There have been some great pitchers throughout Major League Baseball history. Let's break down the top "modern day" pitchers over the last 25 years, rank them, and see how they can influence MLB picks in general.

1. Pedro Martinez (219-100, 2.93 ERA, 3154 strikeouts)

Let's forget about the "Who's your daddy" incident and the time Pedro threw the Yankees' 70-year-old assistant coach Don Zimmer on the ground. Pedro Martinez was dominant. Standing just 5-foot-11 and 195 pounds (a fabricated weight), Martinez displayed a combination of power and control that had opposing hitters standing helplessly in the batter’s box.

Pedro had the best winning percentage of all time for a pitcher of 200 wins or more, but eventually slipped .003 behind Whitey Ford in his last couple of seasons as he went 5-6 in 2008 for the New York Mets. Martinez only endured two seasons of double figure losses and each were with the Montreal Expos. From 1997-2003, Martinez was the best pitcher in baseball, pitching under an ERA of 2.40 in every season except for one. Pedro is an eight-time All-Star with a Triple Crown (1999) and three Cy Young Awards.

2. Greg Maddux (355-227, 3.16 ERA, 3,371 Strikeouts)

Consistency was the name of Greg Maddux's game, as he was the only pitcher in major league history to have 15 or more wins in 17 consecutive seasons. That's simply amazing to stay great for that amount of time. Maddux had support and played on a great Atlanta Braves team that should've won more than their solitary World Series title, but that doesn't take away from his greatness.

Maddux was all about control, and he had to be, since he lacked pitching speed. Along the way, Maddux picked up 18 Gold Glove Awards, was an 8-time all star, and had four consecutive Cy Young Awards from 1992 to 1995. He was the first pitcher in baseball history to accomplish this feat.

3. Randy Johnson (303-166, 3.29 ERA, 4875 strikeouts)

Standing at 6-foot-10, "The Big Unit" was the opposite of Maddux, and was a flame-thrower. Johnson had a ball clocked at over 102 mph, and his signature pitch was a hard slider. This pitch helped Randy and "Mr. Bloody Sock" Curt Schilling to be one of the best 1-2 combinations in baseball history en route to a 2001 World Series Championship with the Diamondbacks.

Johnson had a chip on his shoulder which, at times, made him difficult to deal with regarding the media and his teammates, but he held several different records and accomplishments.

He's a 10-time All-Star, led the league in strikeouts nine times, led the league in ERA four times and is a five-time Cy Young Award winner. Randy pitched a perfect game at the age of 39 (oldest player to do so), had a 20 strikeout game, and was second on the all time strikeout list to Nolan Ryan.

The Big Asterisk!

*4.Roger Clemens- (354-184, 3.12 ERA, 4672 strikeouts)

The Rocket could've easily been number 1 on this list as his statistics and on-field performance were second to none, but there's clear evidence that Clemens used performance enhancing drugs (steroids). Not only that, Clemens is accused of lying about it in front of a grand jury and is currently being prosecuted. Without the ‘roids, Roger would still have been one of the all time greats, but he decided to take the low road.

He's an 11-time all star, 2-time World Series Champion, 7-time Cy Young Award winner, 1986 A.L. MVP (rare for a starting pitcher).

Hall of Fame?

Despite all of his credentials, it's unlikely that Roger Clemens will be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, which is simply amazing. Clemens claimed to be a workout fiend, but he played with an illegal edge.

Honorable Mentions

John Smoltz (213-155, 3.33 ERA, 154 saves, 3084 strikeouts)

John Smoltz needed the help of a sports psychologist, but he was one of the great pitchers on the dominating Atlanta Braves pitching staff along with Maddux and Tom Glavine (305-203, 3.54 ERA, 2607 strikeouts).

Mike Mussina (270-153, 3.68 ERA, 2813 strikeouts)

"The Moose" Mike Mussina makes the honorable mention list. He was a very intelligent pitcher, being a Stanford grad, and will make it difficult for the Hall of Fame committee to leave him out of Cooperstown, as he posted a 20-win season in the last year of his brilliant career.

There you have it, some of the modern all-time baseball greats that will be remembered for generations to come.