Agreed entirely.  It's very subjective with multiple ways to look at it.  I think there are a handful of guys that you could basically interchange and get very little disagreement.  When talking about a 17 year span though, I tend to look at cumulatively over shorter spans that would take guys like Tanaka out of the discussion simply by sample size.

Pedro only played 5 seasons as well by this totally arbitrary criteria. Granted he amassed almost 40 WAR in those 5 seasons.

 

IMO, after much deliberation and consternation, you'd have to start with Felix. Felix is a lock. Could go about 8 different ways with the other two.

We were convinced at the time Toygers were domesticated mini Tigers, which would have been toight. Unfortunately theyre just domesticated cats made to look like Tigers. Not nearly as toight.

So, they're not gold then?

 

Pedro only played 5 seasons as well by this totally arbitrary criteria. Granted he amassed almost 40 WAR in those 5 seasons.

 

IMO, after much deliberation and consternation, you'd have to start with Felix. Felix is a lock. Could go about 8 different ways with the other two.

Fangraphs has him at 34.6 WAR in the AL from 2000 till present. That's with AT LEAST 98 starts less than the five RH AL SPs ahead of him during that time frame. His FIP, xFIP, ERA , ERA+, ERA-, WHIP, and K/9 is easily better than any of them with only Halladay having a lower BB/9

Edited July 20, 201610 yr by jimmer