Good morning!
Shane Smith has been a revelation this season: his fastball has helped him out, and, after another six-inning, one-run performance, he has already accumulated 2.0 bWAR alongside a shiny 2.37 ERA/3.46 FIP. Should he be able to maintain (mostly) this pace across a full season, he'd easily clear 4+ WAR, something not seen on the 2023 squad at all (though, ironically as you'll see, two pitchers from 2024 did so).
Today's Sporcle will look back in White Sox history at other pitchers who also logged at least 4 bWAR in a season. It's quite the list as there are 157 names: how many can you get? Good luck!
Quiz Parameters
- I’ve allotted 20 minutes for completion attempts.
- For hints, I’ve provided the season and the WAR.
- This list includes both starting pitchers and relievers.
Useless information to amaze, annoy, confuse, and/or confound your friends and family:
- The White Sox have never had four starting pitchers log 4 WAR in the same season, ever. (They've had three at the same time multiple times, however.)
- The highest WAR logged here is 11.8, in 1917 and 1971.
- For the curious, Shane Smith is currently tied for 23rd-most WAR accumulated by a pitcher this season.
All data from Baseball Reference’s stathead.com
