Power Pitcher And Greg Maddux example essay topic

Nolan Ryan vs. Greg Maddux Nolan Ryan and Greg Maddux are two of the greatest pitchers to have played the game of baseball. They were both the top pitchers of their respective leagues and played in many all-star games. This brings up a question of which one is the better pitcher. The only way to find this out is to compare their stats and to compare the different time periods in which they pitched.

While comparing stats you have to remember that these two pitchers have completely different styles. Nolan Ryan was a power pitcher and Greg Maddux was a finesse pitcher. A power pitcher throws a lot of fast ball pitches that he tries to throw by the batter any way he possibly can. The finesse pitcher has off speed pitches that he throws for location around the plate rather than just trying to throw past the batter.

I would have to say that Greg Maddux is the better pitcher of the two. He has pitched great baseball through what will be remembered as a hitter's era. Greg Maddux in his career has only played in one league, the National League. When he broke into the "show" he came in with the Chicago Cubs. Greg was with the Cubs for a short time and then left on free agency and settled in with the Atlanta Braves. He has had many great years with the Atlanta Braves with many more still to come.

Nolan Ryan Played for four different teams through his 24 year career. Nolan started his career with the New York Mets (National League), then California Angles (American League), then Houston Astros (National League), and ended his career with the Texas Rangers (American League). Greg Maddux has received four Cy Young Awards in his thirteen-year career. The Cy Young Award is the award that is given to the best pitcher for the year.

Nolan Ryan never received a single Cy Young Award. This is an especially hard accomplishment now. The recent years in baseball have been the biggest offensive years that the sport has ever seen. There has been more batters with 30, 40, or 50 home runs than there has any other time in history.

Greg Maddux has to face at least one thirty-home run man every time he pitches and still has a career e. r. a. (earned run average) of 2.75. Ryan's career e. r. a. is 3.19 and he did not have to face as many hitters that could hurt a pitcher. A feat that Maddux has passed Ryan in is perhaps the most important of them all. Maddux has been to the World Series four times winning it once.

Ryan was only there once in his twenty four year career. The World Series is actually the one thing that means more to a player than anything else. It shows that they were the best team in the world for that year and getting there four times like Maddux, does say something for him and his team. Many players that have retired now say the thing that they wish the most were that they would have made it to the World Series and won it.

Nolan Ryan had 324 career wins over his twenty four year career. When I took Maddux's average wins per year and then multiplied that number by fourteen years, which would be equivalent to the time Nolan Ryan pitched, he ended up with 420 wins. This is almost a hundred more wins than Ryan had in his career. Doing the same math for Maddux's loses he ended up with 243 compared to Ryan's 292. Greg Maddux's winning percentage would be 63% compared to Ryan's 53%. Nolan Ryan was what coaches call a "power pitcher".

What this means is that Nolan will come at you with a 100 mph fastball for nine innings a game. The one thing that people still remember about Nolan Ryan is his fastball. Not many people can still throw a 100 mph fastball in their forties. This pitch was so over powering that people named his fastball "the Ryan Express". Though Ryan never won the Cy-Young award he owns a few records in the record book.

He holds the single season strike out record with over 300 strikeouts along with the career strikeout record with over 5000 strikeouts. Greg Maddux on the other hand is what coaches call a "Finesse Pitcher". Greg will throw you a fastball but it isn't over powering at 90 mph. What he does that makes him a great pitcher is that he throws his fastball to hit spots. Maddux is great at hitting corners of the plate with not only his fastball but also his off-speed pitches. Maddux, along with his fastball, has a great curve ball, slider and change-up.

This is the reason Maddux has his four Cy-Young awards. His ability to throw a variety of pitches at different times in the count and the game make him a very dominate. In my opinion Greg Maddux is the better pitcher of the two. Although Nolan Ryan was one of the best, if not the best, power pitcher of his time it doesn't compare to what Greg Maddux has done in his era. Greg Maddux has pitched through what will be remembered as a hitter's era. He has kept a low earned run average and won four Cy Young Awards in his career.

He has also helped lead his team to one World Championship and to three other World Series appearances. Nolan Ryan did not win a world championship and neither did he win any Cy Young awards.