Who was the better pitcher, going by stats- Jim Palmer, or Nolan Ryan?

Question

Please give your reasoning, thanks!

Answer 1

Let me preface this comment by saying that I am an enormous Nolan Ryan fan. The Express was the first big leaguer that I ever met, and his politeness and willingness to talk to a 12 year old kid was awesome. That being said, Palmer is better than Ryan. Two of the reasons that Ryan was able to amass such gaudy stats, especially strikeouts, was that he was brought to the big leagues very early, and also stuck around for TWENTY SEVEN season. Look at their average seasons.

N. Ryan
W L G GS CG IP HR BB K ERA WHIP
13 12 34 33 9 231.7 13 120 245 3.19 1.247

J. Palmer
W L G GS CG IP HR BB K ERA WHIP
16 9 35 32 13 248.7 19 82 139 2.86 1.180

As you can see, Palmer leads in virtually every catagory. Wins, CG, WHIP, ERA all go to Palmer. Only K's and HR allowed are Ryan wins, and really, HR is a bit of a wash, as both men were excellent at keeping the ball in the park.

Yes, Ryan was one of the most dominant strikeout artist's of all time. Yes, he threw the7 no hitters. However, looking at the strict numbers, on any given day, I would rather take Palmer over Ryan.

Answer 2

Jim Palmer Stats

Answer 3

Going by stats, I'd say Nolan Ryan.

Neither one has a terribly good K/BB ratio, but Ryan's is better, and his incredible ability to strike people out is an advantage over Palmer, who was only a good strikeout pitcher.

Not ever talked about was Ryan's ability to keep the ball in the park. Not allowing homeruns is probably the best way to keep the other team from scoring a lot runs. Palmer didn't give up a lot of homeruns either, but he still allowed bombs more frequently than Ryan.

Answer 4

This is a toughy... Ryan was certainly more of a "dominant" pitcher because he struck out so many guys. But just going by overall stats, I think Palmer was slightly better. Compare these stats:

Ryan: 324W 5386IP 5714K 3.19ERA 1.25WHIP no Cy Young

Palmer: 268W 3948IP 2212K 2.86ERA 1.18WHIP 3-time Cy Young

The main reason is because Palmer had a lower ERA and WHIP and won the Cy Young Award 3 times.

Answer 5

As with all comparisons, there are mitigating factors. Palmer's teams were generally better than Ryan's. (The argument could be made that Palmer's choice for team was better than Ryan's, but we won't go there.) Also, when you reach the level of ability of two pitchers like this, you're really talking split-hairs of differences. Ultimately, I go with Ryan on longevity and dominance. My cousin Julie, however, was in love with Palmer when she saw him play in Anaheim and assures me he looks really good in his underwear.

Answer 6

Both were very good pitchers but Ryan was the better of the two.

Answer 7

Jim Palmer.

Better win % (.638 vs. .526), more 20-win seasons (8 vs 2,) more Cy Youngs (3 to 0,) lower WHIP (1.180 vs 1.247.)

Ryan has the edge in longevity and strikeouts (obviously), but I believe all-in-all Palmer was the more consistent/better pitcher.
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Answer 8

What do you want from "better"?

I want the pitcher who gives his team a better chance to win, and that's Palmer.

If you want the better show, go with Ryan.

Answer 9

Nolan Ryan by far

Answer 10

nolan ryan pitched his prime with teams that people said at the time "could take batting practice in a hotel lobby,and not break anything.if he got to pitch on those oriole teams that palmer was on(f robby ,b.robby,boog powell,eddie murray )his stats woulda been better than they were