Greg Maddux
The most dominant pitcher of the 1990s threw 88 mph and made it look like witchcraft. Maddux's peak ERA+ of 288 represents one of the greatest single-season pitching performances in modern history, while his career 145 ERA+ sustained excellence across two decades.
Those 18 Gold Gloves tell the real story — Maddux didn't just pitch, he orchestrated. His 3,371 strikeouts came not from overpowering stuff but from a surgical understanding of the strike zone and hitter psychology. He threw strikes that weren't strikes and balls that looked like strikes, leaving batters guessing until the final out.
The four consecutive Cy Young awards from 1992-1995 capture his absolute dominance during baseball's offensive explosion. While sluggers were launching balls into orbit, Maddux was throwing 250-inning seasons with sub-2.00 ERAs. Control, command, and intelligence — the holy trinity that made him untouchable.
Career · Hitting
23 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | CHC | 6 | 12 | 0 | 0 | .333 | .667 | 93 |
| 1987 | CHC | 34 | 42 | 0 | 2 | .119 | .238 | 32 |
| 1988 | CHC | 37 | 96 | 0 | 5 | .198 | .427 | 61 |
| 1989 | CHC | 35 | 81 | 0 | 4 | .210 | .463 | 67 |
| 1990 | CHC | 35 | 83 | 0 | 3 | .145 | .309 | 44 |
| 1991 | CHC | 39 | 88 | 1 | 7 | .205 | .484 | 68 |
| 1992 | CHC | 35 | 88 | 1 | 8 | .170 | .418 | 60 |
| 1993 | ATL | 36 | 91 | 0 | 4 | .165 | .350 | 48 |
| 1994 | ATL | 25 | 63 | 0 | 2 | .222 | .488 | 64 |
| 1995 | ATL | 28 | 72 | 0 | 0 | .153 | .367 | 49 |
| 1996 | ATL | 35 | 68 | 0 | 2 | .147 | .360 | 47 |
| 1997 | ATL | 33 | 67 | 0 | 4 | .104 | .301 | 40 |
| 1998 | ATL | 34 | 75 | 0 | 4 | .240 | .558 | 74 |
| 1999 | ATL | 33 | 64 | 2 | 7 | .172 | .509 | 65 |
| 2000 | ATL | 35 | 80 | 0 | 5 | .188 | .454 | 58 |
| 2001 | ATL | 35 | 64 | 0 | 3 | .188 | .423 | 56 |
| 2002 | ATL | 35 | 59 | 0 | 2 | .186 | .424 | 57 |
| 2003 | ATL | 37 | 68 | 0 | 2 | .147 | .348 | 46 |
| 2004 | CHC | 34 | 69 | 0 | 5 | .159 | .331 | 43 |
| 2005 | CHC | 35 | 76 | 1 | 5 | .171 | .382 | 51 |
| 2006 | CHC | 34 | 68 | 0 | 7 | .132 | .317 | 41 |
| 2007 | SD | 35 | 62 | 0 | 0 | .145 | .336 | 44 |
| 2008 | SD | 34 | 55 | 0 | 3 | .109 | .234 | 31 |
| Career | 759 | 1591 | 5 | 84 | .171 | — | — | |
Career · Pitching
23 seasons| Year | Team | G | IP | W | L | ERA | ERA+ | SO | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | CHC | 6 | 31.0 | 2 | 4 | 5.52 | 72 | 20 | 1.774 |
| 1987 | CHC | 30 | 155.7 | 6 | 14 | 5.61 | 76 | 101 | 1.638 |
| 1988 | CHC | 34 | 249.0 | 18 | 8 | 3.18 | 117 | 140 | 1.249 |
| 1989 | CHC | 35 | 238.3 | 19 | 12 | 2.95 | 125 | 135 | 1.276 |
| 1990 | CHC | 35 | 237.0 | 15 | 15 | 3.46 | 111 | 144 | 1.321 |
| 1991 | CHC | 37 | 263.0 | 15 | 11 | 3.35 | 117 | 198 | 1.133 |
| 1992 | CHC | 35 | 268.0 | 20 | 11 | 2.18 | 172 | 199 | 1.011 |
| 1993 | ATL | 36 | 267.0 | 20 | 10 | 2.36 | 177 | 197 | 1.049 |
| 1994 | ATL | 25 | 202.0 | 16 | 6 | 1.56 | 288 | 156 | 0.896 |
| 1995 | ATL | 28 | 209.7 | 19 | 2 | 1.63 | 273 | 181 | 0.811 |
| 1996 | ATL | 35 | 245.0 | 15 | 11 | 2.72 | 169 | 172 | 1.033 |
| 1997 | ATL | 33 | 232.7 | 19 | 4 | 2.20 | 199 | 177 | 0.946 |
| 1998 | ATL | 34 | 251.0 | 18 | 9 | 2.22 | 199 | 204 | 0.980 |
| 1999 | ATL | 33 | 219.3 | 19 | 9 | 3.57 | 132 | 136 | 1.345 |
| 2000 | ATL | 35 | 249.3 | 19 | 9 | 3.00 | 159 | 190 | 1.071 |
| 2001 | ATL | 34 | 233.0 | 17 | 11 | 3.05 | 145 | 173 | 1.060 |
| 2002 | ATL | 34 | 199.3 | 16 | 6 | 2.62 | 163 | 118 | 1.199 |
| 2003 | ATL | 36 | 218.3 | 16 | 11 | 3.96 | 111 | 124 | 1.182 |
| 2004 | CHC | 33 | 212.7 | 16 | 11 | 4.02 | 111 | 151 | 1.180 |
| 2005 | CHC | 35 | 225.0 | 13 | 15 | 4.24 | 101 | 136 | 1.222 |
| 2006 | CHC | 34 | 210.0 | 15 | 14 | 4.20 | 108 | 117 | 1.219 |
| 2007 | SD | 34 | 198.0 | 14 | 11 | 4.14 | 108 | 104 | 1.242 |
| 2008 | SD | 33 | 194.0 | 8 | 13 | 4.22 | 102 | 98 | 1.206 |
| Career | 744 | 5008.3 | 355 | 227 | — | — | 3371 | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.