He hasn’t been in an MLB game in four years, and hasn’t officially retired. That being said, it’s going to be hard for him to find another pitching job in Major League Baseball.
So today on The Cooperstown case, we’ll be looking at a member of the “300 saves club”… Jason Isringhausen.
Long before he was a bullpen pitcher, “Izzy” was a starter with the New York Mets. He made his Major League debut on July 17th, 1995 with the Mets. Around this time, Isringhausen, along with Bill Pulsipher and Paul Wilson, were being hyped up as the future of the organization and a trio of superstars. Together, they were known as Generation K.
He posted a 9–2 record in his first 14 starts during the 1995 season. However, not long after, the injury bug struck, and Isringhausen dealt with a variety of arm issues, as well as tuberculosis. Combined, he missed most of the 1997 season and the entire 1999 season.
At the trade deadline in 1999, he was traded to the Oakland Athletics. With his career as a starting pitcher over, Isringhausen turned to the bullpen, and that’s where his success took off. He was a one-time All-Star with Oakland during his three years, and gained experience in the bullpen that would prove crucial for the remainder of his career.
As a free agent in 2002, Isringhausen signed with the St. Louis Cardinals, where he would spend the majority of his career. After a rocky start with the team, he eventually began to settle in, and become the anchor of the bullpen for a Cardinals team built for success during the decade. 2004 proved to be his best year, as he posted a 9-4 record, and notched 47 saves (leading the National League). That tied a record with Lee Smith for most in Cardinals history, which stood until Trevor Rosenthal broke it last season.
During his seven-year tenure with the Cardinals, he had a record of 17-20, an ERA of 2.98 (his best of any team he played for), 217 saves, and struck out 373 total batters.
After short stints with Tampa Bay and the Angels, Isringhausen unofficially retired from baseball.
While his stats are surely impressive, it is the big injury issues that plagued him throughout his career that hinder his chances.
What do you think? Does Isringhausen have a case for Cooperstown?
Feel free to discuss below and tune in next week for another episode of “The Cooperstown case”.
