Tim Keefe
Many people have not heard of Tim Keefe, and that is probably because he retired 125 years ago, but he was an excellent pitcher back in the formative years of pro baseball, and was around for two changes in the placement of the mound.
Keefe debuted for the Troy Trojans in 1880, the final year that the mound was 45 feet from the plate, and he had an ERA of 0.86, still the best in baseball history. Somehow, even with his historic ERA, he only had a 6-6 record that season.
The Trojans folded 2 years later, and he moved to the New York Metropolitans, where he had one of the best seasons in history, pitching 68 games, all of them complete, and striking out 359 batters in 619 innings of work. On Independence Day, he pitched both games of a doubleheader, allowing only 3 total hits and winning both games.
After 2 years with the Metropolitans, the owner transferred him to the New York Giants, another team he owned in the rival National League. While with the Giants, he led the league in ERA and wins twice each, and strikeouts, complete games, and strikeouts once each. In 1888 he went 35-12 with a 1.74 ERA, 335 strikeouts, and 8 shutouts, all best in the league, which earned him the Triple Crown.
He was released midway through the 1891 season after a 5-11 start to the season, and joined the Phillies for the final few years of his career. It was during his final season of 1893 that the mound from 50 feet to 60.5 feet, which is the current distance.
125 years after his retirement, Keefe is still #10 all time on the pitching wins list with 342, and #3 in complete games with 554. He led the league in every major category at some point, and won the Triple Crown in 1888. He may have pitched in a very different era, but the way he dominated the league for seasons at a time have earned him a spot among the best players ever.
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