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Posted By: Chris

Before we completely bash Koufax's first 5 or 7 years, let's look at how old he was when he came up with the Dodgers in 1955. Only 19 years old. Most pitchers do not pull it all together until they are at least 23, heck quite a few are not even in the majors until they are 23. Koufax's first 3 years he was only used as a spot starter as the Dodgers had a pretty impressive pitching staff already and did not really need a huge contribution from a 19 or 20 year old kid still learning how to pitch. If you look at all his stats you will see like most young pitchers he struggled with his control early on but later was much better in that area. I will also say that it is not always just about the stats. Koufax was a winner and nobody in baseball liked to hit against him in the 60's. That to me says something. You have to realize, Koufax's reputation was noy built on a long productive career like Nolan Ryan but built on his ability to pitch and how dominant he was in the prime of his career in the 60's. I just don't think an argument based on his first 5 years in the league when he was very very young is a very good argument. IMO he does not belong on an overrated team. Yes he only had 6 great years and yes his career was cut short by injury but I think he was one of the best ever. My vote goes to Marquard.