Greg Maddux (born 1966) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He was at his peak career with the Chicago Cubs from 1986 to 1992 and the Atlanta Braves from 1993 to 2003, and he finished off his career with a series of teams from 2004-2008 with the Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, and back to the Dodgers.
Maddux finished his career with a 355-227 win-loss record, 3.16 ERA, and 3,371 strikeouts. He is the only pitcher in MLB history with 3,000 strikeouts, 300 wins, and fewer than 1000 walks (he ended his career with exactly 999).
An eight time All Star, four time NL Cy Young Award winner, 18 time Gold Glove Award winner, and a World Series champion, Maddux was
a three time MLB wins leader and a four time MLB ERA leader in the 1990s.
Born in San Angelo, Texas, Maddux spent years growing up in Madrid, Spain because his father was stationed with the United States Air Force. Maddux was introduced to baseball by his father.
He and his brother Mike (who also went pro) began training with Ralph Meder, a former scout. Meder stressed location and movement versus pace during pitching, and this later became a hallmark of the brothers’ pitching.
Mike was drafted in 1982, and scouts began to observe Greg Maddux too. Most scouts were turned off by his skinny physique, but some saw past it. One scout wrote, “I really believe this boy would be the number one player in the country if only he looked a bit more physical.”
Maddux was drafted in 1984, and he quickly made his way through the minors to debut in 1986. He was the youngest player in the majors at the time.
Maddux faced and defeated Mike in his first start. Mike said after the game, “If Greg couldn’t win, he didn’t want to play, plain and simple.”
Though he struggled with a 6-14 record and a 5.61 ERA in his rookie year, Maddux began a 17 season streak of 15 or more wins in his second year. That is the longest streak of 15 or more wins per season in MLB history.
During his time with the Cubs until 1992 and then the Braves in 2003, Maddux enjoyed a long and productive peak, which included four Cy Young Awards and a World Series victory.
Maddux has 13 career “Madduxes” which was a term coined by sportswriter Jason Lukehart in 2012. A “Maddux” occurs when a pitcher throws a shutout in under 100 pitches. Greg Maddux has the most Madduxes, and the stat has been tracked since pitches were counted in 1988. Madduxes have occurred less and less, and the record will most likely never be broken.
After he retired, Maddux’s jersey was retired by the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta Braves. He was an easy induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame with 97.2% of the vote on the first ballot.
Maddux played during a rough era of card collecting, which can be good for some collectors and bad for others. There were several brands producing far too many cards during Maddux’s early career.
In this article, we will go over some of the best cards, though most of them are less valuable. Most of these cards are worth hundreds in Gem Mint condition. Furthermore, information about the sets and so forth are lacking because collectors are often less interested in a set from 1987.
Still, if you are looking to buy some Greg Maddux cards, this article is a good place to start.
1987 Topps Traded Tiffany Greg Maddux Rookie Card
Maddux sits at #70T. For reference, PSA has over 3,000 cards registered. Almost 600 of those cards are Gem Mint, and 1,700 are Mint copies.
The value of Gem Mint copies have skyrocketed during the covid-19 pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, cards sold for a couple hundred, but in February of 2021, prices were climbing over $1,000. There is one sale from February 16, 2021 for $1,375.
1986 Procards Pittsfield Cubs Greg Maddux
This technically is a pre-rookie card, and it shows Maddux right before he made the majors. PSA has over 350 copies of this card registered. It is a fun card to find, and it is worth up to $1,000 in Gem Mint condition.
1987 Donruss Greg Maddux Rookie Card
The 1987 Donruss is a popular rookie card find for Greg Maddux. It is probably the most sought after, but the Topps Traded Tiffany and the 1987 Leaf are rarer, so they are more valuable.
A major reason for the popularity of this set is the Donruss reputation as a rookie brand, as well as that Bo Jackson, Mark McGwire, and Barry Bonds join Maddux as rookies on the set.
The era of overproduction is emblazoned by the 30,000 copies registered by PSA alone. Since there are so many copies out there, a Gem Mint card will sell for $300, even though this is the most popular set.
1987 Leaf Greg Maddux Rookie Card
The 1987 Leaf had 264 cards of standard size. Greg Maddux remains a key to the set. There are 3,000 copies graded by PSA alone.
The price of this card has been extremely erratic. Prior to the pandemic, this card rose steadily up to $200 over the course of years. By February of 2021, there were sales for this card as high as $3,000.
Conclusion
There are a few more good Maddux rookie cards out there. Some of them, you could get a Gem Mint copy for under $100.
Greg Maddux is a great pitcher of his era. It is an incredible achievement to have over 300 wins and 3000 strikeouts during his era of the late 80s to the early 00s.
For many collectors, it is great luck that his cards can be inexpensive. On the bright side, you could own Mint copies of several Maddux rookie cards for under $1,000. On the pessimistic side, many childhood cards with a crease or scratch are not worth the cardboard. Whichever way you look at it, this article went over a few of the most valuable Maddux cards.