Wilbur Wood had a peak three year period immediately preceding a three year peak as a starter that I will compare to the peaks of Bob Gibson and Mike Marshall.

Marshall's three year peak out of the bullpen included a CY young season, along with 2nd and 4th place in CY voting in the other two seasons.

Marshall: 10.1 WAR, 43 Wins, 70 SV, 2.36 ERA in an incredible 503 IP

Wood: 10.6 WAR, 32 Wins, 52 SV, 2.50 ERA in a still stout 401 IP

In Marshall's most notable season, he pitched 208 innings in 106 games out of relief. 15 wins, 21 saves and 2.45 era. 4.2 WAR. Wood's best, 88 games 159 innings, 13 wins, 16 sv, 1.88 era, 5.4 WAR. (Mariano Rivera career high was 5.0)

Marshall obviously has the edge here overall, but I'd argue Wood holds up well there in comparison between elite workhorse relievers, where Marshall's run is legendary.

1968 Gibson at very least in the running for greatest season of all time, '68-69 one of the best two year runs, and 68-70 marking his three year peak with each of his three individual best seasons by WAR. Likewise Wood's three year peak consisted of his three individual best.

Nonetheless, Wood nearly has Gibson beat:

Gibson 68 WAR: 11.2 vs 11.8 for 71 Wood

Gibson 69: 10.4 vs. 10.7 for 72 Wood

Gibson three year peak: 30.5 Wood: 30.0

Point being here, that if these comparisons can be made, then I'd argue Wood should easily be considered one of the all time Sox greats. Yet hes not. He's still alive, they ought to build him a statue. They say Dick Allen saved the franchise in 72 but Wood was actually more valuable

Edited 5 hours ago5 hr by 46DidIt

Comparing Wood to Sox retired numbers by career WAR with Sox:

Aparicio: 35.3

Fox: 47.3

Baines: 24.8

Fisk: 28.9

Buehrle: 48.9

Pierce 49.3

Wood: 51.8

Lyons: 66.8 (over 21 years)

1 hour ago, 46DidIt said:

Wilbur Wood had a peak three year period immediately preceding a three year peak as a starter that I will compare to the peaks of Bob Gibson and Mike Marshall.

Marshall's three year peak out of the bullpen included a CY young season, along with 2nd and 4th place in CY voting in the other two seasons.

Marshall: 10.1 WAR, 43 Wins, 70 SV, 2.36 ERA in an incredible 503 IP

Wood: 10.6 WAR, 32 Wins, 52 SV, 2.50 ERA in a still stout 401 IP

In Marshall's most notable season, he pitched 208 innings in 106 games out of relief. 15 wins, 21 saves and 2.45 era. 4.2 WAR. Wood's best, 88 games 159 innings, 13 wins, 16 sv, 1.88 era, 5.4 WAR. (Mariano Rivera career high was 5.0)

Marshall obviously has the edge here overall, but I'd argue Wood holds up well there in comparison between elite workhorse relievers, where Marshall's run is legendary.

1968 Gibson at very least in the running for greatest season of all time, '68-69 one of the best two year runs, and 68-70 marking his three year peak with each of his three individual best seasons by WAR. Likewise Wood's three year peak consisted of his three individual best.

Nonetheless, Wood nearly has Gibson beat:

Gibson 68 WAR: 11.2 vs 11.8 for 71 Wood

Gibson 69: 10.4 vs. 10.7 for 72 Wood

Gibson three year peak: 30.5 Wood: 30.0

Point being here, that if these comparisons can be made, then I'd argue Wood should easily be considered one of the all time Sox greats. Yet hes not. He's still alive, they ought to build him a statue. They say Dick Allen saved the franchise in 72 but Wood was actually more valuable

Wood died recently. Seems like the White Sox orgainztion has ignored Wood. Hopefully one day there will be a White Sox HOF at the new stadium where they actually induct players into the CWS HOF.I would think that Wood will be one of the inductees.

Edited 4 hours ago4 hr by WBWSF

A thread about Peak Wood?

They make a pill for that now. Call your doctor.

Wood did put up some numbers that I don't think you'll ever see in baseball again regarding innings pitched and games started.

He was a horse that's for sure.

This is how I got into my interview with him that I did in 2005:

"He is a member of a very select fraternity. It’s a fraternity that goes beyond the usual small fraternity of former Major League baseball players. It’s so small that you can count the members on both hands, if that.

That fraternity is composed of former Major League pitchers who excelled both in roles reserved for starting pitchers and relief pitchers.

Think about it.....how many pitchers can you name who did well in both roles? A few immediately come to mind....Dennis Eckersley, Jim “Mudcat” Grant, John Smoltz and Hoyt Wilhelm but many fans don’t know that Wilbur Wood was both a league leading relief pitcher and a league leading starting pitcher in his days with the Sox.

Wood’s White Sox career spanned from 1967 through 1978 and during it he was a key part of three of the most memorable White Sox teams in club history.

* He was a part of the deep bullpen the Sox had in 1967. The “Near Miss” White Sox had the World Series squarely in their sites, until a disastrous final week.

* He was the lead starter on the 1972 “Outhouse or Penthouse” White Sox (Author’s Note: That phrase was authored by Sox outfielder Rick Reichardt when talking about the surprising season.) Those Sox battled the Oakland A’s down to the final week for the Western Division championship. If not for the back injury to third baseman Bill Melton, the A’s dynasty of the 70's might never have happened.

* He was also a spot starter on the 1977 “South Side Hit Men” Sox club that smashed all existing team hitting records and carried on as the baseball version of the 1985 Chicago Bears."

3 hours ago, southsider2k5 said:

A thread about Peak Wood?

They make a pill for that now. Call your doctor.

Or Frank Thomas