How do you make a case for a for a Cy Young for a pitcher who pitches on one of the worst teams in baseball? I’m old enough to remember when Steve Carlton won a Cy Young in 1972 for the last place Philadelphia Phillies winning almost half the teams games with a 27-10 record. But that’s when pitchers threw complete games, he had 30 that year! and they didn’t turn it over the set up men and closers to screw things up.
Zack Greinke just completed a week where he struck out 15 players in one game and followed it up with a one hitter the next time out. Only four pitchers in history have done that. Two will be in the Hall of Fame, Randy Johnson and Pedro Martinez and the third was pretty damn good, Vida Blue won 209 games in his career.
Greinke has just a 13-8 record at this point, but it’s not his fault. He leads the league with a 2.32 ERA almost a half run lower than any other starter at this point and he’s been back by one of the league’s worst defenses and doesn’t get to go against the Royals lousy offense. In 10 of his starts he’s been backed by 2 runs or less. In 17 starts he’s had no more than 3 runs support. No wonder he’s not won more.
No pitcher has won the Cy Young with fewer than 18 wins in a year and it would be unlikely for Greinke to do so but he could still get there. But wins are less a barometer of who is the best pitcher now than ever before, even though Greinke has the most complete games and shutouts in the league this season. He’s just got a lousy team behind him.
If you question whether he’s been the best in the league this year, just ask around. Players and scouts say nobody has better stuff and better command of his pitches. No one else can throw a 96-97 mile per hour fastball and come right back with a 64 mile per hour curveball on the corner and still be doing that in the ninth inning. You just don’t hear much about it because he’s in Kansas City. When he threw his one hitter, you didn’t even hear about it on ESPN.
Don’t tell me about Sabathia, Verlander or Felix Hernandez. This season Zack Greinke has been the best in the American League if not all of baseball.
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