The Hall of Fame Case for CC Sabathia
A Cy Young winner, a World Series champion, and the author of an unforgettable run in Milwaukee. Just Baseball presents the Hall of Fame case for CC Sabathia.

Although he is not the headlining name of the first-year class on the 2025 BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot, the writers seem to be sending a clear verdict on CC Sabathia.
With roughly a third of the vote already in, over 90% of ballots we’ve seen have checked off Sabathia’s name – this according to the Hall of Fame Tracker run by Ryan Thibodaux.
With over 250 wins and over 3,000 strikeouts, Sabathia is one of just 15 pitchers to reach both milestones. Besides Sabathia, only Roger Clemens and Justin Verlander are not in the Hall of Fame among pitchers with those career numbers.
In 2001, Sabathia began his MLB career at age 20 with Cleveland. He spent 7.5 years as a staple in the rotation, pitching at least 180 innings in every full season.
By the time he turned 26, he had become one of just 14 pitchers since integration to pitch over 1400 innings with an ERA+ at or above 115 before turning 27.
Throughout the 2000s, Sabathia was among the elite talents to grace the mounds of the league.
From 2000-2009, his 40.7 fWAR ranked eighth among all pitchers, and his 3.62 ERA ranked eighth among all pitchers to throw at least 1,500 innings in that time. He also ranked 8th in K/9 (7.57) and 7th in FIP (3.59) on that same list.
CC Sabathia at the Peak of His Powers
The tail end of this span is when Sabathia’s peak really started. From 2006-2012, he averaged 227 innings per season with a 3.14 ERA, 140 ERA+, and 208 strikeouts.
Over this span, his 40.0 fWAR ranked second only to Hall of Famer Roy Halladay. His 3.14 ERA and 3.20 FIP ranked fourth among all pitchers to throw at least 1,000 innings.
Throughout this time, Sabathia posted five seasons in which he faced over 925 batters and held an ERA+ above 135. He is one of just nine pitchers to throw five or more such seasons.
The other eight include inner-circle Hall of Famers such as Randy Johnson, Tom Seaver, Greg Maddux, Bob Gibson and more. The only non-HOFer on the list is Roger Clemens, who was denied entry to Cooperstown due to his alleged PED use.
Sabathia also displayed solid strikeout and walk numbers throughout his entire career. His constant ability to manage the things he had the most control over helped him stand out. Sabathia posted eight seasons with 7.5 K/9 or higher and less than 3.0 BB/9 in over 190 innings of work.
Only eight other pitchers have posted so many such seasons or more. Other pitchers to post exactly eight of these seasons include Pedro Martinez, Zack Greinke, Cole Hamels, and the Big Unit.
According to FanGraphs, Sabathia posted a 114 K%+ and 89 BB%+ over the course of his entire career. This means he struck batters out 14% more often than the average pitcher of his era and walked batters 11% less often.
FanGraphs has him as one of just 12 pitchers with over 3,500 career innings to have a K%+ above 110 and a BB%+ below 90.
Sabathia was a durable pitcher who found a lot of success at his peak, but those who watched him know the numbers don’t tell the full story.
Dissecting CC’s Success
It’s not just the fact that Sabathia had a Hall of Fame-worthy career, it’s how he got to that point.
There are three seasons that first come to mind when people think of Sabathia: the three-year run of 2007, 2008 and 2009.
In 2007, the Cleveland lefty was entering his age-26 season and looking to lead his club to the playoffs for the first time in six years. He was coming off his best season to date, a 139 ERA+ in 192.2 innings. Sabathia’s 2007 would go on to lap this season in every aspect.
241 innings pitched, 19 wins, 7 losses, a 3.21 ERA, 141 ERA+, 3.14 FIP, 209 strikeouts, 37 walks, and a 5.65 K/BB. It was a season that earned Sabathia a Cy Young Award, and one that pushed Cleveland to an AL Central Division title.
Sabathia remains one of just three left-handed pitchers since integration to throw at least 240 innings and post a strikeout-to-walk ratio of at least 5.50 in a season. This season also made Sabathia the first lefty to toss a 140 ERA+ or higher in a season with 200 or more strikeouts and less than 40 walks.
The 2008 season would have more in store for Sabathia, but it wouldn’t be in Cleveland. On the brink of free agency, Sabathia hadn’t looked like his usual self as the month of July approached. He’d recorded a 3.83 ERA and 111 ERA+ through his first 17 starts.
With Cleveland sitting nine games under .500 at the end of June, the team opted to trade the soon-to-be free agent to the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers looked to Sabathia to help them make a run at the postseason. And, well, he came through.
What Sabathia did in his 17 games as a Brewer arguably makes him the greatest trade deadline rental acquisition of all time. He threw 130.2 innings over his 17 starts with seven complete games in that span. He went 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA, and the Brewers went 14-3 in his starts.
From July 8th through the end of the 2008 regular season, Sabathia was the best pitcher in the league by a mile. Of the 90 qualified pitchers in this span, Sabathia led in ERA (1.65), FIP (2.44), complete games (seven, with no one else having more than three), and fWAR (4.7 with no one else having more than 3.8). He was also 5th in K-BB% (20.0%).
The Brewers clinched a playoff spot on the last day of the season. Sabathia was on the mound for game 162 and led Milwaukee to the promise land with a line of nine innings, four hits, one unearned run, one walk and seven strikeouts.
Throughout the 2008 season, Sabathia pitched nine games in which he threw nine innings and allowed no more than two earned runs. Since 1998, no pitcher had thrown more such games in a single season. The only pitchers to tie Sabathia in this category are Randy Johnson in 1999, Roy Halladay in 2010 and James Shields in 2011.
It was a tremendous run for the ages for Sabathia throughout his brief Brewers tenure, but a big decision was looming. Sabathia hit free agency and was seeking the team he would spend the rest of his career pitching for. In the end, he was given a tall task: to be the ace of the New York Yankees.
New York handed Sabathia a seven-year, $161 million contract ahead of the 2009 season. The Yankees had not won a World Series since 2000, a long drought by their standards. Sabathia was expected to carry this team back to the top, and he delivered immediately.
Sabathia’s 2009 campaign featured a 19-8 record, 3.37 ERA, 137 ERA+, and 197 strikeouts in his 230 innings of work. This was good enough for Sabathia to lead the majors in wins, and earn himself fourth place in the American League Cy Young voting.
Sabathia’s real test came in October – a test he would ace. In five postseason starts in 2009, he logged a 1.98 ERA and 3.59 FIP in 36 innings. He pitched into the seventh inning or later of each game and didn’t allow any more than three earned runs in any of them.
His efforts helped lead the Yankees to their 27th World Series championship, immediately holding up his end of the contract.
In just a three-year span, Sabathia won a Cy Young Award, was traded, put a team on his back on the way to the playoffs, signed a mega-contract in free agency, and won a World Series on the biggest stage in baseball.
Sabathia’s Post-Peak Years
After 2009, Sabathia continued to be a staple on the mound for the Yankees.
From 2010-2019, Sabathia put together a 3.87 ERA, 110 ERA+, and 1,503 strikeouts in 1,688 innings pitched. Although he wasn’t always his elite former self, he stayed on the field and was good enough to remain a key player on the roster. This longevity allowed him to continue to build his case for Cooperstown.
In his final year in the majors, Sabathia won his 250th game and struck out his 3,000th batter. His having accomplished this pair of milestones might be a leading factor in his Hall of Fame case.
CC Sabathia will get the approval of writers who like to look at career numbers. He will get the support of the big-market voters who watched him thrive in New York. He will live in the memories of those who remember his career for the big moments and the time in between when he remained a constant on the mound.
Sabathia will presumably be inducted on his first ballot. A career that saw him win the hearts of each fanbase he played in front of, and those across baseball, will likely help him earn his plaque as soon as he can.