Greg Maddux:  Best Pitcher of His Era

By Nick Barnowski

Greg Maddux has walked off into the Californian sunset.

The “Mad Dog” will announce his retirement Monday, ending his 23-year career after going 8-13 with a 4.22 ERA last season with the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers. He ended his career on a good note, not giving up a run in four appearances out of the bull pen in the postseason for the Dodgers.

Between, in my opinion, the three greatest pitchers of his era: Roger Clemens, Pedro Martinez, and Maddux himself, I have no problem saying Maddux was the best of them.

When Maddux was young, he trained with former scout Rusty Medlar. Medlar stressed how valuable movement and location were, and that velocity came second. He stuck with this advice, which helped him win four consecutive Cy Young Awards from 1992-95. His 1.143 WHIP ranks 52nd all-time, ahead of Clemens and Tom Glavine. Even while thinking location first, velocity second, Maddux still ranks 10th all time in strikeouts with 3,371.

While I’m not big on wins, Maddux’s 355 are eighth on the career wins list. Warren Spahn, with 363, is the only pitcher to have more wins among pitchers whose careers were played in the live-ball era (post-1920s). Maddux is also the only pitcher in Major League Baseball history to win at least 15 games in 17 consecutive seasons, and also posting 13 wins in 20 consecutive seasons, passing Cy Young’s record. Granted, Clemens only has one fewer win than Maddux, but I have to question how many of these are a result of the steroids.

From 1992-95, Maddux posted some of the most dominant numbers of all-time. He won his first Cy Young with the Chicago Cubs by winning 20 games in 1992. The next season, his first with the Atlanta Braves, he led the National League in ERA on his way to another Cy Young. Maddux posted an ERA of 1.56 in the strike-shortened 1994 season. It was the second lowest since Bob Gibson’s ridiculous 1.12 ERA in 1968. He followed that up with 16 wins, winning the Cy Young once again.

Maddux’s best year, perhaps, was his 1995 season. Maddux’s ERA of 1.63 led him to become the first pitcher to post back-to-back ERAs under 1.80 since Walter Johnson in 1918 and 1919. His 1.63 ERA also came in a year when the overall league ERA was 4.23. To add to his ERA mark, he also posted an ERA+ (ERA adjusted for ballparks and ERA of league) of 262, a WHIP of 0.811, and a DERA (defense-adjusted ERA) of 1.91. He led the league in wins with 19, got the Cy Young, and to cap it off, won the World Series.

“People think I’m smart? You know what makes you smart? Locate your fastball down and away. That’s what makes you smart. You talk to Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson, or Tom Seaver. They’ll all tell you the same thing. It’s not your arm that makes you a great pitcher. It’s that thing between both of your ears we call a brain.”

That quote from Maddux sums up his whole career. Clemens may have the awards. Pedro may own those torrid numbers with the Red Sox.  But Greg Maddux is the model for consistency, and the best pitcher of his era.
 

Nick Barnowski writes for FYISportsFans.com.  If you have any questions/comments about this article, email him at n.barnowski@fyisportsfans.com.