Carl Hubbell
The screwball made Hubbell nearly unhittable during his peak, evidenced by that staggering 233 ERA+ — meaning he was more than twice as effective as the average pitcher that season. His signature pitch broke opposite to a curveball, diving away from right-handed hitters when they expected it to break toward them.
King Carl's 253 wins came with remarkable consistency, posting a 2.98 ERA across 16 seasons while striking out 1677 batters. That 143 career ERA+ places him among the elite pitchers of any era. The screwball's unnatural motion eventually took its toll on his arm, but not before he dominated National League hitters throughout the 1930s.
Two MVP awards tell the story of a pitcher who could single-handedly change his team's fortunes. Hubbell's mastery of baseball's most difficult pitch made him nearly impossible to time, frustrating hitters who couldn't adjust to the ball's deceptive break.
Career · Hitting
16 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1928 | NY1 | 20 | 47 | 0 | 2 | .106 | — | — |
| 1929 | NY1 | 39 | 93 | 0 | 10 | .129 | — | — |
| 1930 | NY1 | 37 | 86 | 0 | 3 | .151 | — | — |
| 1931 | NY1 | 36 | 83 | 0 | 8 | .241 | — | — |
| 1932 | NY1 | 40 | 108 | 1 | 6 | .241 | — | — |
| 1933 | NY1 | 45 | 109 | 1 | 12 | .183 | — | — |
| 1934 | NY1 | 49 | 117 | 0 | 9 | .197 | — | — |
| 1935 | NY1 | 42 | 109 | 1 | 12 | .239 | — | — |
| 1936 | NY1 | 42 | 110 | 0 | 8 | .227 | — | — |
| 1937 | NY1 | 39 | 97 | 0 | 6 | .216 | — | — |
| 1938 | NY1 | 24 | 58 | 0 | 3 | .155 | — | — |
| 1939 | NY1 | 29 | 53 | 1 | 6 | .151 | — | — |
| 1940 | NY1 | 31 | 81 | 0 | 10 | .185 | — | — |
| 1941 | NY1 | 26 | 57 | 0 | 4 | .140 | — | — |
| 1942 | NY1 | 24 | 60 | 0 | 2 | .183 | — | — |
| 1943 | NY1 | 12 | 20 | 0 | 0 | .200 | — | — |
| Career | 535 | 1288 | 4 | 101 | .191 | — | — | |
Career · Pitching
16 seasons| Year | Team | G | IP | W | L | ERA | ERA+ | SO | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1928 | NY1 | 20 | 124.0 | 10 | 6 | 2.83 | 146 | 37 | 1.113 |
| 1929 | NY1 | 39 | 268.0 | 18 | 11 | 3.69 | 125 | 106 | 1.269 |
| 1930 | NY1 | 37 | 241.7 | 17 | 12 | 3.87 | 124 | 117 | 1.328 |
| 1931 | NY1 | 36 | 248.0 | 14 | 12 | 2.65 | 155 | 155 | 1.121 |
| 1932 | NY1 | 40 | 284.0 | 18 | 11 | 2.50 | 165 | 137 | 1.056 |
| 1933 | NY1 | 45 | 308.7 | 23 | 12 | 1.66 | 233 | 156 | 0.982 |
| 1934 | NY1 | 49 | 313.0 | 21 | 12 | 2.30 | 187 | 118 | 1.032 |
| 1935 | NY1 | 42 | 302.7 | 23 | 12 | 3.27 | 133 | 150 | 1.199 |
| 1936 | NY1 | 42 | 304.0 | 26 | 6 | 2.31 | 199 | 123 | 1.059 |
| 1937 | NY1 | 39 | 261.7 | 22 | 8 | 3.20 | 136 | 159 | 1.208 |
| 1938 | NY1 | 24 | 179.0 | 13 | 10 | 3.07 | 142 | 104 | 1.140 |
| 1939 | NY1 | 29 | 154.0 | 11 | 9 | 2.75 | 156 | 62 | 1.130 |
| 1940 | NY1 | 31 | 214.3 | 11 | 12 | 3.65 | 115 | 86 | 1.302 |
| 1941 | NY1 | 26 | 164.0 | 11 | 9 | 3.57 | 110 | 75 | 1.354 |
| 1942 | NY1 | 24 | 157.3 | 11 | 8 | 3.95 | 90 | 61 | 1.220 |
| 1943 | NY1 | 12 | 66.0 | 4 | 4 | 4.91 | 71 | 31 | 1.682 |
| Career | 535 | 3590.4 | 253 | 154 | — | — | 1677 | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.