[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by BobC

Couldn't it also partly be because of outfield dimensions/layouts, who he has playing behind him in the outfield, the decision of the manger to often (or maybe not at all) use outfield shifts, and on an on? Luck can often, erroneously, be attributed to things that are otherwise not readily or easily measured, known, or ever recognized and acknowledged.

On almost any ball hit in fair territory there are doubtless multiple things happening at once that contribute to the outcome, but so what? Are you really trying to argue that Maddux was a great pitcher solely because his walks were low, and everything else was attributable to these other factors? To me, they don't explain at all Maddux' greatness RELATIVE to other pitchers for whom doubtless the same variables were at play on balls hit against them. To me, that greatness is of course due in part to his low walk totals, but based on both personal observation and the SLG stats I've discussed, much of it has to do with his serving up fewer balls that were good to hit.