career, Gibson was able to earn nine Gold Gloves, eight All-Star selections, and two Cy Young awards on his way to the Hall of Fame.
Some of his career statistics are truly mind-blowing. Gibson threw 56 shutouts on his way to having a 2.71 ERA for his time as a player. To add to his great numbers, he was able to strikeout over 3,000 hitters and win over 250 games.
Gibson was famous for being scary. He was not afraid to throw inside and hitters knew that too. Every hitter knew the power of his fastball. That meant if Gibson wanted the inside part of the plate, it was all his. That is part of what led to all the success. Considering his talent, Gibson was one of the best ever.
Gibson’s WAR from his MVP season is simply astonishing. It is 11.2. The following season he posted a 10.4 WAR. That is dominance at its finest right there. He had one other season above eight, but for the most part he hovered between four and six.
Without question, Bob Gibson has proven himself to be one of the most dominant pitchers of all time. His live fastball has been talked about in the documentary called ‘Fastball’. And while he only won an MVP once he will forever be considered one of(if not THE) best Cardinal pitchers of all time.
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The St. Louis Cardinals have had outstanding players, for sure, and look to continue this trend in the near future. With young guns and veterans already on the squad, MVP honors could well be in the Cards.