Atlanta Braves Add Leo Mazzone to their Hall of Fame

Atlanta Braves Alumni weekend sees the way too long delayed entry of Leo Mazzone into the Braves Hall of Fame.

Since 2009, the Atlanta Braves have inducted members of the team that created The Streak. Maddux, Glavine, Chipper, Smoltz, Javy Lopez, and Bobby Cox were inducted, but the folks deciding who made the ignored Leo Mazzone.

Eight years ago, I wrote and asked why Leo wasn’t in the Braves Hall of fame.

Leo did miraculous work keeping the pitching staff viable and ready. Everyone remembers the big three and figures Leo’s job was easy, but the big three were only 25% of the staff each year, and there was a huge turnover every year.

Atlanta Braves streak doesn’t happen with Leo.

In 2006, J.C Bradbury posted his second look at Mazzone’s work in The Mazzone Effect Revisited. His words say it better than I ever can. (My emphasis added)

"With the exception of the “Big-3” . . . the Braves pitching staff is always in motion. This is not much different from many other teams, but few clubs . . .have had the sustained pitching success . . .much of the success has come from players not deemed worthy of roster spots on other big league clubs. The Braves have made a habit of turning cast-off non-roster invites into big-name free agents."

Bradbury decided to dig deeper to see if the improvements under Mazzone were directly related to his work; they were.

"Leo Mazzone’s presence lowered a pitcher’s ERA by about 0.63 . . .for the average 2004 National League pitcher (4.31 ERA) Leo’s impact on earned runs was about the same as Coors Field in the opposite direction.  [emphasis added]"

Leo took about one run per 22 innings off his starting pitcher’s ERA and about one run per 13 innings off relief pitcher’s ERA. There’s much more of this, but Bradbury’s conclusion says it all: Leo Mazzone is a Cooperstown Level pitching coach.

Rob Neyer believes pitching coaches belong in the Hall of Fame. In 2004, he wrote about who he considered the best of all time.

"without micro-examining the qualifications (for the Hall of Fame) of all the long-term pitching coaches, it seems reasonable to start with Johnny Sain and his No. 1 pupil, Leo Mazzone. If not necessarily in that order."

That’s a wrap

I’ve told people it doesn’t make any difference when you get into Cooperstown because, in the end, visitors only know your there, and I believe, on a grander scale, that’s true.

However, on a personal level, and no matter what an individual tells you, it hurts. For Leo, the wait is over.  Congratulations Leo, you were simply the best.