Curt Schilling: controversial but dominant, ranks Among Bleacher Report’s top-50 MLB players of the modern era

In Bleacher Report’s top-50 MLB players in the modern era list, compiled by eight different MLB analysts, the Arizona Diamondbacks had just one true representative ranked in the 21-50 section: Curt Schilling at #29.

An Arizona native who attended Shadow Mountain High School in Phoenix before being drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 2nd round of the 1986 draft out of Yavapai College in Prescott, Schilling has partly dug his own grave when it comes to his Hall of Fame case. Since retirement, he has made countless controversial remarks across social media, causing him to receive just 58.6 percent of the votes during his last year of eligibility in 2022.

If it were not for his controversial stature after retirement, Schilling certainly has the resume of a Hall of Famer. The three-time World Series winner, including two with the Red Sox (’04 & ’07) and one with the Diamondbacks in ’01, picked up 15 or more wins in eight different seasons and struck out over 300 batters on three occasions. Schilling also holds some MLB postseason records, having struck out 56 batters in the 2001 postseason with Arizona. During this run to the World Series, he also broke a single-postseason innings record with 48.1 innings on the mound. This included a 9-inning shutout in Game 1 of the NLDS, two more 9-inning outings, and three 7-inning outings.

Schilling finished 2nd in Cy Young voting in both 2001 and 2002. The player who beat him out was none other than his teammate, Randy Johnson.

The writers at Bleacher Report proclaimed, “You don’t have to like Curt Schilling to appreciate what an amazing pitcher he was. Especially when it counted.”