Greg Maddux is good.

In a discussion regarding the greatest pitchers of the past twenty-five years, Greg Maddux's name will always be near the top of the list.

I'm not sure who Jeff Passan has been talking to, but he seems to think that, of all people, Greg Maddux is under-appreciated:

"Come to think of it, it's Maddux's ability to hit any spot that separates him from his predecessors, contemporaries and successors, what keeps him around despite a fastball that regularly sits at 85 mph, what might make him, and not Roger Clemens or Pedro Martinez or Randy Johnson, this generation's greatest pitcher."

Well, there's the problem with your argument right there. You went ahead and listed the only three pitchers of Greg Maddux's generation who were actually better than Greg Maddux.


"In the heart of the Steroid Era, from 1992-98, Maddux went 127-53 with a 2.15 ERA. He struck out almost five batters for every one he walked, won four consecutive Cy Young Awards and took home seven of his 15 Gold Gloves."

Forget about Gold Gloves. Nobody cares. If Gold Gloves mattered, then write an article about Mike Mussina and put Jim Kaat in the Hall of Fame.

Come to think of it, Mike Mussina is probably underrated and did most of his best work "in the heart of the Steroid Era." Come to think of it, Jim Kaat is probably underrated and might belong in the Hall of Fame.


Here are some stats from 1992-1998 ("the heart of the Steroid Era," which, unbenkownst to anybody except Jeff Passan, actually started in 1992):

Roger Clemens: 99-63, 1,491 ip, 3.06 era, 522 bb, 1,488 k.
Pedro Martinez: 84-46, 1,146 ip, 2.98 era, 373 bb, 1,221 k.
Randy Johnson: 106-45, 1,371 ip, 3.07 era, 568 bb, 1,752 k.
Greg Maddux: 127-53, 1,675 ip, 2.15 era, 269 bb, 1,286 k.
Mike Mussina: 114-54, 1,481 ip, 3.54 era, 348 bb, 1,101 k.
Pete Schourek: 53-51, 812 ip, 4.46 era, 275 bb, 569 k.
Todd Van Poppel: 22-37, 505 ip, 6.21 era, 297 bb, 347 k.
Brian Rose: 1-4, 41 ip, 7.30 era, 16 bb, 21 k.

I'd have to agree that Greg Maddux was the best pitcher between the years 1992-1998. I also think that most baseball fans are aware of his greatness, what with the four straight Cy Youngs and all.

You know what other seasons probably qualify as "the heart of the Steroids Era"? How about 1999 - 2005?:

Roger Clemens: 108-48, 1,430 ip, 3.53 era, 508 bb, 1,349 k.
Pedro Martinez: 113-38, 1,367 ip, 2.50 era, 289 bb, 1,640 k.
Randy Johnson: 120-57, 1,616 ip, 2.81 era, 406 bb, 2,043 k.
Greg Maddux: 116-72, 1,557 ip, 3.49 era, 253 bb, 1,028 k.
Mike Mussina: 106-68, 1,445 ip, 3.79 era, 315 bb, 1,247 k.

Is Maddux really better than Clemens, Martinez, and Johnson? Well, no. Clemens, of course, did most of his work in the AL and had quite a career brewing prior to 1992.

But this conclusion is hardly an insult to Greg Maddux. Everybody knows that Greg Maddux is one of the best pitchers of all time, that he might be the last player to ever win 300 games, and that he's a first-ballot Hall of Famer. If Maddux is considered the fourth-best pitcher of his generation, that's probably where he belongs.


Since Passan felt the need to draw attention to Greg Maddux's pitching abilities, I have some suggestions for future articles:

• New York Yankees: New York's other baseball team.
• Derek Jeter: The shortstop you never heard of.
• Alex Rodriguez: The player with the littlest contract.
  
• Water: The under-appreciated beverage.
• Oxygen: The under-appreciated component of air.
• Vida Guerra: The under-appreciated butt.