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Most overrated baseball player of all time

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by yourbuddy, Jul 10, 2006.

  1. dooley_womack1

    dooley_womack1 Well-Known Member



    Itals indicate arguable point. Strikethroughs indicate "are you outta your mind?" Those left alone, I have no argument about. That adds up to six on your list who I think you're solid on.
     
  2. yourbuddy

    yourbuddy New Member

    I don't have them ranked, but these pitchers were all better than Nolan Ryan:

    Lefty Grove
    Roger Clemens
    Greg Maddux
    Warren Spahn
    Cy Young
    Walter Johnson
    Randy Johnson
    Christy Mathewson
    Grover Cleveland Alexander
    Jim Palmer
    Bob Feller
    Bob Gibson
    Pedro Martinez
    Tom Seaver
    Steve Carlton

    That's 15, so I was off-base when I said Ryan doesn't make the top 20 all-time.  He does, just barely.  IMO, of course - and you're welcome to present an argument for Ryan being better than any of the above pitchers.
     
  3. dooley_womack1

    dooley_womack1 Well-Known Member

    Not what the Hall of Fame's about. And with the way stats are twisted in hundreds of ways, it shouldn't be. OPS will never get anyone into the Hall, and that's a good thing.
     
  4. PopeDirkBenedict

    PopeDirkBenedict Active Member



    For the guys you left a strikethrough, ask yourself this: would you rather have their best season or Ryan's? Find me any season the equal of Maddux's 93-98. Or Gibson's 1968. Or Pedro's run in Boston.
     
  5. yourbuddy

    yourbuddy New Member

    Calm down, Tex.  I'm not "reveling" in anything, I just thought this would be a fun discussion.
     
  6. PopeDirkBenedict

    PopeDirkBenedict Active Member

    1. How often was he on? Was he on as often as Clemens or even Pedro?
    2. I said that there some degree of skill to it and it wasn't completely luck. But, yes, luck plays a large role. If Ryan gives up seven more seeing eye singles in his career, are we having this discussion?
     
  7. DyePack

    DyePack New Member

    But it took him a long, long time to rack up all those strikeouts. He sucks! [/ragu and other flapjacks]
     
  8. Left_Coast

    Left_Coast Active Member

    And if he gave up 12 fewer, then you're talking about 19 no-hitters.
     
  9. DyePack

    DyePack New Member

    And if my aunt had balls, she'd be my uncle.

    ::) ::) ::) ::) ::) ::) ::) ::) ::) ::) ::) ::) ::)
     
  10. sportschick

    sportschick Active Member

    Tell him to stay away from the pool table and keep quiet about hating on Nolan Ryan. ;)
     
  11. PopeDirkBenedict

    PopeDirkBenedict Active Member

    And 19 magical nights do not make a career. One absolutely amazing night every year (I'm sure he had other amazing games where he pitched as well as he did in the no-hitters but luck did not go his way) does not make you one of the 10 greatest pitchers of all time.
     
  12. yourbuddy

    yourbuddy New Member

    Sure, he was harder to hit than anyone who ever played the game (#1 all time in hits per 9 innings).  But in actually preventing runs, Ryan wasn't anywhere near the best all-time.  You can look it up - his career ERA+ (ERA relative to league average) was 112, far from the all-time leaders.
     
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