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Arizona has been the birthplace of many great MLB players over the decades, over 100, in fact. While some of the names are unrecognizable to many fans, there are several that stand out as being players that made a lasting mark on the game.
There are several pitchers from Arizona that made it into the MLB and became players that opponents feared. Here are some of the best pitchers to play in the MLB from the Grand Canyon State. All these names have been surefire baseball bets over the years.
Jim Palmer
Jim Palmer is arguably the greatest pitcher to come out of Arizona. He spent his entire career playing for the Baltimore Orioles, and in that time, he broke several records and earned numerous titles as an individual.
Palmer was a 6-time All-Star, a 3-time World Series Champion and a 3-time Cy Young Award winner; he is in the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame and managed to do the near-impossible task of pitching a no-hitter in 1969.
Palmer is widely regarded as one of the best pitchers in MLB history and is also the only pitcher in MLB history to win World Series games in three different decades. When it came to surefire baseball bets, Jim Palmer was your man.
John Denny
While John Denny doesn’t have the same accolades as Jim Palmer, he was still an excellent pitcher in his time. He played for the Cardinals, the Cleveland Indians, the Philadelphia Phillies and the Cincinnati Reds during his career.
His three major accomplishments came in the late 70s and 80s, when he won the Cy Young Award, was crowned the NL Wins Leader in 1983, and the NL ERA leader in 1976.
D.J Carrasco
D.J. Carrasco didn’t have the most successful career with the teams he played for, but as a pitcher, he was one of the best when he was at his peak. Carrasco played for the KC Royals, the Fukuoka Hawks in Japan, the White Sox, the Pirates, the Mets and his home team, the D-Backs.
Carrasco was famed for having a great fast and curveball, and his ability to go from an overhand arm throw to a submarine throw confused hitters all the time.
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Gary Gentry
Gary Gentry isn’t a well-known name, but he is a pitcher who was able to outperform Jim Palmer on the biggest stage of them all. Gentry spent his career at the Mets and with the Braves, with the highlight of his career being a World Series win in 1969.
The Mets were up against the Orioles, with Jim Palmer pitching for Baltimore. Gentry was able to help close out game 5, securing the World Series win for the Mets and getting his name into the history books.
Gil Heredia
Another player that doesn’t have the awards and accolades to match his talent is Gil Heredia. The right-handed pitcher spent his career playing for the Giants, the Montreal Expos, the Rangers and the Athletics.
He finished his career with a 4.46 ERA and 547 strikeouts. After his playing career ended, Heredia worked as a minor league pitching coach in the Arizona Diamondbacks farm system.
Bob Howry
Bob Howry spent over 12 years in the MLB, playing for multiple teams, including the White Sox, Red Sox, Indians, Cubs, Giants and the D-Backs. Considering he had a career filled with injury at times, he still managed to finish off with great numbers.
He ended with a 3.84 ERA and 653 strikeouts, not bad for someone who had a win/loss record that was in the negative.
Alex Kellner
Another Arizona native from back in the day that you probably haven’t heard of is Alex Kellner. The left-handed pitcher played in the late 40s and 50s and played for the Philadelphia/KC Athletics, the Reds and the Cardinals.
His career highlight came in 1959 when he was chosen as an All-Star. He finished his career with a 4.41 ERA and 816 strikeouts in 1,850 innings.
Lerrin LaGrow
Lerrin LaGrow is most famous for being one of the White Sox’s best relief pitchers during his time there between 1977-1978. Before then, he played for the Detroit Tigers, Cardinals, Dodgers and Phillies.
He finished off his career in 1980 with the Phillies and had a 4.11 ERA, 375 strikeouts and 54 saves. In 1977, he was the third-best in saves in the American League, with 25.
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Ed Vosberg
Ed Vosberg is a former left-handed relief pitcher that played for the Padres, Giants, Athletics, Rangers, Marlins, Diamondbacks, Phillies and Expos. Not only is he a World Series champion, but he has also won medals in two other international baseball tournaments.
In 1981, he won the gold medal with Team USA at the World Games and in 2001 he won a silver medal with the USA at the Baseball World Cup, only being slightly beaten by Cuba.
