Purple Row Awards: American League Cy Young Award
As we continue our quest to award the big trophies to the deserving players, our eyes turn away from home and to the American League, where pitchers play half of a game and are given back rubs in between innings.
The writers on the staff had very little problem with finding a winner, as this particular pitcher received a unanimous vote from the Purple Row Brass.
HA! Nah, I'm joking with you. Seriously, the winner is the following pitcher:
Zack Greinke. What comes to your mind when you think about Zack Greinke? Ask me this a couple of years ago, and the first thing that comes to my mind is "man, what a shame. So much sheer talent and the kid can't keep his head on his shoulders. What a shame, I'd kill to have a guy who could throw a 95 mph sinker."
I've seen Greinke pitch once. May 20, 2007, Greinke pitched 4 outs of relief against Colorado, striking out 2, allowing no hits and walking nobody. Nothing terribly special, but it was a sign that he might be ready to pitch as a major leaguer again.
While 2007 and 2008 definitely showed signs of improvement for young Greinke, 2009 proved to be something nearly otherworldly.
Greinke posted a 2.16 ERA over 229 1/3 innings in the 2009 campaign. He struck out 242 batters, walked only 51, and never had to intentionally walk ANYONE.
Thanks to a pitiful Royals team this season, his record was only 16-8. He made 26 Quality Starts (6.0IP or more, 3.0ER or less), out of 33 starts. He struck out 8 or more batters in 16 starts. 9 or more in 9 starts, 10 or more in 5 starts, including 1 game where he punched out 15. He pitched 5 games in which he allowed zero runs, 3 of which being complete games.
Greinke pitched 29 innings in 2009 before allowing a single run. He pitched 75 innings before his ERA cracked 1. He pitched 121 1/3 innings before it passed 2.
But the real story of Zack Greinke is in the half-season splits.
First half Greinke: 10-5, 2.12 ERA, 6.14 K/BB.
Second half Greinke: 6-3, 2.21 ERA, 3.77 K/BB.
Ok I'm kidding about that. You can see that his SHEER DOMINANCE dropped off a bit as the halves changed, but he was still pretty dynamite.
For the SABR crowd, Greinke's season line looks like this: 2.16 ERA(1st), 2.33 FIP (1st), 2.35 tRA (1st), 3.48 tRA* (1st), 4.75 K/BB (2nd to Halladay), 9.50 K/9 (3rd behind Verlander and Lester), 6.07 WPA (1st), 61.98 RE24 (1st - next highest was 44.85, Halladay).
I don't see how there's any other option than Greinke, personally. I'm thrilled to see a troubled young guy find his stride, and really fill out the dominance the Royals saw in him when they drafted him.
Greinke's 4-year, $38M extension may be the only smart decision Dayton Moore has made in the past few years.
Our runners up:
Here is how the voting broke down:
|
AL Cy |
RMN |
PF |
togb |
Russ |
Silver |
Jabbs |
|
1 |
Zack Greinke |
Zack Greinke |
Zack Greinke |
Zack Greinke |
Zack Greinke |
Zack Greinke |
|
2 |
Justin Verlander |
Felix Hernandez |
CC Sabathia |
Felix Hernandez |
Felix Hernandez |
Justin Verlander |
|
3 |
Roy Halladay |
Justin Verlander |
Justin Verlander |
Justin Verlander |
Roy Halladay |
Felix Hernandez |
If I could've I would've given 3rd place to both Halladay and King Felix. That kid is also bomb, and will be a Cy Young winner before you know it.
Tomorrow, Jabberwocky will be telling us about who won the NL Cy Young award, why he did, and why nobody can take away the way he wears his hat.
0 recs |
8 comments
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Comments
This had better be the case in the actual award.
Seriously there is no excuse for any other people. Good choice all.
Carlos Gonzalez is a sexy man
by Squeaky on Oct 21, 2009 11:54 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs
Reasonable minds can differ.
While I think Greinke is the most deserving candidate, I wouldn’t have much problem if they awarded it to Hernandez, who was legitimately excellent, particularly in the second half (10-2, 2.45 ERA.) Somehow Hernandez got less attention pitching for a team with a winning record than Greinke did pitching for a terrible Royal team. One thing that has been established in the past is that Cy Young voters tend to get hung up on wins.
by Tom (RFTN) on Oct 21, 2009 12:02 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
the "somehow" was that he didn't allow a run for like weeks
caught my attention, that’s for sure.
Hope got in my eyes
by Andrew Martin on Oct 21, 2009 12:09 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
Lets invent a new stat
called Filephoto-Moroseness. FpM seems like a good predictor of Cy Young votes.
"These are thin mints. I put them in the freezer. My favorites. So good."
--Reds outfielder Adam Dunn, on the girl scout cookies he keeps in his locker
by Resolution on Oct 21, 2009 12:06 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs
"CARL PAVANO WTF!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?"
Aw man you had me there for a second. I thought I was gonna have quit Purple Row.
I'm still hoping to wake up from that nightmare I had about the 9th inning of Game 4.
by RhodeIslandRoxfan on Oct 21, 2009 12:14 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs
A better fake would have been Fransisco Liriano
I hated watching him pitch this year for the Twinkies, to think it was just a few years ago he was dominant, poor guy.
"The thing to remember is that if you put your heart into it, if you care, if it means something to you, it's going to hurt. I don't think I would want it any other way." - Huston Street
by nodakroxfan on Oct 21, 2009 7:28 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
francisco*
"The thing to remember is that if you put your heart into it, if you care, if it means something to you, it's going to hurt. I don't think I would want it any other way." - Huston Street
by nodakroxfan on Oct 21, 2009 7:29 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
My justification:
1. Zack Greinke
2. Justin Verlander
3. Felix Hernandez
Have I mentioned that Zack Greinke is awesome? He’s got the highest WAR (9.1) of anybody, pitcher or hitter (yes, including Pujols). He’s having your run of the mill 2.06 ERA (2.31 FIP), 237 K (4.84 K/BB), 1.07 WHIP year in a vastly better offensive league—for a team that will lose well over 90 games. Simply amazing. Verlander (264 Ks) has been as good or better as Lincecum this year and finishes a distant second on my ballot, while Hernandez’s 18-5 record and 2.48 ERA is a mile behind in third place. It’s been a good year for pitchers.
Eschew Obfuscation!
by Jeff Aberle on Oct 21, 2009 10:41 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

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