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HOF Plaque- Kurt Stallwith

Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2012 7:51 pm
by recte44
Born: April 15, 1945 in the United States
Drafted: 7th round, 149th overall pick, by Chicago in 1973 MBBA Dispersal Draft
OCA PotY Award: 1976
All-Star Selections: 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980

If a perfect example of a playing your career far above your draft position doesn't exist, Kurt Stallwith is as close as you can get to one.

Taken behind 148 other players in the original MBBA draft, Stallwith did have the benefit of starting his career at 28 as opposed to his 30s like many of the top selections. Still, after a slow start in 1973 (7-10, 5.10 ERA, .816 OOPS and 4.3 WS), the 6-foot-3 right-hander started a run of eight All-Star-level seasons, including an Owners Choice Pitcher of the Year award in 1976.

Stallwith's career went upwardly mobile in 1974 after being traded to Montreal along with two teammates for four players. He went 16-6 with a 2.80 ERA and 18.8 win shares in his first season across the border. He followed it up with years of 22, 28, 19, 19, 19 and 21 wins, never failing to collect fewer than 23.4 win shares or post an ERA above 2.76.

It was a short run, but a spectacular one. Other than win-loss record (11-14), it lasted for one more season. Despite the losing mark, Stallwith had an ERA of just 2.72 and 18.7 win shares.

The next season was the real drop-off, though, as Stallwith fell to 7-16 with a 4.26 ERA and 6.8 win shares. He spent the first part of that season with Las Vegas before returning to Montreal. He went 9-10 with a 5.04 ERA and 3 win shares in 1983, splitting time between Valencia and Austin. (The transactions that show how Stallwith moved to and between these teams have been striken from the record, probably by one of his fans in high places).

Stallwith's career finally came to an end in 1984 when he was 39 with a 3-4 record and 7.33 ERA for the RiverBats. Though fell to Earth nearly as quickly as he shot to stardom, Stallwith's almost unheard of run in the second half of the 1970s solidified his spot in the Hall of Fame.