Ryan was 12% better than the league average at his job: not giving up runs. He did this over 27 years. That is a phenomenal success, and I think he very much deserves his plaque.
I love baseball and it’s history. But I don’t understand the emotional connection that some people form with specific players, who are offended and indignant when math is used to evaluate their beloved. It is not insulting to Ryan to rank him by his statistical performance instead of his fame. Ryan and Koufax, off the top, are the only pitchers for which this seems to be a widespread belief.
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