Most overrated baseball player of all time

Stat determined mostly (by about 75 percent in my estimation) by people other than himself.

Only five times.

Wow. He sucked.

Don't get me started on moron baseball writer voting debacles. As I said on another thread, those assholes must have hightailed it across the pond and mugged the soccer writers to put in those Golden Ball ballots for ZZ.

How unhittable was he that he had a 3.19 career ERA despite that?

 

Rings are a team accomplishment.

Any given everyday player has very little bearing in earning them.

 

nolan ryan's greatest attribute was his durability. he was a power pitcher for a long time, and that's cool.
the seven no-hitters are also cool and spectacular and all that, but what do they really mean? seven wins in the standings over a 25-plus year career.

i clump nolan ryan -- WHO IS AN ALL-TIME GREAT, make no mistake -- in with the barry sanders-type crowd. a lot of flash, for ryan it was Ks and no-hitters, for barry, it was 80-yard runs and spectacular cutbacks and jukes for a 5-yard gain, but i prefer sustained dominance and excellence.

sanders couldn't consistently move the chains because he was trying to break 80 yards, and frankly he didn't have the physical style to pound the rock.

ryan's sheer volume of pitches, high walk totals and lack of location often put a lot of pressure on the defense, and led to some long half innings.

 

NOT a selling point.

Damn, that Ironhead Heyward was a great runner for having 5.7 speed...

 

Again, the Hall of Fame is not merely about stats. It's about aura, it's about who defined an era, it's about magic. Nolan Ryan's seven no-hitters and gazillion strikeouts were pure aura and magic. And if you ask most people to name 10 pitchers, Ryan will be one of the choices. Sutton was pure woodwork, rarely better than the third-highest-regarded pitcher on the staffs he pitched for. He probably wouldn't rate a mention for top 10 Dodgers pitchers of all time.

 

1992 Cubs were a sliver under .500.

 

because maddux pitched so well.

 

Then list the top 20 pitchers of all time.

 

I never said Ryan sucked, or doesn't belong in the Hall.  I'm simply saying that he's not as good as many people think he was.  

 

Aura doesn't pay the bills. It's about performance on the field. Bo Belinsky had some great aura and magic and was well-known for his exploits, too. Memories lie. Aura can built around a house of cards. And just because people name Nolan Ryan doesn't make him great.

 

Steve Carlton was better than Ryan.

 

it's not a cheap shot. he made his reputation off one game. he averaged 23.4 starts from 1998-2004. he just wasn't a very effective pitcher.