I always thought Nolan Ryan was good pitcher, but overrated, i thought he just had good moments like his 7 no-hitters. He had probably the hardest throwing arm ever, but does anyone else agree with me that he was not the best ever, or at least overrated?
2007-07-12 14:10:00 · 27 answers · asked by Antwaan M 5 in Sports ➔ Baseball
I agree!!! People make him out to be the greatest pitcher ever when in reality he is not even top 5. Yes he had 7 no-hitters but he also had records for wild pitches in a season for quite a few years. He was eratic but at the same time electrifying! He had an arm that we rarely see and a motion that allowed him to pitch a long time. He did not have great record. He rarely won 20 games, something that Palmer, Seaver, Koufax, Johnson, Mathewson, Young and many others did routinely.
2007-07-13 03:25:18 · answer #1 · answered by bdough15 6 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Most people know he's not the best ever. Not even close. But you cant discount his no hitters and strikeouts. He has to be counted among the greats for that alone. Some of the strike outs were simply due to longevity. He doesnt have a stellar Win/Loss record, but he played on some pretty bad teams. I would say anyone who says he's the best ever is overrating him. But he was a pretty good pitcher by anybody's standards.
2007-07-12 14:32:52 · answer #2 · answered by Toodeemo 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Nolan Ryan was a very good pitcher for a very long time. He was only the best pitcher in the league maybe once or twice.
His career record is impressive, but, when compared to his peers(Seaver, Carlton, Palmer, etc.), he was not as good. Also, when compared to the Big Four modern pitchers(Pedro, Randy Johnson, Maddux, Clemens), it becomes clear that he doesn't cut it.
Take away the strikeouts, and look only at total performance, and he is about as good as Phil Niekro and Don Sutton. Very good, but not elite.
For my money, he is among the top 35 or so pitchers, but not much higher.
2007-07-12 14:23:07 · answer #3 · answered by desotobrave 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I have never heard anyone suggest he was the best pitcher of all time. People usually refer to him as the greatest "Strike out" pitcher of all time which absolutely cannot be refuted(check it out 5714 Major league k's).His win-loss ratio however, stands at a better then average 324-292. I think his finest moment however came when He whooped Robin Ventura's butt after Ventura charged the mound in 1993.Nolan Ryan was 20 years older then the 26 year old Ventura and opened a good old fashioned can of Whupass on the boy. But he pitched at an extremely high level for an insane amount of time so I would definitely categorize him as ONE of the greatest pitchers of all time.
2007-07-12 14:22:16 · answer #4 · answered by matterpimp 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Being overrated depends on how you are rating him.
So, if someone says that "nolan Ryan is the greatest pitcher in history" then yes, he is being overrated.
No Cy Youngs, Barely a .500 pitcher, HORRIBLE K to walk ratio.
Yes, set many K's records, but walked 200 batters in a season MANY times.
You couldn't even say he was the greatest pitcher during his peak. Carlton, Seaver were both better, Clemens Maddux, Johnson, again, all better
2007-07-12 14:27:01 · answer #5 · answered by brettj666 7 · 4⤊ 1⤋
Nolan is very underrated. But he is not the greatest of all-time. He is the most dominating, overpowering, and intimidating pitcher in the history of baseball, but that was not enough to lead any team to World Series glory. Ryan is my favorite, I saw him pitch one of his last games and he was amazing. In Texas he is a larger than life folk hero. He could run for gov of Texas and win a landslide, he is loved and trusted by Texans. Every Texan remembers his 5000K, 300 Win, 6th and 7th no-no's, Ventura, and when Bo popped his lipped with a line drive and Ryan kept pitching with blood all over his jersey. You cannot write that stuff-just AMAZING!!! But, not the greatest. Maybe #15-#20 all-time.
2007-07-12 19:05:17 · answer #6 · answered by Jaime V 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Anyone who throws 7 no hitters is far from being overrated. Only player close is Sandy Koufax with 4. He's also the major League Strikeout record holder with 5,714 He's also has 24 season in wich he has struck out 100 or more batters. Also a Major League record. There was probably noone as classy as Ryan either. He was the epitomy of perfect pitching form, as he never got hurt throwign as hard as he did. Here's a list of Nolan Ryan numbers, then tell me again that he was overrated!
A list of some of the MLB records held by Nolan Ryan...
Most strikeouts, lifetime: 5714
Longest service: 27 years
Most no-hitters, career: 7
Most strikeouts, season: 383 (AL, 1973)
Most seasons, 200+ strikeouts: 15
Most seasons, 300+ strikeouts: 6
Most consecutive strikouts, game: 8
Most low-hit (0/1 hit) games, career: 16
Most low-hit (0/1 hit) games, season: 3 (1973)
Most walks, career: 2795
Most seasons leading majors, walks: 8
Most strikouts per 9 innings, season: 11.48
Most strikouts per 9 innings, career: 9.57 (as of 1990)
Fewest hits allowed per 9 innings, season: 5.26 (1972)
Fewest hits allowed per 9 innings, career: 6.41 (as of 1990)
Oldest to pitch a no-hitter: 44 (5/1/91)
Fastest pitch (as listed in the Guiness Book Of World Records): 101.9 MPH
2007-07-12 14:24:24 · answer #7 · answered by saq428 6 · 3⤊ 2⤋
i dont think he is overrated. i just disagree when some people call him the greatest pitcher of all time. he is without doubt the greatest strikeout pitcher of all time and 7 no hitters is absolutely amazing. the only thing against him is his win-loss percentage.
2007-07-12 15:01:36 · answer #8 · answered by metsgiantsfan333 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I agree with you- he was terrifying to face, what with the 7 no hitters and 5714 strikeouts, and he's no doubt a Hall of Famer, but he also walked the ballpark.
He deserves the plaque, but isn't inner circle. Even picking only from his own era, I'd still rather have Seaver, Carlton, or Palmer ahead of him in my rotation.
2007-07-12 14:32:20 · answer #9 · answered by koreaguy12 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well he was very good, but how do you say who and who isn't overrated? Was Babe Ruth overrated? Is Barry Bonds beating the home run record overrated? Is Tiger Woods overrated? Is Kurt Schilling overrated? Is taco bell overrated? You have to put it into a smaller category. Like was Nolan Overrated for his arm speed, or his timing?
2007-07-12 14:17:37 · answer #10 · answered by annasdad 3 · 1⤊ 2⤋