Appearing on The Dan Patrick Show Thursday, Hall of Famer Randy Johnson gave an honest take when asked if he’d excel in today’s MLB. Surprisingly, his answer was most likely not.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!With the increased prevalence of high velocity, Johnson believes hitters today are more accustomed to facing fastballs, making it tougher for pitchers like himself, Pedro Martinez, or Roger Clemens to dominate as they once did “I think the only pitcher that would probably be still really special as he was when he played because he was so good that he would be that same kind of pitcher in today’s game is Greg Maddux, people like that. I don’t think a power pitcher like myself, Pedro, or Roger would be looked at in the same regards as we were in our era.” Johnson explained, “I think because velocity is more prevalent in today’s game, I think hitters can hit more velocity, high velocity pitchers. It’s coming out of your bullpen all the time and I just think they’re adjust to it more now than they were back in the 90’s.”
A towering lefty with a blistering fastball, Johnson made a huge mark on baseball over his 22-year career, earning five Cy Young Awards and tallying 4,875 strikeouts—second all-time to Nolan Ryan. Known as “The Big Unit,” he dominated batters while on the mound, particularly during his time with the Arizona Diamondbacks, where he won a World Series MVP in 2001.
Considering it has just been 15 years since Johnson stepped on the mound, his comments underline how much the game has changed over a relatively short period of time.
Do you agree with Johnson’s comments?
