It takes a certain kind of pitcher to come onto the scene and capture the nation’s imagination.  There are plenty of sluggers out there that make you stop what you’re doing so you can watch their at-bat.  When Alex Rodriguez or Albert Pujols come to the plate you always feel like something special might happen. 

The big boppers come a dime a dozen but a pitcher that paints his corners with the precision of an artist is about as common as a lunar eclipse.  When was the last time a hurler made you plan your day around his start?  Each time he takes the mound it becomes an event that you feel you can’t afford to miss.  When a guy is that good you feel like each start could the perfect game he is destined to achieve.  Each pitch becomes part of a bigger masterpiece.

There are few pitchers that were truly artists during their prime years:  Walter Johnson, Lefty Grove, Bob Feller, Warren Spahn, Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson, Tom Seaver and Nolan Ryan are among them. The 1990’s had a bunch of idols including Randy Johnson and Roger Clemens, but watching Pedro Martinez and Greg Maddux during their peak years was like witnessing the creation of the Sistine Chapel. 

Amazingly we were blessed with two of the true all-time greats during the same span. These guys had two of the most dominating runs the game has seen.  Maddux owned the front end of the decade beating hitters with his mechanics and brains.  Pedro brought in the new millennium fooling hitters with some of grimiest stuff anyone has ever seen.  If Maddux was the scientist then Pedro was the mysterious rock star.  Both of them owned the game during their respective reigns, but one question looms:  which one was more valuable over their incredible four year span?

The most disturbing parallel between these two players was that both of their franchises allowed them to get away during the zenith of their careers.  I could almost excuse them letting these guys slip through their fingers if it was due to ignorance.  Like when the Giants let Francisco Liriano get away before his skills came to fruition, but these guys were certified!  Maddux would leave the Cubs for Atlanta following his 1992 Cy Young season, the first of four straight years that saw him win the award.  Montreal made one of the most lopsided deals in history when they dealt Martinez to Boston for Carl Pavano and Tony Armas following his 1997 Cy Young campaign.  He then went on to win two of the next three pitching titles in the American League.

The Battle

Take away Greg Maddux’s minuet earned run average during his prime and he would be relegated to being just another front of the rotation guy.  Essentially he would be like Kevin Brown in that he was never able to sustain pitching excellence.  We would never think about granting Brown entrance into the sacred pitching pantheon, yet he had several great seasons.  He’ll forever be the guy that should have been special but never lived up to our expectations.  Without that superb ERA, that’s all Maddux would be.  He had some seasons with high strikeout totals and then others that were anorexic.  One thing always remained, that ridiculous ERA.  It’s what defined his greatness and got him all that hardware.

On paper Mad Dog has a sizable advantage over Pedro during their respective four year runs.  His accumulated average was 1.98, while Pedro clocked in at 2.19.  Although, after adjusting their statistics, the tide shifts in favor of Martinez.  Maddux’s stellar average bloated to 2.70, an increase of .72 points.  Martinez faired a little better at 2.32. 

Both had very impressive individual seasons during their respective tenures, but as the chart illustrates Maddux’s seasons are tainted.  Two of his three seasons jump nearly a full point, taking away his only real advanteage.

Pedro’s 2000 season was his only saving grace in this discussion.  It’s raw numbers placed it among the top greatest single seasons, and it was impressive before it is now infallible.  I’ve never seen a season hold it’s value as this has.  His 1.74 ERA increased a mere two tenths of a point and it now appears that it has swayed this category in Martinez’s favor. 

Mad Dog doesn’t even deserve to be in the same discussion as Pedro when discussing raw strikeout totals.  This shouldn’t be counted as a discredit though.  Maddux has gained the reputation as a smart pitcher that beat hitters in a more clandestine manner. His repertoire relied heavily on control, placement, and ultimately inducing ground balls.    Not to mention that he his two final seasons in this discussion were shortened by the players strike, but even the translation failed to be competitive.

Due to this reputation you would assume that he would have a huge advantage once you start discussing categories that involve hits, walks, and other things that compliment his strenghts as a pitcher.  Ironically the gap only becomes acerbated when pushing past the surface.  Maddux does enjoy a slight edge in walks over his counterpart, 176-203, but this proves to be little more than a moral victory.  Over a four year span this averages out to a mere 6.75 walks per season. 

I fully expected Maddux to have an amazing strikeout to walk ratio coming into this but his 4.16 ratio is merely pedestrian compared to Martinez’s 5.68.  I knew that Martinez’s gaudy strikeout totals set him up for an easy win but I thought it would be closer.  He could have walked 276 batters and still won.  For those keeping score at home that’s 100 more than Maddux had.

One of the things that allow Pedro’s performances to transcend time, or at least 10 years, is that he just simply baffled hitters.  His curveball looked like it was being thrown in the absence of gravity and it was offset with an amazing fastball which meant he was impossible to hit.  Maddux was more of a contact pitcher, probably the best ever, so it was expected that he surrendered more hits than Martinez (726-634). 

That’s just how he got people out, and with the help of one of the better defensive units in the league he was very successful at this.  Unfortunately, they couldn’t convert every play but they did help make superstars out of everyone that pitched in Atlanta during the 1990’s.  When Maddux took the mound they only allowed 6.90 hits per nine innings, but again Pedro got him a 6.30.  Which sets him up for another win in WHIP:  .925 against 9.53.

The chief argument that I heard when discussing this is that throughout his career Maddux was more valuable because he was an illustrious innings eater.  I won’t dispute this claim, but that wasn’t the case during this four year stretch.  The Cubs kept him under the reigns during his peak years, a practice they later abounded with Kerry Wood and Mark Prior.  He did pitch more innings, 41.4 to be exact.  That figure becomes irrelevant as it averages out to 10.35 more innings a year.  This then breaks down to approximately a third of an inning less each time out.  In other words it does nothing to skew the statistics in one direction or the other.  Granted, that figure would be even larger if it weren’t for the aforementioned strike shortened seasons.  Maybe he then wins in WHIP, or maybe not.  He would have given up more hits and walks but the innings would have been increased.

Each pitcher is the quintessential example of greatness but Pedro was far more dominate during his prime years.  In no way am I claiming that he has had a better career than Maddux.  That would be irresponsible.   I might actually be inclined to side with Maddux in that capacity due to the longevity he has enjoyed and the aforementioned durability he displays nightly.  That is a quality that is invaluable in a pitcher.  Martinez is the flashy guy while Maddux is the old reliable.  Pedro will be lucky to get three more years on the mound while Maddux is going strong in his 22^nd season.  That alone makes him more valuable and arguably gives him the better career depending on what you value in a pitcher.  Personally I’m more of a year-to-year guy in that I’ll take one superb year out of Dan Haren before three solid years from Josh Beckett.