St. Louis Cardinals: Should Steve Carlton be in the Cardinal HOF?

Comparison to Cardinals Hall of Famer, John Tudor.

As impressive as Carlton's career appears to be in St. Louis, a fairer comparison can be made by looking at the career of a recent inductee to the Cardinals Hall of Fame- John Tudor. Tudor's and Carlton's careers match up fairly well.

Lefty John Tudor spent 5 seasons wearing the Birds on the Bat. During this tenure, Tudor was 62-26 and had a 2.52 ERA. He also had 22 complete games, pitched 881 innings, 12 shutouts, a 1.080 WHIP, and a 19.9 WAR.

Tudor's best season was in 1985. In fact, it was a Cy Young Award worthy season for the New York native. Tudor had a 21-8 record with a 1.93 ERA, a league leading 10 shutouts, and WHIP of 0.938. But Dwight Gooden's incredible 1985 season stood out above Tudor's, and he took home the Cy Young Award.

Comparatively, Carlton bests Tudor in complete games, innings pitched, shutouts, All-Star appearances, and wins. Tudor on the other hand bests Carlton in ERA and WHIP. Their comparative WARs are a near washout.

In comparing these two former Cardinals, if John Tudor is in the Cardinal Hall of Fame, shouldn't Steve Carlton be in with him?

Comparisons to Matt Morris and Joaquin Andujar

Steve Carlton is on this year's ballot with former pitchers, Matt Morris and Joaquin Andujar. How does Carlton compare? Let's take a look.

Matt Morris is a popular former pitcher who was drafted by the Cardinals and made his major league debut in 1997. Morris was 101-62 during his 8-year career in St. Louis.

Morris's best year was in 2001 when he led the N.L. in wins with 22 and made the first of his two All-Star appearances. He also finished third in Cy Young voting behind Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling. Morris had a 3.16 ERA while he wore the Birds on a Bat. He also threw 18 complete games, had 8 shutouts, and pitched 1377 innings. Additionally, he had an 18.7 WAR and a WHIP of 1.268 during his Cardinal tenure.

Right-hander Joaquin Andujar spent 5 seasons in St. Louis between 1981 and 1985. He had a 68-53 record, with a 3.33 ERA. His notable achievements while in a Cardinal uniform, were back-to-back 20-win seasons in 1984 and 1985, a World Series Championship in 1982, two All-Star appearances, and a Gold Glove Award.

In 1984, he led the N.L. in wins (20), innings pitched (261), and shutouts (4). Over his five years in St. Louis, he pitched 1077 innings, had 37 complete games, and threw 13 shutouts. Andujar had a WAR of 12.9 and a WHIP of 1.188 while wearing the Birds on a Bat.

Depending on the stat, Carlton compares quite well with Morris and Andujar, especially in ERA, WAR, and WHIP. Where Carlton stands out vs Morris and Andujar, is complete games and shutouts.