George Vives:
Some of the recent Hall of Famers discussed have held records such as the most homeruns in a season, the most homeruns in a season for an American League player, most homeruns ever, and most RBI in a season. How about we discuss a
pitcher who holds a major record? Vives was drafted 9th overall in 2025 by Washington, but was traded near the end of June that very season. Washington dealt him straight up to Nashville for 27 year old rightfielder, Garret Daisuke. For a team that had hovered around .500 the previous three seasons, it was perhaps not a terrible move. Indeed, Daisuke was a solid bat who would hit .293 with 21 homeruns for the Senators in '25. On the other hand, Washington's history as a whole was quite a bit less than stellar, with only two division championships and no World Series appearances. Building around a young potential ace might have been a wiser course. Even worse, the team that Vives had been dealt to was a division rival who had recently dominated the AL Southeast Division. The Predators came into the '25 season having captured three straight division titles, and having made the World Series in two of the previous three seasons, though they had not won either time. It's one thing to sacrifice the future for the present; it's quite another to help out the powerful enemy next door while you are at it.
And so it was that Washington remained where it had been, squeaking out 82 wins in 2025, while Nashville won its fourth straight division title, and this time, captured the World Series as well. Vives spent the entire season at AA for both Washington and Nashville, and put up very solid numbers. The following season saw Vives struggle badly while repeating AA; however, Nashville saw fit to challenge him with a September callup and he performed admirably, winning both of his starts. Nashville reached the World Series again in '26, but fell to Los Angeles. In 2027, Vives split his season between AA, AAA, and the big leagues, with good numbers down in the minors, but rather poor numbers in 9 major league starts. Nashville's run of division titles came to an end, as they finished tied with Knoxville atop the Southeast, and lost a one game playoff. In 2028, Vives found his way into Nashville's rotation for good, making 31 starts and struggling with a 6+ ERA.
Nashville returned to postseason in 2029, beating out Washington by 2 games to finish in first place in the Southeast. Vives took a big step forward, winning 16 games and striking out 206 batters. Though Nashville was swept by Grand Rapids in the ALCS, the young Vives acquitted himself respectably in his lone start, allowing only 2 runs in 6 1/3 innings pitched. 2030 was a step backwards for both Nashville and Vives. The Predators slumped to a third place finish, winning only 82 games, and Vives' ERA ballooned almost to 5. You might say that it was a consolidation year for Vives, as he bounced back from it to become one of the best pitchers in baseball, and one of the greatest of all time.
Three Southeast Division teams won 93 or more games in 2031, but it was Nashville who came out on top with 98 wins. Leading the charge was George Vives. The 25 year old stepped to the front of the Predators' rotation and won 20 games for the first time in his career, and struck out 200 batters for the second time. He was named to his first All Star team, as well. In the playoffs, Vives stepped forward once more. After losing his first start in the ALCS against Memphis, Nashville took control of the series with a 3 games to 1 lead. In the deciding Game 5, Vives tossed a 1 hit shutout, with 10 strikeouts, to send Nashville to the World Series. Nashville's opponent would be the powerful Sacramento Kings who led all of baseball in homeruns. The Kings won Game 1, 8-4, shelling Nashville's starter for 5 runs in 5 innings. In Game 2, however, Sacramento was held at bay by Vives. He surrendered just one run in 8 innings, and whiffed 11 batters en route to a 4-1 victory to even the series at a game apiece. After a Game 3 rout, and a Game 4 come from behind, extra-inning victory, the Predators led 3 games to 1. To the mound stepped Vives. Though he would get battered for 13 hits in 7 innings, Vives held the Kings to just 3 runs, and struck out 8 batters. It was enough for Nashville's bats, who opened up a 12-3 lead heading into the 8th inning. Sacramento put up a late fight, but it wasn't enough, and the Predators were World Series champions with a 13-8 victory.
Heading into the 2032 season, the great Robert Jordan held the AL record for wins in a season by a pitcher, with 27 wins back in 2020 for Atlanta. That record was about to fall. In April, Vives was perfect. Six starts, six wins, and a sparkling 1.69 ERA. In May, he went 5-1, though his ERA was a shakier 4.65. He was 4-1 in 6 starts in June, with a 2.51 ERA. That gave him a midseason record of 15-2. July was a tough month for Vives, just 3-1 with a 4.05 ERA. In August, however, he bounced back with a vengeance, going 6-0 with a 1.71 ERA. At 24-3, he needed just 3 wins to tie Jordan for the record with one month to play. It wasn't easy, but Vives tied and broke the record, going 4-2 despite a 4.62 ERA, to finish with a record of 28-5, good for his first Cy Young Award. Vives' 28 wins remains an American League record today (the all time record, by the way, is 29, held by Hector Soriano, a pitcher who will be discussed in the near future). Despite the personal glory for Vives, however, Nashville finished 2 games out of first place, missing the postseason. In '33, Vives won "only" 19 games but won his second straight Cy Young Award. However, Nashville missed the postseason again, finishing 6 games out of first place.
In '34, the Predators returned to the playoffs, winning their division with a lackluster 88 wins. Vives won 20 games again. It wasn't a great postseason for Vives, but Nashville did reach the World Series. And though they lost to Pittsburgh in 5 games, it was Vives who pitched 8 shutout innings in their lone victory. In 2035, Vives would post 21 wins and the second best ERA of his career, 2.42, and won his third Cy Young Award, but Nashville slumped to just 78 wins. It was the Predators first losing season since 2021. 2036 was a strange year. Nashville's losing continued, as they went just 76-86, but the Southeast Division was so bad that year, that Nashville's 76 wins were good enough for first place, and a playoff spot. Even more strange was the fact that the mediocre Nashville team easily handled a 101 win Tucson team in the ALCS to reach the World Series. Cinderella's night came to an end against Pittsburgh, however, with Vives getting lit up for 6 runs in 6 2/3 innings in a Game 1 defeat. After the Predators managed to cut the Pirates' series lead to 2 games to 1, Vives took the mound in Game 4. He got little offensive support in a 4-1 defeat, and Pittsburgh went on to take the series in 5 games. In '37, Nashville remained at about the same level of play, winning 78 games. Unfortunately, the rest of the division didn't, and those 78 wins were good for only third place. After a one year hiatus, Vives returned to the All Star game, making his 6th appearance in the midsummer classic.
2038. Ahh, expansion. Great teams win absurd numbers of games. Average teams suddenly look good. Sluggers tee off on outclassed scrub pitchers. And great pitchers dominate the sudden influx of mostly replacement level hitters. Vives, already holder of the AL wins record, made a strong run to try and break his own record in the expansion year of '38. Halfway through the year, he was 13-1, but a
7 win July got him to 20 wins with two months to play. He slumped badly in August, however, winning only 2 games, while posting an ERA over 5.00. He rebounded in September, winning 4 games, but it wasn't enough for the record. He finished with 26 wins, which was good enough for his fourth Cy Young Award. Nashville, meanwhile, bounced back from its recent struggles to win 90 games. They finished 2 games out of first, however.
2038 would be Vives' last 20 win season, and 2039 would be his last All Star campaign while with Nashville. Despite the decent season for Vives, Nashville imploded. The Predators finished with 100 losses, just barely better than the second year Miami Dolphins, who lost 101 games. It was the first 100 loss season in Nashville history. In 2040, things got worse, as the Predators lost 103 games. Vives, meanwhile, struggled, posting his first 4+ ERA since 2030. And at the trade deadline, an era came to an end for Nashville. The 34 year old Vives was traded by Nashville to division rival Knoxville for two prospects.
In 2041, Vives enjoyed a resurgance, winning 17 games with a career best 2.27 ERA. Knoxville rolled to 103 wins to win the Southeast Division. Vives won 2 games in the ALCS against Grand Rapids, but took two of the losses in the World Series as Knoxville got swept by Pittsburgh. In 2042, Vives made his last appearance in the All Star game, but despite his decent season, Knoxville slumped badly, finishing in last place with 75 wins. '43 was Vives' worst season since his rookie season. He post a 5.55 ERA and walked a career worst 87 batters. Knoxville, meanwhile, hit rock bottom, losing a franchise record, 104 games. Knoxville struggled again in 2044, and Vives was released after pitching ineffectively for two months.
At the time of his retirement, Vives ranked 4th all time in wins, 7th in strikeouts, and 8th in shutouts. At the start of this season, Vives ranked tied for 7th in wins, but he has since been passed up by Atlanta's Raimundo Carbajal. He currently ranks 20th all time in strikeouts.
Vives' stats:
Code:
Year G GS W L SV ERA IP HA R ER BB K CG SHO Teams
2026 2 2 2 0 0 3.00 15.0 15 6 5 5 10 0 0 NAS
2027 9 9 4 3 0 6.46 47.1 58 36 34 23 44 1 0 NAS
2028 31 31 9 14 0 6.30 190.0 203 137 133 75 147 1 0 NAS
2029 33 33 16 10 0 3.65 219.1 211 104 89 63 206 2 1 NAS
2030 34 34 8 12 0 4.88 223.0 244 137 121 57 166 5 0 NAS
2031 34 34 20 6 0 3.63 252.2 247 105 102 51 200 9 2 NAS,AL
2032 36 36 28 5 0 3.12 268.1 290 104 93 47 219 5 2 NAS,AL
2033 36 36 19 5 0 3.20 281.2 280 110 100 49 222 6 3 NAS,AL
2034 36 36 20 12 0 3.65 263.2 275 119 107 45 232 8 2 NAS,AL
2035 35 35 21 9 0 2.42 278.2 273 86 75 37 229 8 1 NAS,AL
2036 36 36 19 9 0 3.95 262.1 279 129 115 45 208 5 2 NAS
2037 36 36 16 11 0 3.57 267.1 310 122 106 43 223 7 3 NAS,AL
2038 36 36 26 4 0 3.02 277.0 257 101 93 35 237 5 2 NAS,AL
2039 37 37 15 12 0 3.40 267.2 283 117 101 55 242 8 1 NAS,AL
2040 36 36 15 12 0 4.19 249.1 283 130 116 51 180 5 1 NAS KNO
2041 37 37 17 8 0 2.27 273.1 229 73 69 47 177 4 2 KNO
2042 35 35 15 11 0 3.62 248.1 262 108 100 55 133 5 2 KNO,AL
2043 31 31 14 13 0 5.55 178.1 215 121 110 87 113 0 0 KNO
2044 14 6 1 2 0 6.08 47.1 65 32 32 26 28 0 0 KNO
Total 584 576 285 158 0 3.72 4110.2 4279 1877 1701 896 3216 84 24
Career Minor League Pitching Stats
Year G GS W L SV ERA IP HA R ER BB K CG SHO
2025, AA 25 25 10 9 0 3.10 194.2 167 71 67 76 170 10 4
2026, AA 24 24 6 14 0 5.39 160.1 153 103 96 56 188 4 1
2027, AA 10 10 3 7 0 4.50 76.0 71 39 38 27 109 2 0
2027, AAA 11 11 5 4 0 2.91 86.2 68 33 28 26 148 3 1
2028, AAA 3 3 0 2 0 3.27 22.0 13 8 8 11 35 0 0
Career Postseason Pitching Stats
Year G GS W L SV ERA IP HA R ER BB K CG SHO
2029 1 1 0 0 0 2.84 6.1 3 2 2 4 6 0 0
2031 4 4 3 1 0 2.90 31.0 31 11 10 1 38 1 1
2034 4 4 2 0 0 4.73 26.2 26 14 14 7 21 0 0
2036 4 4 1 1 0 4.82 28.0 30 15 15 2 33 0 0
2041 4 4 2 2 0 3.30 30.0 26 12 11 5 16 2 0
Total 17 17 8 4 0 3.84 122.0 116 54 52 19 114 3 1
Player History
Drafted in 1st round, 9th overall pick, by Washington in 2025...
Traded from Washington to Nashville on 6/25/2025 (Going to WAS: RF G. Daisuke. Going to NAS: P G. Vives)...
Injured on 5/9/2026 with a Stiff Elbow, out for one week...
Earned first career win on 9/20/2026...
Was selected to the 2031 Allstar game...
Won World Series with Nashville in 2031...
Won Pitcher of the Month award on 5/1/2032, going 6-0, 1.69...
Won Player of the Week award on 6/9/2032, winning 2 games with a 1.06 ERA...
Won Pitcher of the Month award on 7/1/2032, going 4-1, 2.51...
Was selected to the 2032 Allstar game...
Won Pitcher of the Month award on 9/1/2032, going 6-0, 1.71...
Won Cy Young Award in 2032, going 28-5, 3.12 ERA...
Won Pitcher of the Month award on 5/1/2033, going 5-1, 2.17...
Won Pitcher of the Month award on 6/1/2033, going 4-1, 2.91...
Was selected to the 2033 Allstar game...
Won Cy Young Award in 2033, going 19-5, 3.20 ERA...
Won Pitcher of the Month award on 5/1/2034, going 4-2, 2.33...
Struck out 18 batters against Washington on 6/30/2034...
Was selected to the 2034 Allstar game...
Won Player of the Week award on 7/7/2034, winning 2 games with a 0.50 ERA...
Was selected to the 2035 Allstar game...
Won Pitcher of the Month award on 9/1/2035, going 5-1, 2.08...
Won Pitcher of the Month award on 10/1/2035, going 4-1, 1.98...
Won Cy Young Award in 2035, going 21-9, 2.42 ERA...
Won Pitcher of the Month award on 9/1/2036, going 5-0, 3.00...
Won Pitcher of the Month award on 10/1/2036, going 5-0, 1.77...
Was selected to the 2037 Allstar game...
Was selected to the 2038 Allstar game...
Won Pitcher of the Month award on 8/1/2038, going 7-0, 2.02...
Won Cy Young Award in 2038, going 26-4, 3.02 ERA...
Won Pitcher of the Month award on 6/1/2039, going 4-2, 1.61...
Was selected to the 2039 Allstar game...
Traded from Nashville to Knoxville on 7/28/2040 (Going to NAS: 3B M. Harper, 2B J. Jones. Going to KNO: P G. Vives)...
Won Player of the Week award on 6/2/2041, winning 2 games with a 2.40 ERA...
Won Pitcher of the Month award on 8/1/2041, going 5-0, 1.01...
Won Pitcher of the Month award on 10/1/2041, going 4-0, 1.05...
Was selected to the 2042 Allstar game...
Injured on 5/15/2044 with a Pulled Elbow Ligament, out for one week...
Released by Knoxville on 6/8/2044, refused assignment to minors...
Retired in 2045.
Pitching Leader Boards Appearances
ERA
2029 - 3.65 - 4th
2031 - 3.63 - 5th
2032 - 3.12 - 2nd
2033 - 3.20 - 1st
2034 - 3.65 - 2nd
2035 - 2.42 - 1st
2036 - 3.95 - 7th
2037 - 3.57 - 3rd
2038 - 3.02 - 2nd
2039 - 3.40 - 5th
2041 - 2.27 - 3rd
2042 - 3.62 - 8th
WHIP
2029 - 1.25 - 5th
2030 - 1.35 - 9th
2031 - 1.18 - 3rd
2032 - 1.26 - 6th
2033 - 1.17 - 2nd
2034 - 1.21 - 2nd
2035 - 1.11 - 2nd
2036 - 1.24 - 5th
2038 - 1.05 - 1st
2041 - 1.01 - 3rd
Wins
2031 - 20 - 4th
2032 - 28 - 1st
2033 - 19 - 2nd
2034 - 20 - 3rd
2035 - 21 - 4th
2036 - 19 - 4th
2037 - 16 - 10th
2038 - 26 - 1st
IP
2031 - 252.2 - 5th
2032 - 268.1 - 2nd
2033 - 281.2 - 1st
2034 - 263.2 - 2nd
2035 - 278.2 - 3rd
2036 - 262.1 - 3rd
2037 - 267.1 - 3rd
2038 - 277.0 - 4th
2039 - 267.2 - 5th
2040 - 249.1 - 8th
2041 - 273.1 - 5th
2042 - 248.1 - 10th
K's
2029 - 206 - 6th
2030 - 166 - 9th
2031 - 200 - 4th
2032 - 219 - 1st
2033 - 222 - 1st
2034 - 232 - 2nd
2035 - 229 - 3rd
2036 - 208 - 4th
2037 - 223 - 2nd
2038 - 237 - 4th
2039 - 242 - 4th
CG
2031 - 9 - 5th
2033 - 6 - 9th
2034 - 8 - 2nd
2035 - 8 - 7th
2037 - 7 - 5th
2039 - 8 - 8th
SHO
2031 - 2 - 6th
2032 - 2 - 2nd
2033 - 3 - 2nd
2034 - 2 - 3rd
2035 - 1 - 8th
2036 - 2 - 4th
2037 - 3 - 1st
2038 - 2 - 6th
2041 - 2 - 9th
2042 - 2 - 5th