2001 Topps Greg Maddux

Ok, so maybe Greg Maddux doesn't strike you as a "surprsing" league leader. But when I saw all the red italics and diamonds on the back of the card, I was a bit awestruck.

 

 

Its not just the "perfect attendance" categories as I like to call them where you pile up stats just because you're healthy enough to go every five days. Sure, he was piling up the Games Started, which led to a lot of Innings Pitched. But only once (as of the back of this card, didn't look to later seasons) did he lead the league in Runs. Of course, that was a season with the Cubs...

 

And he never led in Earned Runs or Walks. In fact, while he was raking in the Innings Pitched, he was Completing Games, throwing Shutouts and leading the league in ERA! In his fifteenth season, he tied for the league lead with 3 Shutouts.

 

This guy was in his mid-30's and still dominating the league. He was in the top 5 in the National League in WHIP, Wins, Complete Games, Games Started, Innings Pitched and all kinds of ratios that show how few Walks he issued.

 

The blurb on the back mentions that "Greg's 180 wins is the majors' most over the last decade." Really? Nobody else managed to average 18 wins a season for the past 10 years? *Sarcasm*

 

Guaranteed first ballot Hall of Famer. I think the only thing that keeps him from being a unanimous decision is his lack of World Series rings because he has enough individual hardware to start his own museum.