Yardbarker: Zack Greinke

When Good Posts Go Bad: ERA+ and the CYA

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 22:02:32 -0500

The other night while writing about the signing of Brad Thompson I started thinking about Tim Lincecum and Zack Greinke winning the Cy Young Awards in their respective leagues. More specifically I started wondering how many times the leaders in ERA+ from both the AL and NL won the CYAs. I sat down tonight to [...]

Zack Greinke's Cy Win: Great Pick, But Not Quite Great Change

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:47:45 -0500

Zack Greinke was inarguably the best pitcher in the American League this season. A 9.50 K/9? A 2.16 ERA? 11 home runs allowed in 229.1 innings? The numbers he is directly responsible for -- meaning the figures that aren't his ho-hum 16 wins -- are so overwhelming that Felix Hernandez' stellar season, featuring a 2.46 ERA and a better batting average against than Greinke, got only two first-place Cy Young votes despite being one of the best years of this decade. However, the sabermetr...

D12: How sabermetrics helped Zack Greinke win the Cy Young

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:44:35 -0500

Welcome to 'Duk's Dozen, a streamlined selection of 12 morning-fresh links and items to start your baseball day. It welcomes your email submissions and tips here or via Twitter. 1. Zack Greinke(notes) stays mindful of FIP during games, wins a Cy Young. NYT2. He also delights and validates stats-minded folks everywhere. USS Mariner3. Kansas Citians pause to savor a rare professional sports highlight. KC Star4. For an additional fee, teams can get a negotiating window with Roy Halladay...

Zack Greinke Takes Home Cy Young Award For Stat Geeks Everywhere

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 03:12:46 -0500

You know how occasionally some crotchety old baseball writer or one of the idiots on Around The Horn will pad their insipid argument with something along the lines of “Players don’t care about these newfangled stats. They just want to go out there every five days and throw strikes. You really think Zack Greinke cares [...]

The Curves of Zack Greinke

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:00:15 -0500

More photos » by Charlie Riedel - AP Browse more photos » Zack Greinke earned the 2009 Cy Young Award earlier today. It was well deserved, and not much of a surprise. I've covered Greinke via PITCHf/x on a few occasions* (here, here, here, here and here), so I'm taking this opportunity to look at Greinke's curveball -- which is thrown at a wide range of speeds. *If you check out those links, you'll see ...

Your AL Cy Young Winner Is Zack Greinke

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:17:00 -0500

In a season where there wasn't much to cheer about for Royals' fans, there was one bright spot. And that bright spot was Zack Greinke. Despite everything that went on around him, Greinke went 16-8 with a 2.16 ERA this season. With numbers like this, on a team like the Royals, voters had no choice but award him the AL Cy Young. NEW YORK — Zack Greinke won the American League Cy Young Award on Tuesday, beating out Felix Hernandez after a spectacular season short on wins but long o...

As it Should Be: Zack and Felix 1 & 2 in AL Cy Young Voting

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:01:17 -0500

Zack Greinke has officially won the 2009 AL Cy Young Award. The voters did the right thing by giving the award to Zack, but they did an even better job by voting Felix 2nd. In a bit of a surprise, Justin Verlander took 3rd over C.C. Sabathia, who finished 4th, and Roy Halladay who was [...]

The five starts that helped Zack Greinke win the AL Cy Young

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:37:03 -0500

Worry no longer, Kansas City. After a few months spent fretting that Cy Young voters wouldn't be able to see past a relatively low victory total or would simply be blinded by the glare from a bigger market ace, the brilliance of Zack Greinke's(notes) 2009 season prevailed in dominating fashion. The Kansas City ace received 25 of 28 first-place votes on Tuesday afternoon to win his first Cy Young award and provide a downtrodden baseball market with something to crow about. Seattle...

Zack Greinke Wins AL Cy Young

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:28:03 -0500

Zack Greinke of the Kansas City Royals has won the Cy Young award in the American League, beating Felix Hernandez by 54 votes. Zack Greinke won the American League Cy Young Award on Tuesday, beating out Felix Hernandez after a spectacular season short on wins but long on domination. Greinke went 16-8 with a 2.16 ERA for the Kansas City Royals. Hernandez went 19-5 with a 2.49 ERA for the Seattle Mariners. Greinke received 25 first-place votes and three seconds for 134 points in b...

You've Come A Long Way, Greinke

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:22:00 -0500

Awards season continues with the American League Cy Young announced this afternoon. Hopefully none of you were surprised when it was given to the only logical pitcher: Mr. Badass himself, Zack Greinke. Man, we love this kid.The Kansas City Royals right-hander deserved this honor more than anyone -- even lights out righty Felix Hernandez, who took second in the voting. Greinke was shorter on wins than your average 19-21 game winners of the past, but his season was chock-full of domination. He ...

Zack Greinke Overwhelming Choice for AL Cy Young Winner

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:09:34 -0500

After yesterday's controversial selections of Bailey and Coghlan for AL and NL Rookie of the Year awards, the BBWAA members hit a homerun after an easy pitch to the plate, regardless of his team's place in the standings. Zack Greinke of the Kansas City Royals was an overwhelming choice for the American League Cy Young Award despite posting a victory total that matched the lowest for any winner in either league among starting pitchers in a full season. Pitching for a team that was next to last in the AL in average runs per game, Greinke compiled a 16-8 record with a 2.16 ERA. No AL starter had won the Cy Young Award without winning at least 18 games. Greinke fell two victories short and equaled the output of 2006 National League winner Brandon Webb, who was 16-8 that year for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Grienke, 26, who held opponents to one run or fewer in 18 of his 33 starts, was named first on 25 and second on the other three ballots cast by two writers in each league city for a total of 134 points, based on the 5-3-1 tabulation system. The righthander’s league-best ERA was the lowest in the AL since 2000 Cy Young Award winner Pedro Martinez had a 1.74 ERA for the Boston Red Sox. Greinke also was second in complete games (6), shutouts (3), strikeouts (242) and opponents’ batting average (.230). He was the only pitcher named on all ballots. Seattle Mariners righthander Felix Hernandez (19-5, 2.49 ERA), received two first-place votes and finished second in the balloting with 80 points. The other first-place vote went to Detroit Tigers righthander Justin Verlander (19-9, 3.92 ERA), who placed third overall. Hernandez and Verlander were tied for the AL lead in victories. Hernandez led the league in winning percentage (.792) and batting average against (.227) and Verlander in innings (240) and strikeouts (269). It marks the fourth time a Royals pitcher has been honored. Greinke joins two-time winner Bret Saberhagen (1985, 1989) and David Cone (1994). The voting broke down as follows: 1st 2nd 3rd Points Zack Greinke, Kansas City Royals 25 3 134 Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners 2 23 1 80 Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers 1 9 14 CC Sabathia, New York Yankees 2 7 13 Roy Halladay, Toronto Blue Jays 11 11 Source: BBWAA The rest of the award schedule is as follows (all times ET) Wednesday, Nov. 18—AL and NL Manager of the Year awards Thursday, Nov. 19—NL Cy Young Award Monday, Nov. 23—AL Most Valuable Player award Tuesday, Nov. 24—NL Most Valuable Player award SEE THE MOST RECENT LISTING OF BBWAA BADGE MEMBERS OTHER NEWS FROM THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK (THE BIZ OF FOOTBALL) Jon Gruden Signs Mult-Year Extension with ESPN At Midseason, NFL TV Ratings Exceptionally Strong Boise St. Engages PR Firm in Attempt to Gain BCS Game Does the NFL Salary Cap Still Work? (THE BIZ OF HOCKEY) Inside the Numbers: The 2009 Forbes NHL Valuations NHLPA Votes to Create Two Committees, Approves Donald Fehr to Assist in Exec. Dir. Search The NHL Works to Address Head Hits (THE BIZ OF BASKETBALL) Despite Economy Early NBA Attendance Only Down 2% Daktronics to Provide Massive Video Display for Amway Center NBA D-League Goes to 3-Round, 3-Game Format for Postseason Timberwolves File Lawsuit Against AEG Over Target Center Signage (SPORTS BASH) Because It's Good For You: Rob Neyer Roger Clemens Should Have Listened to Momma The NHLPA Is Sports’ Dysfunctional Stepchild Key Off-Season Dates on MLB’s Calendar (and notes about them) Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is available for hire or freelance. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network. Don't forget to register and log in on The Biz of Baseball site to get updates via your in-box, and see information only logged in members can see. Follow Maury Brown on Twitter Follow The Biz of Baseball on Twitter Follow the Business of Sports Network on Facebook

Zack Greinke Wins AL Cy Young. Now Will KC Build Around Him?

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:02:20 -0500

Zack Greinke took home his first Cy Young Award today after a season that saw him go 16-8 with a spectacular 2.16 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 242 strikeouts. Greinke also had six complete games and three shutouts, all for a team that won just 65 games. In fact, Greinke has the distinction of being just the third pitcher this decade to win the award for a losing team. This season, the Royals tied for last in the AL Central with Cleveland, who coincidentally, had the two previous AL Cy Young Award win...

Zack Greinke Wins Cy Young Award in Convincing Fashion

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:00:00 -0500

Kansas City starting pitcher Zack Greinke has won the American League Cy Young Award thanks to a superior and dominant season despite a lack of support from a poorly assembled Royals team. Greinke received 25 of 28 first place votes for a whopping 134 total points. Look, he beat out Felix Hernandez, Roy Halladay, Jon Lester, and Justin Verlander, each who had outstanding years of their own that, translated back a season, probably would have beaten 2008's winner Cliff Lee. King Felix actua...