| Birthdate | 7/21/1980 |
| Death Date | |
| Debut Year | 2001 |
| Year of Induction | |
| Teams | Brewers, Indians, Yankees |
| Position | Pitcher |
Cy Young Award winner CC Sabathia is one of only 17 pitchers to amass 3,000 strikeouts. Many say the 6-time All Star is poised for Cooperstown.
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When CC Sabathia signed the contract shown above, baseball season for his junior year in high school had not yet begun. Though he held great promise, no one would dare envision the level of performance he’d reach by the end of his time at Vallejo High School in California. In 45 2/3 innings he struck out 82 batters while allowing only 14 hits. He went undefeated for the Apaches and was named the top high school prospect in Northern California by Baseball America.
The same month he graduated from Vallejo, the Cleveland Indians made him their first-round selection in the 1998 amateur draft. Three years later he was a 17-game winner and runner up to Ichiro Suzuki for the AL Rookie of the Year.
Entering the 2019 season, Sabathia needs just 14 strikeouts to reach 3,000. Of the 16 men who’ve hit the plateau 14 are in Cooperstown. Only Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling are not. The 2007 Cy Young winner and 6-time All Star, Sabathia is also four wins shy of 250 career victories.
The back of the high school showcase contract bears the signature of high school junior CC Sabathia. At the time he signed it he had completed his sophomore baseball season but had not yet begun his junior season on the diamond. Sabathia pitched well enough in his prep career to be the first-round selection of the Cleveland Indians. Sabathia enters the 2019 season four wins short of 250 for his career. With 14 more strikeouts he’ll join the exclusive 3,000 strikeout club. Many believe those numbers make him worthy of Cooperstown.
The New York chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America created the William J. Slocum Award in 1930. Since then it’s been given to more than 50 members of the Baseball Hall of Fame.
In 2010, the writers added Jack Lang’s name to the tile of the honor. Nine years later they gave the it to former Cy Young Award winner CC Sabathia. The hurler became the fifth pitcher to gain the award, joining Walter Johnson, Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan, and Greg Maddux.
In the collection is the William J. Slocum Award that the writers gave to Dodger announcer Vin Scully in 1995.
The Bill Slocom Award is one of the most prestigious awards baseball has to offer. The little-known honor has been given to more than 50 members of the Hall of Fame.
Read More >"Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball…"
~Jacques Barzun, 1954
