Robert Jordan:
The first two starting pitchers to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, John Caylor and Valentin Sojo, were inducted primarily for their contributions to the earliest history of the league. Though their career accomplishments pale in comparison to future Hall of Famers to some extent, they were considered pioneers of the game. While the third starting pitcher to be inducted could also be considered a pioneer of the game, that is not why Robert Jordan was inducted into the Hall. Robert Jordan was inducted because he was simply one of the greatest pitchers who ever lived.
Drafted by Grand Rapids in 2006, Jordan spent several seasons toiling in the minor leagues, while also receiving a few cups of coffee in the big leagues each year. In 2010, Jordan moved into the major league rotation full time, winning 20 games, striking out 242 batters, and making the All Star team. In 2012, he set the AL single season record for strikeouts, finishing with 354. He started one game for the Tigers in the playoffs that season, and allowed only 2 runs in 7 innings, while striking out 13 batters.
In 2013, he left Grand Rapids as a free agent and signed with Harrisburg. In July of that season, he tossed a no-hitter against San Diego- a team that won the West Division that season. In September of that season, he set the NL single season record for strikeouts, and finished with 330. In 2014, he won his first Cy Young Award. In 2015, he broke his own NL record for strikeouts, finishing with 346.
In 2016, Jordan's career leaped into a whole new level. He won his second Cy Young Award, collected 27 wins, and broke his strikeout record yet again, finishing with 352. He led Harrisburg to the postseason, but was injured in his only start, and the Capitals fell to the Dodgers in the NLCS. In 2018, he broke his strikeout record once more, whiffing 360 batters. He also won his third Cy Young Award.
In 2020, he signed with what was a very formidable Atlanta team. I have already mentioned two of the Hall of Famers on that team: Carlos Testa and Tony Martinez. Jordan was the third. Jordan went 27-1 for the Braves, who led all of baseball with 112 wins, and won his fourth Cy Young Award. Jordan completed all three of his playoff starts, but Atlanta was stunned in 7 games by Jordan's former team, Grand Rapids.
2021 would be Atlanta's year, and Jordan would get his revenge against Grand Rapids, striking out 15 batters in a playoff start against them. It was a brilliant postseason performance for Jordan that year. He made 4 starts, won 3 of them, completed 3 of them (one of which was a shutout), and had a 49/3 K/BB in 34 innings. The Braves would prevail of Pittsburgh in 7 games that year.
Jordan won his 5th, and final, Cy Young Award in 2023 for Atlanta, and then finished up his amazing career with Washington.
After the 2027 season, Jordan retired. At that point in time, he ranked 2nd all time in ERA, 1st in Wins, 1st in Strikeouts, 1st in Complete Games, and 1st in Shutouts. In 2045, he was passed up on the Shutouts list by Hector Soriano. In '46, Soriano passed him up on the Complete Games list. In 2054, he was finally passed on the all time Wins list by Robert Padgett. He had held that record since 2022. No one has touched him on the Strikeouts record; the second place player, Alex Castilleja, finished over 700 strikeouts behind Jordan. If I had to pick a record that might be unbreakable, it would be Jordan's career strikeouts. Simply put, in the current era of baseball, no pitchers have been able to consistently rack up the number of K's that Jordan did. For Jordan, 300 K's in a season was commonplace. Today, 300 is a very rare feat.
As it is, Jordan is still second all time in wins (though of course, Segundo Narbaiza is gradually creeping closer to the top 3, and he could conceivably reach and pass Jordan sometime next season), 1st in strikeouts, 14th in ERA, 12th in complete games, and 4th in shutouts. Additionally, he still holds the AL single season K record, Harrisburg's single season ERA, Wins, K's, and K's in one game records, Atlanta's single season ERA, Wins, and K's records, Washington's single season K's record, and Grand Rapids' single season K's record. Truly, Robert Jordan was one of the greatest of all time.
Jordan's career stats:
Code:
Career Pitching Stats
Year G GS W L SV ERA IP HA R ER BB K CG SHO Teams
2007 1 1 1 0 0 1.00 9.0 5 1 1 2 9 1 0 GR
2008 5 5 0 3 0 7.54 22.2 33 22 19 9 27 1 0 GR
2009 6 6 3 2 0 3.66 32.0 37 16 13 9 31 1 0 GR
2010 35 35 20 5 0 4.17 241.2 244 120 112 76 242 2 0 GR,AL
2011 33 33 11 15 0 4.76 196.2 219 109 104 57 218 0 0 GR
2012 36 36 19 8 0 3.34 274.2 256 106 102 45 354 6 1 GR,AL
2013 36 35 14 14 0 3.63 240.2 218 107 97 38 330 4 4 HAR
2014 35 35 21 9 0 3.14 249.1 219 95 87 37 328 4 2 HAR,NL
2015 36 36 16 9 0 3.49 281.1 264 118 109 53 346 10 1 HAR
2016 35 35 27 5 0 2.20 287.0 190 74 70 41 352 15 8 HAR,NL
2017 34 34 20 10 0 2.76 258.0 206 84 79 44 340 13 5 HAR,NL
2018 37 37 23 6 0 2.30 304.2 220 84 78 50 360 15 4 HAR,NL
2019 36 36 20 8 0 2.47 291.2 193 84 80 46 359 18 7 HAR,NL
2020 32 32 27 1 0 2.34 265.0 177 73 69 37 272 15 4 ATL,AL
2021 35 35 21 9 0 2.85 271.1 220 98 86 46 328 13 2 ATL,AL
2022 33 33 21 7 0 2.73 260.0 193 85 79 55 273 7 0 ATL
2023 32 32 20 8 0 2.16 246.0 160 61 59 42 257 13 5 ATL,AL
2024 35 35 21 7 0 2.59 278.0 194 87 80 70 333 4 0 WAS,AL
2025 36 36 17 9 0 3.41 266.2 208 106 101 91 281 6 1 WAS,AL
2026 27 27 13 9 0 5.44 147.1 172 98 89 76 85 1 0 WAS,AL
2027 15 15 0 7 0 9.92 65.1 103 73 72 51 29 0 0 WAS
Total 610 609 335 151 0 3.18 4489.0 3731 1701 1586 975 5154 149 44
Career Minor League Pitching Stats
Year G GS W L SV ERA IP HA R ER BB K CG SHO
2006, AA 25 25 10 13 0 4.21 188.0 200 89 88 43 188 6 0
2007, AA 25 25 10 11 0 2.74 203.1 204 68 62 35 255 6 1
2008, AA 25 25 9 11 0 3.49 198.2 239 80 77 51 273 6 0
2009, AA 1 1 0 0 0 1.23 7.1 5 1 1 2 13 0 0
2009, AAA 24 24 16 4 0 2.71 192.1 183 68 58 41 293 7 3
Career Postseason Pitching Stats
Year G GS W L SV ERA IP HA R ER BB K CG SHO
2012 1 1 0 0 0 2.57 7.0 6 2 2 0 13 0 0
2016 1 1 0 1 0 9.00 3.0 5 3 3 1 3 0 0
2020 3 3 1 2 0 4.10 26.1 21 12 12 3 47 3 0
2021 4 4 3 0 0 3.18 34.0 26 12 12 3 49 3 1
Total 9 9 4 3 0 3.71 70.1 58 29 29 7 112 6 1
Career Batting Stats
Year G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS Teams
2007 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 GR
2008 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 GR
2009 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 GR
2010 35 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 GR,AL
2011 33 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 GR
2012 36 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 GR,AL
2013 36 75 11 1 0 0 0 4 4 42 0 0 .147 .190 .160 .350 HAR
2014 35 79 16 1 0 0 5 8 3 34 0 0 .203 .232 .215 .447 HAR,NL
2015 36 96 18 2 0 0 4 7 1 55 0 0 .188 .196 .208 .404 HAR
2016 35 102 13 1 0 0 4 5 5 54 0 0 .127 .168 .137 .305 HAR,NL
2017 34 88 12 1 0 0 5 4 7 44 1 0 .136 .200 .148 .348 HAR,NL
2018 37 108 27 6 0 0 9 10 10 46 1 0 .250 .314 .306 .619 HAR,NL
2019 36 100 13 3 1 0 3 10 7 53 0 0 .130 .187 .180 .367 HAR,NL
2020 32 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 ATL,AL
2021 35 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 ATL,AL
2022 33 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 ATL
2023 32 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 ATL,AL
2024 35 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 WAS,AL
2025 36 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 WAS,AL
2026 27 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 WAS,AL
2027 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 WAS
Total 610 648 110 15 1 0 30 48 37 328 2 0 .170 .215 .196 .411
Player History
Drafted in 1st round, 4th overall pick, by Grand Rapids in 2006...
Injured on 6/3/2006 with a Inflamed Elbow Ligament, out for 1-2 weeks...
Earned first career win on 9/20/2007...
Won Pitcher of the Month award on 5/1/2010, going 5-0, 2.38...
Was selected to the 2010 Allstar game...
Struck out 15 batters against Nashville on 5/29/2012...
Was selected to the 2012 Allstar game...
Struck out 16 batters against Tucson on 8/17/2012...
Set a new season AL-Record for Strikeouts with 327 on 9/27/2012 ...
Struck out 16 batters against Memphis on 10/2/2012...
Injured on 10/6/2012 with a Sore Shoulder, out for 1-2 weeks...
Signed as a free agent by Harrisburg on 2/3/2013 to a 7-year deal worth $11,739,000 per year...
Had first career hit on 4/12/2013, off Joseph Evans (SAC)...
Struck out 17 batters against Sacramento on 5/29/2013...
Pitched NO-HITTER against San Diego on 7/6/2013, striking out 16...
Struck out 16 batters against San Diego on 7/6/2013...
Won Player of the Week award on 7/7/2013, winning one game with a 3.86 ERA...
Struck out 15 batters against Sacramento on 8/25/2013...
Won Player of the Week award on 9/1/2013, winning 2 games with a 1.69 ERA...
Set a new season NL-Record for Strikeouts with 314 on 9/27/2013 ...
Struck out 15 batters against Sacramento on 4/17/2014...
Won Pitcher of the Month award on 5/1/2014, going 4-1, 1.61...
Struck out 16 batters against Rochester on 6/16/2014...
Won Player of the Week award on 6/23/2014, winning 2 games with a 1.13 ERA...
Was selected to the 2014 Allstar game...
Struck out 16 batters against Portland on 8/31/2014...
Won Cy Young Award in 2014, going 21-9, 3.14 ERA...
Struck out 15 batters against Sacramento on 6/26/2015...
Struck out 15 batters against Portland on 7/10/2015...
Won Pitcher of the Month award on 6/1/2016, going 5-1, 2.16...
Struck out 16 batters against San Diego on 6/13/2016...
Was selected to the 2016 Allstar game...
Won Player of the Week award on 7/28/2016, winning 2 games with a 0.00 ERA...
Won Pitcher of the Month award on 8/1/2016, going 5-0, 1.02...
Struck out 16 batters against Portland on 8/11/2016...
Injured on 10/6/2016 with a Pulled Rotator Cuff Muscle, out for 4 weeks...
Won Cy Young Award in 2016, going 27-5, 2.20 ERA...
Struck out 16 batters against Portland on 4/23/2017...
Won Player of the Week award on 5/19/2017, winning 2 games with a 0.54 ERA...
Was selected to the 2017 Allstar game...
Struck out 15 batters against Portland on 7/15/2017...
Struck out 15 batters against Hartford on 8/5/2017...
Struck out 15 batters against Rochester on 9/11/2017...
Injured on 9/21/2017 with a Strained Tricep Muscle, out for 5 weeks...
Won Pitcher of the Month award on 5/1/2018, going 3-1, 1.83...
Was selected to the 2018 Allstar game...
Won Pitcher of the Month award on 8/1/2018, going 4-0, 1.32...
Won Cy Young Award in 2018, going 23-6, 2.30 ERA...
Struck out 15 batters against Sacramento on 4/17/2019...
Won Player of the Week award on 4/28/2019, winning 2 games with a 0.00 ERA...
Won Pitcher of the Month award on 5/1/2019, going 5-1, 1.41...
Was selected to the 2019 Allstar game...
Struck out 16 batters against Hartford on 9/5/2019...
Struck out 15 batters against Pittsburgh on 10/1/2019...
Signed as a free agent by Atlanta on 2/7/2020 to a 4-year deal worth $12,211,500 per year...
Was selected to the 2020 Allstar game...
Won Pitcher of the Month award on 8/1/2020, going 4-0, 1.52...
Struck out 18 batters against Grand Rapids on 10/5/2020...
Struck out 15 batters against Grand Rapids on 10/13/2020...
Won Cy Young Award in 2020, going 27-1, 2.34 ERA...
Won Pitcher of the Month award on 5/1/2021, going 5-1, 3.04...
Struck out 15 batters against Kansas City on 6/12/2021...
Was selected to the 2021 Allstar game...
Struck out 15 batters against Memphis on 7/5/2021...
Won Player of the Week award on 7/28/2021, winning 2 games with a 1.00 ERA...
Struck out 16 batters against Memphis on 9/29/2021...
Struck out 15 batters against Grand Rapids on 10/5/2021...
Won World Series with Atlanta in 2021...
Injured on 4/17/2022 with a Inflamed Elbow Ligament, out for one week...
Won Pitcher of the Month award on 8/1/2022, going 5-1, 1.89...
Won Pitcher of the Month award on 9/1/2022, going 5-0, 2.50...
Won Player of the Week award on 4/7/2023, winning 2 games with a 0.52 ERA...
Struck out 15 batters against Memphis on 4/11/2023...
Won Pitcher of the Month award on 7/1/2023, going 3-0, 1.50...
Was selected to the 2023 Allstar game...
Struck out 16 batters against Grand Rapids on 7/26/2023...
Won Pitcher of the Month award on 8/1/2023, going 4-1, 1.66...
Injured on 9/29/2023 with a Sore Shoulder, out for one week...
Won Cy Young Award in 2023, going 20-8, 2.16 ERA...
Signed as a free agent by Washington on 2/17/2024 to a 3-year deal worth $11,325,200 per year...
Struck out 17 batters against Tucson on 4/11/2024...
Struck out 15 batters against Tucson on 5/28/2024...
Was selected to the 2024 Allstar game...
Won Pitcher of the Month award on 8/1/2024, going 5-0, 1.31...
Struck out 15 batters against Knoxville on 8/17/2024...
Was selected to the 2025 Allstar game...
Struck out 15 batters against Atlanta on 7/20/2025...
Was selected to the 2026 Allstar game...
Released by Washington on 6/30/2027, refused assignment to minors...
Retired and inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2028.
Pitching Leader Boards Appearances
ERA
2012 - 3.34 - 4th
2013 - 3.63 - 10th
2014 - 3.14 - 2nd
2015 - 3.49 - 6th
2016 - 2.20 - 1st
2017 - 2.76 - 4th
2018 - 2.30 - 1st
2019 - 2.47 - 1st
2020 - 2.34 - 1st
2021 - 2.85 - 1st
2022 - 2.73 - 2nd
2023 - 2.16 - 1st
2024 - 2.59 - 1st
2025 - 3.41 - 6th
WHIP
2012 - 1.10 - 1st
2013 - 1.06 - 3rd
2014 - 1.03 - 2nd
2015 - 1.13 - 4th
2016 - 0.80 - 1st
2017 - 0.97 - 1st
2018 - 0.89 - 1st
2019 - 0.82 - 1st
2020 - 0.81 - 1st
2021 - 0.98 - 1st
2022 - 0.95 - 1st
2023 - 0.82 - 1st
2024 - 0.95 - 2nd
2025 - 1.12 - 2nd
Wins
2010 - 20 - 1st
2012 - 19 - 2nd
2013 - 14 - 7th
2014 - 21 - 1st
2016 - 27 - 1st
2017 - 20 - 3rd
2018 - 23 - 1st
2019 - 20 - 3rd
2020 - 27 - 1st
2021 - 21 - 2nd
2022 - 21 - 2nd
2023 - 20 - 1st
2024 - 21 - 3rd
2025 - 17 - 8th
Losses
2011 - 15 - 4th
2013 - 14 - 2nd
IP
2010 - 241.2 - 3rd
2012 - 274.2 - 1st
2013 - 240.2 - 1st
2014 - 249.1 - 1st
2015 - 281.1 - 5th
2016 - 287.0 - 1st
2017 - 258.0 - 5th
2018 - 304.2 - 1st
2019 - 291.2 - 2nd
2020 - 265.0 - 1st
2021 - 271.1 - 2nd
2022 - 260.0 - 6th
2023 - 246.0 - 4th
2024 - 278.0 - 2nd
2025 - 266.2 - 6th
K's
2010 - 242 - 4th
2011 - 218 - 5th
2012 - 354 - 1st
2013 - 330 - 1st
2014 - 328 - 1st
2015 - 346 - 1st
2016 - 352 - 1st
2017 - 340 - 1st
2018 - 360 - 1st
2019 - 359 - 1st
2020 - 272 - 1st
2021 - 328 - 1st
2022 - 273 - 1st
2023 - 257 - 1st
2024 - 333 - 1st
2025 - 281 - 1st
BB
2010 - 76 - 9th
2025 - 91 - 7th
CG
2012 - 6 - 1st
2013 - 4 - 4th
2014 - 4 - 5th
2016 - 15 - 2nd
2017 - 13 - 2nd
2018 - 15 - 1st
2019 - 18 - 1st
2020 - 15 - 1st
2021 - 13 - 3rd
2023 - 13 - 2nd
SHO
2012 - 1 - 5th
2013 - 4 - 1st
2014 - 2 - 1st
2016 - 8 - 1st
2017 - 5 - 1st
2018 - 4 - 1st
2019 - 7 - 1st
2020 - 4 - 1st
2021 - 2 - 7th
2023 - 5 - 1st