Nap Rucker

[milkit1]

winning percentage should never be a factor. He played for one of the worst teams of the tobacco era. The fact that he won as many as he did is a credit to how good a pitcher he was.

[SteveMitchell]

"Winning percentage should never be a factor. He played for one of the worst teams of the tobacco era. The fact that he won as many as he did is a credit to how good a pitcher he was."

+1. IMO a representative Hall of Fame would include at least 200 pitchers and Nap ranks easily in that group.

[daves_resale_shop]

Geez... I feel like this is a Felix Hernandez thread... .500 record with a good era in the deadball era is just not enough... there are several others who are more deserving statistically...

But I do give him kudos for being one of the only former major leaguers to show up at cobb's funeral...

[Runscott]

Very nice to see this thread. Nap Rucker is one of my favorite players of the T206 era, but I think with discussions like this, it's important to consider how the player was viewed by his contemporaries, and also how he was viewed shortly after his career ended. What I've found with Rucker (I also collect his 'stuff') is that the sportswriters during his playing career viewed him as a guy who wasn't all that great in the big games. But after his career, he was viewed as an excellent pitcher who got screwed by playing for such bad teams.

I would vote 'no', but I still love the guy.

[CMIZ5290]

By the way, i think this was agreat thread too and i am in need of his portrait....hope someone can help me out

[bigtrain]

I agree he didn't have enough full seasons but 38 shutouts is pretty impressive. Wonder how many games he lost 1-0.

[Bridwell]

Being the best pitcher on an awful team, he also had to duel against the opposing team's best pitcher. So the opponent was Matty, M. Brown, G. Alexander, S. Sallee, H. Camnitz, E. Ruelbach, etc. Tough to win 50% against those guys!