Greg Maddux vs Zack Wheeler: Career Stats Comparison

Greg Maddux (1986–2008) and Zack Wheeler (2013–present) — breaking in during the 1980s and the 2010s respectively, so they pitched against very different hitting environments. Greg Maddux compiled 355 wins and 3,371 strikeouts; Zack Wheeler put up 113 wins and 1,820 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.

Greg Maddux

Pitcher · 1986–2008
Wins
355
Losses
227
Strikeouts
3,371
ERA
3.16
WHIP
1.14
IP
5,008
View Greg Maddux's full profile →

Zack Wheeler

Pitcher · 2013–present
Wins
113
Losses
75
Strikeouts
1,820
ERA
3.28
WHIP
1.14
IP
1,728
View Zack Wheeler's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate. Cells highlighted in green mark the player who leads that line. For pitchers, lower ERA, WHIP, and BB/9 lead; higher K/9 leads.

Statistic Greg Maddux Zack Wheeler
Wins 355 113
Losses 227 75
Games 744 283
Games Started 740 283
Complete Games 109 5
Shutouts 35 3
Saves 0 0
Strikeouts 3,371 1,820
Walks 999 490
Hits Allowed 4,726 1,475
Home Runs Allowed 353 166
Innings Pitched 5,008 1,728
ERA 3.16 3.28
WHIP 1.14 1.14
K/9 6.06 9.48
BB/9 1.80 2.55

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Greg Maddux outpaces Zack Wheeler 133,509 to 39,270 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (5,340 vs 3,570 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Greg Maddux
133,509
Career Pitcher PIV · 5,340 per season (25 seasons)
Zack Wheeler
39,270
Career Pitcher PIV · 3,570 per season (11 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by ERA among qualified workloads (120+ innings).

Greg Maddux — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19941.56 ERA16-6, 156 K in 202 IP
19951.63 ERA19-2, 181 K in 209 IP
19922.18 ERA20-11, 199 K in 268 IP

Zack Wheeler — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

20242.56 ERA16-7, 224 K in 200 IP
20252.71 ERA10-5, 195 K in 149 IP
20212.78 ERA14-10, 247 K in 213 IP

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Greg Maddux leads in wins, strikeouts, ERA, and innings pitched, while Zack Wheeler owns WHIP and K/9. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Greg Maddux. PIV agrees: Greg Maddux grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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