The 100 Greatest in 100 Days: #9 Greg Maddux

Schooling the last at #9 is “The Professor” Greg Maddux. Maddux’s control of the strike zone is unrivaled in baseball history. He led the league in BB/9 a remarkable nine times which is the most since MLB formed in 1903. Since 1909, no other pitcher has done it even six times. While Maddux’s control was his calling card, truly historic seasons are the hallmark of his resume. There have only been four seasons in history that have produced at least 200 innings and a 260 ERA+ and Maddux accomplished it in back-to-back seasons in 1994 and 1995 in what is arguably the greatest two-year stretch by a starting pitcher ever. Maddux’s 1995 season might be the greatest in history. His 19-2 record still stands as the all-time single-season record for winning percentage (min. 21 starts). He had four seasons with at least 200 innings, no more than a .98 WHIP, and at least a 187 ERA+ which ties Walter Johnson for the most in history. Often lost in the glow of Maddux’s peripherals is the fact that he was a workhorse. Maddux led the league in innings pitched for five consecutive seasons which ties Robin Roberts for the longest streak in history. Since 1914, Maddux is the only pitcher with 5,000 career innings and at least a 132 ERA. He won four consecutive Cy Youngs Awards (1992-1995) which is tied with Randy Johnson for the longest streak in history. He also finished in the top-5 of the Cy Young voting nine times which trails only Roger Clemens for most ever. Maddux’s 355 career wins are the 2nd most since 1912. Maddux led his team to the playoffs in 13 of his 23 seasons, reached the World Series three times, and was phenomenal in two starts in the 1995 World Series, propelling the Braves to the championship.

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"UR StooPid. (Insert player) is trash. I've watched (pick a sport) for (pick a number of years) and (pick a player) is better than everyone. UR DUMB. HAHA6969."

–Some Jabroni

As cognitively stimulating as this species of comment is, it ends up being a missed opportunity to share a nuanced perspective. I reply to all comments that show even the most basic levels of thought and humility. The people who make the comments like the example above are under the assumption that the three seconds of thought that popped into their brains after reading the list is more than the 1000s of hours that I put into creating and maintaining the lists. I would be happy to defend any placement, or make an adjustment if one is warranted. If you are a jabroni, like the one above, then your comment will die in the lonely void of the unpublished comments section.

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P.S. The theme of this site and the top-100 lists is that athletes from previous generations have historically been grossly overrated by sports publications in a way that is statistically improbable. Click on the "About" dropdown menu to see just how badly the average top-100 list disproportionately favors athletes from older generations when leagues were smaller, race quotas existed, and globalization wasn't a thing. Also, please consider reading "The History" section of the sport you are commenting on.

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