Greg Maddux. (1987 RC). $235

Sharing His Wisdom: https://youtu.be/G8z0cV2blXE

Gregory Alan “Greg” Maddux (Born in San Angelo, TX on April 14, 1966-) is the only pitcher in the history of the Major Leagues to win 15 games in 17 consecutive seasons, and was the first pitcher in history to win four straight Cy Young Awards (a feat matched by Randy Johnson). The Chicago Cubs took Greg in the second round of the 1984 MLB June Amateur Draft; after numerous clubs passed over the future Hall of Famer for fear that his small physique might hinder his performance. Little did they know the gem that they had plucked out of the draft in the second round, as Maddux went on to become the winningest pitcher in the Major leagues during the 1990s with a 176-88 record, a 2.54 ERA and 1,764 strikeouts. Greg won his first of four consecutive Cy Young Awards with the Chicago Cubs (1992) before becoming the ace of the Atlanta Braves superb pitching staff that included fellow Cy Young winners Tom Glavine and John Smoltz. Greg was primarily a ground-ball pitcher, who focused more on control as opposed to velocity, which in turn induced infield hits and thereby allowing him to field numerous grounders earning him a Major League record 18 National League Gold Glove Awards.

Extremely durable and consistent, Maddux led the NL in starts seven times, innings pitched and shutouts five times, earned run average four times, wins, complete games and strikeout-to-walk ratio three times and twice in winning percentage. The Professor, as he was named for his knowledge of the game and study of batters’ habits and tendencies, used pinpoint accuracy to earn eight All-Star Game selections and four Cy Young Awards and four National League The Sporting News Pitcher of the Year awards (1992-1995). During his Cy Young streak he went 75-29 with 733 strikeouts and an incredible 1.98 ERA. Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz helped the Atlanta Braves reach three World Series (1995, 1996, 1999) and won the 1995 title over the heavy-hitting Cleveland Indians. He pitched for 23 seasons in the National League with the Cubs (1986-1992, 2004-2006), the Braves (1993-2003), the Los Angeles Dodgers (2006, 2008) and the San Diego Padres (2006-2008). Greg is one of only a handful of pitchers to record 300 wins and 3000 strikeouts and only Warren Spahn (363) has had more wins since 1920 than Maddux (355). Greg Maddux finished his career with a 355-227 record with 3,371 strikeouts and a 3.16 career ERA. In the field, Maddux won 18 Gold Gloves on a .970 career fielding percentage with 546 putouts, 1,194 assists, 98 double plays and 53 errors in 1,793 chances. Greg Maddux was nearly a unanimous selection as he entered the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014 and was enshrined alongside longtime teammate and fellow 300-game winner Tom Glavine.