Dodgers: Clayton Kershaw Ranked Among the Greats in ESPN Top 100 List

The Dodgers legendary lefty was named to the site's greatest of all-time list, as it should be.

Oct 20, 2020; Arlington, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) pitches against the Tampa Bay Rays during the first inning in game one of the 2020 World Series at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Let’s call a spade a spade. The MLB lockout sucks. It does however provide ample time to drudge up legacy arguments. ESPN released their “Top 100 MLB players of all time” list this week. Legendary Dodgers hurler Clayton Kershaw was ranked 52nd.

Dave Schoenfield of ESPN had this to say about the one-and-only Clayton Kershaw.

“That herky-jerky windup, that fastball command, that wipeout slider, that big curveball, those heartbreaking defeats in the postseason -- and one of the greatest peaks any pitcher has enjoyed. From 2011 to 2017, Kershaw went 118-41 with a 2.10 ERA, winning three Cy Young Awards and five ERA titles. He's the Dodgers' all-time leader in WAR (including Brooklyn) and his adjusted ERA+ of 155 is the best for any pitcher with 2,000 career innings. Let's hope his Dodgers timeline extends beyond 2021.”

Kershaw’s years of prime production (2010-2017) netted a 52.4 WAR. He led all pitchers in that category by a wide margin. His former teammate Max Scherzer was second with 40.9 WAR. One can’t boil down a player’s career highlights into WAR, but it shows just how dominant peak Kershaw was.

Kershaw won three Cy Young awards and the 2014 NL MVP during his hay day. His career ERA of 2.49 is second only to Walter Johnson (2.36) since 1913. You read that correctly, Kershaw has the second lowest career ERA since World War I. You don’t need a historian to tell you that that was a long, long time ago.

Regardless of his future, Kershaw has cemented himself as one of the greatest pitchers of all-time. His signature delivery and knee-buckling curveball are bound for Cooperstown when his playing days are over.

But we aren’ there yet.

Kershaw is currently a free agent, but it only feels right that he finishes his career in Dodger blue.