Zack Greinke MVP: National League Cy Young Favorite Could Sweep Awards
Zack Greinke MVP talk has been sparked by any great outing for the Los Angeles Dodgers’ pitcher. Greinke pitched eight shutout innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday, September 13, winning his 17th game of the season. He allowed just three hits, struck out eight batters, and lowered his ERA to 1.61 on the season. It was another remarkable outing for the starting pitcher who may be running away with the National League Cy Young Award. Now, talk of Greinke sweeping the main awards has really started to take hold as well.
A report from CBS Sports states that if his ERA finishes at 1.61, it would be the fifth-lowest ERA since 1920 for pitchers that threw at least 144 innings. The most recent ERA in that range was the 1.56 mark that Greg Maddux posted in the 1994 MLB season for the Atlanta Braves. As for the best ERA since the 1920 season, that belongs to the 1.12 mark by Bob Gibson in the 1968 season. Gibson pitched 304 2/3 innings for the St. Louis Cardinals that year.
There is going to be a lot of debate about Zack Greinke winning the MVP Award, but it won’t be because of the amazing season he is putting together for the Dodgers. It will be because he is a starting pitcher. Some MLB analysts feel that the MVP Award needs to go to a hitter, even though it is supposed to go to the most valuable player of any given season. As the Dodgers continue to run away with the National League West, other candidates are starting to fall away in this race.
For the season, Greinke is now 17-3 over 29 starts. He has pitched 200 2/3 innings of work and has posted a 1.61 ERA and a 0.85 WHIP. Fantasy baseball owners and Los Angeles Dodgers fans have enjoyed every minute of what has been Greinke’s best season. He now has a realistic chance to win 20 games for the first time in his career if Dodgers manager Don Mattingly doesn’t decide to have him skip a start down the stretch.
During his career, the individual statistics he has posted are 17 wins (2014), a 2.16 ERA (2009), 242 strikeouts (2009), and a 1.07 WHIP (2009). Greinke has a good chance to top all those numbers and reach 220 innings pitched for the first time since 2010. With numbers like he currently possesses, Zack Greinke would likely become the unanimous choice to win another Cy Young Award and gain a lot of additional support to become the second-straight pitcher (Clayton Kershaw) to win the MVP Award.
[Image Source: Stephen Dunn/Getty Images]
