Greg Maddox is set to retire on Monday, ending the career of quite possibly the best pitcher I have ever seen. I'm not going to take the time to debate Maddox vs Clemens, or Maddox's longevity vs. Pedro's peak. I just want to take a few moments to voice my respect and appreciation for being able to witness his talents. He won 4 CY young awards and finished in the top 5 another 5 times while recording three top 5 MVP finishes. From 1992-2002 his ERA+ lines read as follows; 166, 171, 271, 262, 162, 189, 187, 125, 153, 146 and 159. That run of dominance was preceded by 4 years as an above average performer and followed by 6 years as a mostly league average pitcher who never got hurt. Maddox's career includes an all-time peak, an extended period of dominance and an additional 10 years of average to above average performance. Among his other accomplishments were leading his league in GS seven times, IP five times, CG three times, ShO five times and ERA 4 times. He threw at least 194 innings his each of his last 21 seasons, surpassing 200 18 times. He is third all-time in wins amongst pitchers whose career began after 1900 and his career ERA+ stands at 132. What I'll remember the most is just how useless he made even the best hitters look while in his prime years. In 1994 and 1995 he posted seasons straight out of the 60's and had a nearly 9:1 K:BB ratio in 95. I could go on and on like this but it's probably easier for you to just head over to www.baseball-reference.com or just read one the many, better articles that are sure to spring up in the next few days. I just felt the need to say my piece about Maddox's extraordinary career.
No comments:
Post a Comment