The Top 10 greatest left handed starting pitchers in the last 50 years

Today I am continuing my list of the greatest players at each position in the last 50 years with the top 10 left-handed starting pitchers.

 Here’s the criteria.

·         Must have played at least 5 years since the 1971 season to be considered (only looking at his playing career since 1971. Previous year stats prior to 71 will not be considered).

·         Player cannot qualify for 2 positions. Will be considered based on position he played most in his career (example. Rod Carew played more games at first base then at second base. He would only make the list at first base). Using baseball reference to confirm amount of games at each position.

·         Same consideration takes place for Designated Hitter (Frank Thomas being an example. He played more games as a DH than at first base. He would only make the list at DH).

·         Rankings based on regular season stats, awards won (MVPS, titles, gold gloves, etc.). Post season will add to consideration.

Here is my list of the top 10 greatest left-handed starting pitchers in the last 50 years.

1.   Randy Johnson

2.   Steve Carlton

3.   Clayton Kershaw

4.   Tom Glavine

5.   Madison Baumgarner

6.   Andy Pettitte

7.   Johan Santana

8.   C.C. Sabathia

9.  Vida Blue

10.  Tommy John

Comments.  The top 4 of this list could have been selected in any order. Johnson is a 5-time Cy Young award winner and World Series MVP. Carlton is a 4-time Cy Young award winner. He had 1 of the greatest seasons of all time winning 27 games for a Phillies team that won 54 games in the 72 season. Kershaw has 3 Cy Young awards and an MVP. Glavine has 2 Cy Youngs and a WS MVP. Bumgarner has not been as great in the regular season as others on the list, but his post season performance makes up for it. He has an 8-3 post season record in 14 starts, including 4-0 in the World Series. He has an NLCS and WS MVP. Pettitte won 5 World Series championships for the Yankees and is the all-time leader in postseason wins with 19. Santana had a relatively short career due to injuries. In his 10 full seasons as a starter, he won 2 Cy Youngs and finished in the top 5 in 3 other seasons. Sabathia won a Cy Young award and had 4 seasons of 19 or more wins. Blue won an MVP and Cy Young award. He had 5 seasons of 18 or more wins. John is more known for being named after a surgery than his pitching. He had a terrific career, playing a remarkable 26 years and winning 288 games.

Next up is the top 10 greatest relief pitchers in the last 50 years.