Don’t mess with Texas on the diamond. The Lone Star State has produced 1,143 Major League players. The greatest pitcher born in Texas is Greg Maddux. His 106.56 career WAR is the 6th highest for a state or territory pitching leader. The greatest position player from the Lone Star State is Tris Speaker. His 134.20 career WAR is the 5th highest for a state or territory leader. Texas has a combined 240.76 WAR, ranking the Lone Star State 4th among all states and territories in the United States of Baseball. 

Power pitchers like Nolan Ryan strike fear in the hearts of batters. Every at bat could end with a baseball fired through their bodies. This fear is obvious. The fear of Greg Maddux was less so. He did not look like an elite athlete, yet throughout his career opposing batters knew they had little chance against him. Greg Maddux was born in San Angelo, Texas but moved around because his father served in the military. The Chicago Cubs selected Maddux in the 2nd round of the 1984 MLB Draft. He chose to sign instead of attending the University of Arizona. Maddux played 23 seasons with four teams: Chicago Cubs (1986-1992, 2004-2006), Atlanta Braves (1993-2003), Los Angeles Dodgers (2006, 2008), and San Diego Padres (2007-2008). He pitched in 744 career Games, made 740 Starts, Finished 3 Games, threw 109 Complete Games, including 35 Shutouts, Pitched 5,008.1 Innings, allowed 4,726 Hits, 1,981 Runs, 1,756 Earned Runs, 353 Home Runs, 999 Walks, 3,371 Strikeouts, posted a 355-227 record, with a 3.16 ERA, 1.143 WHIP, and 132 ERA+. Maddux was the first pitcher to ever win the Cy Young Award four consecutive seasons, 1992 to 1995. He was an eight time All Star. Maddux won 18 Gold Gloves, the most by any player, in 19 seasons from 1990 to 2002 and 2004 to 2008. The 2003 National League Gold Glove went to Braves teammate Mike Hampton. Maddux won 15 games every season between 1988 and 2004. This consistency helped him collect 355 Wins, which are the eight most ever and the second most by a pitcher since 1930, trailing Hall of Famer and Braves legend Warren Spahn. Maddux made the fourth most starts all time, has the eighth highest WAR for a pitcher, and is 10th in strikeouts. He is one of only 10 players to have their number retired by multiple teams, as the Braves and Cubs both retired his #31. Maddux was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014 with 97.2% of the vote in his first year of eligibility. There was never a doubt about his enshrinement in Cooperstown. 

How do you select the best season of a player’s career when they had so many? Maddux’s best individual season, among many, came with the 1995 Braves. He pitched in 28 Games, made 28 Starts, threw 10 Complete Games, including 3 Shutouts, Pitched 209.2 Innings, allowed 147 Hits, 39 Runs, 38 Earned Runs, 8 Home Runs, 23 Walks, 181 Strikeouts, posted a 19-2 record, with a 1.63 ERA, 0.811 WHIP, and 260 ERA+. He led the National League in Wins, Win %, ERA, Complete Games, Shutouts, Innings Pitched, WHIP, and ERA+. Maddux won his 6th consecutive Gold Glove, was an All Star, finished third for the MVP, and won his fourth consecutive Cy Young Award. This was not a one season wonder. Maddux’s 1994 season was equally ridiculous, despite being cut short by the Player’s Strike. In 1994, Maddux pitched in 25 Games, made 25 Starts, threw 10 Complete Games, including 3 Shutouts, Pitched 202 Innings, allowed 150 Hits, 44 Runs, 35 Earned Runs, 4 Home Runs, 31 Walks, 156 Strikeouts, posted a 16-6 record, with a 1.56 ERA, 0.896 WHIP, and 271 ERA+. He led the National League in Wins, ERA, Complete Games, Shutouts, Innings Pitched, WHIP, and ERA+. He won the Gold Glove, was an All Star, finished fifth for the MVP, and won the Cy Young Award. Both shortened seasons were masterpieces. His combined numbers for 1994 and 1995 were 53 Games Pitched, 53 Starts, 20 Complete Games, including 6 Shutouts, 411.2 Innings Pitched, 297 Hits allowed, 83 Runs, 73 Earned Runs, 12 Home Runs, 54 Walks, 337 Strikeouts, posted a 35-8 record, with a 1.60 ERA, 0.853 WHIP, and 265 ERA+. This two season stretch is among the greatest runs in baseball history. Maddux did not have a blazing fastball to overpower hitters, rather he conquered them with his mind. 

Maddux’s dominance in the Regular Season did not always carry over into the Postseason, although he had plenty of October highlights. He played in 23 Postseason Series, including three World Series with the Braves. Maddux won his World Series ring with the 1995 Braves. He pitched in 35 Postseason Games, made 30 Starts, Finished 2 Games, threw 2 Complete Games, had 1 Save, Pitched 198 Innings, allowed 195 Hits, 97 Runs, 72 Earned Runs, 14 Home Runs, 51 Walks, 125 Strikeouts, posted a 11-14 record, 3.27 ERA, and 1.242 WHIP. Maddux was more than respectable in October, but baseball can be fickle. 

Sometimes change creates success. Tris Speaker was a better baseball player than horseman. He twice broke his right arm after being thrown from a bronco. The natural righty then taught himself to hit and throw as a lefty. This led him to Cooperstown. The Hubbard, Texas native patrolled Centerfield for 22 seasons with four teams: Boston Americans/ Red Sox (1907-1915), Cleveland Indians (1916-1926), Washington Senators (1927), and Philadelphia Athletics (1928). Speaker played in 2,789 career Games, scored 1,882 Runs, collected 3,514 Hits, including 792 Doubles, 222 Triples, 117 Home Runs, 1,531 RBI, 436 Stolen Bases, drew 1,381 Walks, 393 Strikeouts, posted a .345 BA, .428 OBP, .500 SLG, .928 OPS, and 158 OPS+. He was the 1912 American League MVP with Boston. He was traded to Cleveland after the 1915 season due to issues with teammates and refusing to take a pay cut from $18,000 to $9,000. The Red Sox felt the troubles with Speaker were not worth his talent. He responded by winning the 1916 American League Batting Title. Speaker remains the career leader in Doubles, having led the Junior Circuit nine times in Doubles, is fifth all time in Hits, sixth in Triples and BA, and ninth in WAR. Defensively, Speaker led the American League in Double Plays six times and Putouts seven times. He owns the American League record for most Outfield Assists in a season with 35, twice. Speaker served as Cleveland’s Player-Manager from 1919 to 1926. His teams posted a 617-529 record, .543 Win%. Less than a decade after retiring, Speaker was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1937, the second class, with 82.1% of the vote. After his Hall of Fame career, Speaker stayed close to baseball, serving as an announcer, manager, coach, and scout. He was instrumental in helping Larry Doby transition from Second Base to Centerfield. 

The best season of Speaker’s Hall of Fame career came with the 1912 Red Sox. He played in 153 Games, scored 136 Runs, collected 222 Hits, 53 Doubles, 12 Triples, 10 Home Runs, 90 RBI, 52 Stolen Bases, 82 Walks, 36 Strikeouts, with a .383 BA, .464 OBP, .567 SLG, 1.031 OPS, and 190 OPS+. He led the American League in Doubles, Home Runs, and OBP. Speaker set career bests in Hits, Stolen Bases, and OPS+. His terrorizing opposing pitchers included three different 20 game hitting streaks. He was unstoppable with the bat. 

Speaker played in three World Series. He was instrumental with the Red Sox winning the Fall Classic in 1912 and 1915, and Cleveland in 1920. Speaker played in 20 World Series games, scored 12 Runs, collected 22 Hits, including 3 Doubles, 4 Triples, 3 RBI, 1 Stolen Base, 11 Walks, 4 Strikeouts, while posting a .306 BA, .398 OBP, .458 SLG, and .856 OPS. He always played a leading role in success.

The success of Texas in the Majors is evident in Cooperstown. There are 17 Hall of Famers who were born in Texas: Ernie Banks, Andy Cooper, Bill Foster, Rube Foster (Executive), Rogers Hornsby, Biz Mackey, Greg Maddux, Eddie Mathews, Joe Morgan, Frank Robinson, Nolan Ryan, Louis Santop, Hilton Smith, Tris Speaker, Willie Wells, Joe Williams, and Ross Youngs. There are surely more to come. Leaving Texas, the United States of Baseball leads to the warmth of the Caribbean. The U.S. Virgin Islands are next. 

DJ