nolan ryan was better then maddux ever was imo..
and maddux is still ok but hes definitely past his prime. i used to like him when he was a beast but hes not too good anymore. hes good for a 3rd or 4th starter tho...
I'm one of the biggest Ryan marks that you will ever see, I think the only reason that Ryan was held in such high regards was because the 7 no hitters, he could throw faster than anyone, and could strike tons of people out. Pitching isn't about just throwing the ball hard, it's about mixing speeds, finding location, and Nolan Ryan couldn't do that. He couldn't hit a target, his win-loss record is 324-292, which is hardly something to be proud of. The only good thing with that record is the 300 wins, and that's because he pitched for so damn long. Most of his career, he had control problems and couldn't find the strike zone. He often threw balls right down the middle, or high, allowing batters to go yard often.
Ryan deserves to be in the HOF (and I'm happy that he is) but he shouldn't be considered better than Maddux
Ryan's stats:
W/L - 324-292
ERA - 3.19
K's - 5,714 (amazing...one of the reasons why he's in the HOF)
Maddux's stats:
W/L - 353-222
ERA - 3.14
K's - 3,349
As you can see, Ryan has more K's, they're ERA's are about the same...but when their stats are side by side, Maddux is just better. Nolan Ryan is awesome, but I don't think you should be considered a great pitcher because you can strike people out. You should be considered a great pitcher by winning 350 games, winning alot more games than you lost, keeping your ERA down.
