Most Dominant Pitchers of the Last 20 Years

 

10. Kevin Brown - Maybe a surprise on the list, Kevin Brown was a dominant force in the 90's with a hard sinking fastball and a plus slider.  Known for a bad temper, Brown quietly compiled over 200 career wins and an era of 3.28.

9. Mike Mussina - Ending with 270 career wins, Moose left the game as one of the top pitcher of his era.  A unique pitching motion, especially from the stretch, made Mussina stand out amongst his peers.  Known more of as a finesse pitcher, Mussina was often compared to Jim Palmer, not a bad person to be compared to. 

8. Curt Schilling - If this list were based strictly on playoff performances Schilling would be at the top.  Thankfully, he lost the mustache pictured above.  The bloody sock will always be considered one of the gutsiest performances of all time.  While falling short of 300 wins by a decent margin, Schilling did end his career with 3,116 strikeouts.

7. Mariano Rivera - The only reliever to make this list, and for good reason.  Rivera redefined the role of a closer, and became the greatest relief pitcher to play the game.  Still pitching and still at the top of his game, Rivera just might make the most dominant pitcher list for the next era as well.

6. John Smoltz - Technically Smoltz was a reliever too, but in my mind he will always be a starter.  Even a torn UCL ligament didn't stop Smoltz from returning to pure form and dominating hitters.  Finishing with over 3000 strikeouts, 200 wins, and 150 saves,  Smoltz most definitely earned a spot on this list.

5. Tom Glavine - Not known for being a power pitcher, Glavine played for 21 years by hitting his spots and using finesse rather than velocity.  Finishing second in number of wins during the 1990's, Glavine was a strong contributor to the greatest rotation of all time.  Finishing with over 300 wins, Glavine joins elite company as the 6th left hander to ever accomplish that. 

4. Pedro Martinez - For a 7 year span from 1997-2003 Pedro Martinez was without a doubt the most dominant pitcher in baseball.  With three pitches that could all be considered his best, Pedro shined.  His All-Star game performance in 1999 was one of the most memorable of all time, striking out the first four batters and 5 in the first two innings.  While his off-field antics and fights with Don Zimmer made a lot of headlines, Martinez was still one of the most dominant pitchers of his time.

3. Randy Johnson - The most dominant left hander of the era, Randy Johnson was the scariest thing any batter could ever dream of facing.  Standing at 6'10'' the big Unit devastated batters with a menacing slider that left-handed hitters have nightmares about.  Winning five Cy Young awards, and four of them consecutively, Randy Johnson was the most feared pitcher in the major leagues until the day he retired. 

2. Roger Clemens - Like Johnson, the Rocket was a power pitcher that simply overpowered his opponents.  With well over 300 wins and 4000 strikeouts Clemens greatness is not disputed.  Winning two world series and 7 Cy Young awards Clemens solidified his place in history.  The only player to record 20 strikeouts in a game twice, Clemens defined what it meant to be a power pitcher.

1. Greg Maddux - With eighteen gold gloves, and almost as many Cy Young awards the Professor was the most dominant pitcher of the last twenty years. Not a power pitcher, Greg Maddux threw a two seam fastball that seemed to move 10 different ways before it reached the plate.  Maddux was known for being able to expand the strike zone by picking at the corners and pounding the outside part of the plate.  With over 300 wins and 3000 strikeouts, Maddux tops the list.