Texas Baseball: 5 best Longhorns of all-time in the MLB

2. Burt Hooton, P

Career: 1971-1985, 1 ASG, 35.5 WAR, 1 WS, 1 major award (4.8 points)

A pitcher that is very well known for his clutch performances for the Los Angeles Dodgers during their elusive 1981 World Series run is the 6-foot-1 right-hander Burt Hooton. But Hooton’s successes during his college and pro baseball career go back well before his clutch performances during the postseason with the Dodgers in the early 1980s.

Hooton was a three-time All-SWC honoree and even was inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame with the 2008 class. He was also inducted into the Longhorn Hall of Honor in 1981 and had his number retired by Texas in 2009.

After a stellar three-year playing career at Texas, Hooton was selected second overall in the 1971 MLB Draft by the Chicago Cubs. He found immediate success in the early 1970s with the Cubs as one of their best starting pitchers.

Hooton posted an earned run average well under 3.50 during his first three seasons with the Cubs. That was highlighted by a solid run during the 1972 season, where Hooton finished in the top four on the team in wins above replacement (5.0).

But Hooton’s best seasons would come with the Dodgers from 1975-1985. Hooton had multiple All-Star-caliber seasons, he just couldn’t quite get over that hump until the 1981 season. Somehow, though, he did finish second in the NL Cy Young award voting in 1978 without appearing in the All-Star Game.

The highlight of Hooton’s career would come during the 1981 season when he would finally get that elusive first career All-Star Game appearance. He would also have a tremendous run for the Dodgers during the postseason, which saw him take home an NCLS MVP award and lead LA to a World Series with a clutch outing in Game 6 against the New York Yankees.