Major League Baseball

Winning 300 games will require Randy Johnson-type run

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 5:05 p.m. ET

foxsports

No active pitcher can claim Randy Johnson’s combination of imposing height (6-foot-10) and explosive fastball (100 mph and up). But the trajectory of Johnson’s 303-win, Hall of Fame career should give hope to a number of contemporary big leaguers.

Through his age-26 season, Johnson was 24-24 with a 97 ERA+, 4.12 FIP, and 1.395 WHIP.

Last year, among all major-league pitchers in their age-26 season or younger, 22 had matched or surpassed the 24 career victories Johnson had at the same point of his career.

The full list, with assistance from Baseball-Reference.com:

PITCHER	AGE	WINS
Clayton Kershaw	26	98
Rick Porcello	25	76
Madison Bumgarner	24	67
Trevor Cahill	26	64
Mat Latos	26	60
Mike Leake	26	53
Chris Tillman	26	45
Chris Sale	25	44
Stephen Strasburg	25	43
Jhoulys Chacin	26	38
Mike Minor	26	38
Alex Cobb	26	35
Wily Peralta	25	30
Matt Moore	25	29
Julio Teheran	23	29
Felix Doubront	26	28
Henderson Alvarez	24	27
Brett Anderson	26	27
Vance Worley	26	27
Shelby Miller	23	26
Jose Quintana	25	24
Garrett Richards	26	24

Of that group, all but Minor and Doubront have a better ERA+ than Johnson’s 97.

As we ponder whether we’ll see another 300-game winner, it’s worth remembering this list. For all the variables involved — health, run support, bullpen performance, late-career adaptability amid diminished velocity — Kershaw, Bumgarner and the less-talked-about Porcello are off to decent starts.

Now comes the hard part: pitching like Randy Johnson did between the ages of 26 and 40.