Compared to every pitcher in baseball, Zack Greinke was more than a win more valuable than his next closest competitor (Justin Verlander), according to FanGraphs.com’s WAR (wins against replacement player). When Greinke’s performance is measured by runs instead of wins (VORP), he was 13 runs more valuable than the next best pitcher in 2009 (Felix Hernandez).
Greinke’s sabermetrics are so off the chart; he’s so far ahead of everyone else that anyone with a general understanding of them had no other choice for AL Cy Young. It’s not like other considerations didn’t back up Greinke. He was the story of the first couple weeks of the season, his ERA was the lowest of any player since Pedro Martinez in 2000 and he was second in the league in strikeouts.
The only thing going against Greinke was that his team sucked and his wins — a team statistic –suffered because of it. The choice was obvious to many, still it’s assuring to see all but three people looked past Greinke’s 16 wins and his team’s lack of success to give him an individual award. Based on individual numbers like VORP, he was more valuable than all but two players in baseball (Albert Pujols and Joe Mauer). Two guys with the added benefit of playing pretty much everyday.
What’s even more amazing is that Greinke’s season could have been better. Greinke’s BABIP (batting average for balls in play) was .309, about .019 above league-average. With just a little more luck, or a better defensive team, Greinke’s ERA creeps even closer to 2.00.
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