RIP Roy Halladay

Catching up on some offseason news, DMBL great Roy Halladay died in November in a plane crash.
Halladay entered the league in 2000 with Philly, after they selected him in the 9th round of the 1999 draft. He went an unremarkable 7-13, 6.59 ERA, but logged 179 innings in 33 starts for the then-Endzone Animals. Although it would be the only year of his career in which he failed to win at least 10 games, Philly released him ahead of the 2001 season.

Halladay would come back to be drafted in the 1st round in 2002, with Carolina selecting him 11th overall (after 2B Ray Durham, Wanaque, and ahead of SP Jason Marquis, Arkansas). He was the 5th starter chosen that year, after the likes of Roy Oswalt (2nd, Honolulu), Mark Buehrle (3rd, Columbia), Joel Pineiro (4th, Hoboken) and Bud Smith (6th, Tijuana). Albert Pujols went No. 1 overall that year.

Halladay would make his mark on the league in his 8 seasons in Carolina. He tasted the postseason with the Mudcats in 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2009, including a division title that season. "Doc" Halladay would make 255 of his 408 career starts with Carolina, going 115-77 (.599) and logging 1,767 innings for the Mudcats, including 48 complete games and 13 shutouts, along with a 1.28 WHIP.

He would go a combined 64-61 (.512, 4.37 ERA, 1.37 WHIP) with 24 complete games and 9 shutouts in 5 seasons for two other teams in his career (Philly and Hoboken).

Halladay arguably had his best season in 2009, compiling a 2.72 ERA in 248.3 innings, with 222 strikeouts and 1.04 WHIP while going 16-10 with 10 complete games and 2 shutouts. He reached double-digit complete games in three seasons.

The Mudcats would sell Halladay high, dealing him in the offseason after he won the Ben McDonald Award in 2009 as the league's most valuable pitcher. Just before 2010 protected lists were due, Carolina sent him to Philly, along with a 3rd rounder that year, in a blockbuster deal for three starters - Yovani Gallardo, Stephen Strasburg and Johnny Cueto -- along with a 1st (Amityville's) and 5th (Marietta's) that, plus a 2nd rounder in 2011.

After not playing in 2001, Halladay proceeded to rack up 10 straight seasons of 30 or more starts, capping off the stretch with his first 20-win season, going 21-6 in 2011 for Philly. He would win double digits in 12 straight seasons, although three of those would be losing campaigns.

He was dealt to Hoboken at the deadline in 2012 along with a 6th rounder for young slugger Giancarlo (then Mike) Stanton. Halladay scuffled down the stretch in 2012 but still ended up leading the league in shutouts with 4, between Philly and Hoboken. He came back as an innings-eater in 2013, helping the Cutters beat Philly for their first title.

In 13 seasons, Halladay finished his career ranked 6th all-time with 408 starts, having been passed by Bartolo Colon last season, to now rank 7th. He's still 6th in innings pitched (2,779.3 innings) and wins (179), and tied with Roger Clemens for 12th in losses (126). He ranks 10th in strikeouts (2,093). Where he really made his bones was complete games (72) and shutouts (22). Only three other pitchers (Greg Maddux, 104; Curt Schilling, 87, and Clemens, 84) have more complete games and just two have more shutouts (Maddux, 32, and Kevin Brown, 24).

Despite the drop-off after leaving Carolina, Halladay still compiled a 4.02 ERA, the 9th-best career mark in DMBL history, and his 1.31 WHIP was good enough for 14th all-time.