If anything, Ryan is underrated. It's the great hitters of baseball's recent history that get all the recognition. Nolan Ryan doesn't get nearly enough in my opinion; probably because he never pitched for the Yankees.
If you're a battery, you're either working or you're dead....
Dr. Duran Duran wrote:Overrated? I don't think I've ever heard that word in the same sentence as Nolan Ryan. Not that you aren't entitled to think so, but the man did fan nearly 6,000 batters. That's fairly incredible, don't you think? Sure he played for 27 seasons, but still, that's amazing, man.
I guess you are being sarcastic...
My statement wasn't exactly accurate. I realize there are some out there who overrate him, but generally, most of the people I talk baseball with feel he's loved just about as much as he should be. That's sort of why I made my comment, though I'd re-word it if I could. I should have said, "I rarely hear people rate him higher than top 10-15"
Baseball's All-Century Team pitcher ranks determined by nearly 2 million fan votes:
Nolan Ryan 1
Sandy Koufax 2
Cy Young 3
Roger Clemens 4
Bob Gibson 5
Walter Johnson 6
Warren Spahn 10
Christy Mathewson 14
Lefty Grove 18
Nolan gets a ton of love. He got the 7th most votes overall.
Nolan Ryan was a great pitcher and fun to watch but I would agree that he's one of the most overrated ever. He was probably the most overpowering pitcher of all time (i.e. the best at preventing the other team from getting hits) but because of his high walk rate he was far from the greatest at preventing runs. He was also one of the most durable pitchers of all time so his career value was great (but still well behind the greatest) even though his peak value was merely good.
Here are some career ranks from baseball-reference.com
Tavish wrote: Baseball's All-Century Team pitcher ranks determined by nearly 2 million fan votes:
Nolan Ryan 1 Sandy Koufax 2 Cy Young 3 Roger Clemens 4 Bob Gibson 5 Walter Johnson 6 Warren Spahn 10 Christy Mathewson 14 Lefty Grove 18
Nolan gets a ton of love. He got the 7th most votes overall.
Wow, I am a fan of Ryan, but even I will admit he is nowhere near that high up on the list. If anything, this just goes to show that just as fans will be enamored to sluggers and the stat of HR's, the same goes for pitchers and the stat of the strikeout.
(oh, and my top 3 would be Koufax, Gibson, and than Clemens)
Dr. Duran Duran wrote:Overrated? I don't think I've ever heard that word in the same sentence as Nolan Ryan. Not that you aren't entitled to think so, but the man did fan nearly 6,000 batters. That's fairly incredible, don't you think? Sure he played for 27 seasons, but still, that's amazing, man.
I guess you are being sarcastic...
My statement wasn't exactly accurate. I realize there are some out there who overrate him, but generally, most of the people I talk baseball with feel he's loved just about as much as he should be. That's sort of why I made my comment, though I'd re-word it if I could. I should have said, "I rarely hear people rate him higher than top 10-15"
Baseball's All-Century Team pitcher ranks determined by nearly 2 million fan votes:
Nolan Ryan 1 Sandy Koufax 2 Cy Young 3 Roger Clemens 4 Bob Gibson 5 Walter Johnson 6 Warren Spahn 10 Christy Mathewson 14 Lefty Grove 18
Nolan gets a ton of love. He got the 7th most votes overall.
What a horrible list. Lefty Grove is e far the most underrated player in the history of the game.
IMO, the top six pitchers, in particular order, are:
Clemens, Seaver, Grove, Pedro Martinez, Walter Johnson, Mathewson
"I do not think baseball of today is any better than it was 30 years ago... I still think Radbourne is the greatest of the pitchers." John Sullivan 1914-Old athletes never change.
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What a horrible list. Lefty Grove is e far the most underrated player in the history of the game.
