Greg Maddux. The name alone makes batters cringe and pitching coaches blush. Maddux won over 350 games in his career to go with only 227 losses. He has been selected to the baseball Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot, collecting 97.2 percent of the vote. Maddux was joined in the HOF by teammate Tom Glavine and manager Bobby Cox.

This Hall of Fame class marks the most members to join since the 1999 vote when George Brett, Robin Yount and Nolan Ryan were awarded. But enough about the Hall of Fame itself, lets get back into Maddux.

Maddux compiled a career ERA of 3.16 while striking out 3,371 men. Those numbers alone could have been enough to get him into the Hall as his 3,371 strikeouts are the tenth most in baseball history. Not only did he rack up the strikeouts but he also knew how to flash the leather as he won not one, not two, but 18 Gold Gloves! Yes, you read that correctly 18. In fact, he took home the Gold Glove award consecutively from 1990 till 2002. He failed to win the award in 2003, than busted off a run of five more in a row to end his career at 18.

If his regular season numbers aren’t impressive enough for you he has also dominated in the postseason. He started 28 games in his postseason career and won eleven of them. Heck! He even has a postseason save. Over 35 postseason games pitched in Maddux accumulated a ERA of 3.28. He struck out 125 men over 197 innings pitched and has a World Series ring which he won with the Atlanta Braves in 1995.

Maddux had a lot of amazing seasons in the Majors but one season sticks out more than any other and that is indeed the year that he won the World Series. If winning a World Series ring isn’t impressive enough than wait till you hear his regular season stats. Over 209 innings pitched he struck out 181 men all while compiling an ERA of 1.63. He had ten complete games, three of which were shutouts. His record that year was 19 wins and only two losses! Along with those amazing stats is the fact that he recorded a 9.5 WAR which was the highest WAR in any season over his entire career.

Overall Maddux should have been a 100 percent sure fire, hall of famer. Unfortunately for him this will never happen because of a certain few voters who will never vote for guys who could potentially get the 100 percent due to “respect” for it never happening. Maddux was one of the most exciting and spectacular pitchers of all time and he was only six feet tall. I am very grateful that I was able to watch him pitch so many years in Atlanta. And heck, even if chicks dig the long ball, it’s hard not to dig a hall of famer.