Read Sports Geek’s and Loyal Homer’s arguments about which pitcher was the best in 2009.
We are in the home stretch for the 2009 baseball season. As the season draws to a close, we wanted to take a look back over the past six months to determine who the best pitcher of the year was.
Sports Geek is going to look at Chris Carpenter’s season, Loyal Homer will argue on behalf of Tim Lincecum, and Bleacher Fan will be arguing for Zach Greinke.
This is really not that complicated of a problem to solve. The best pitcher is the one who gives up the fewest runs… It really is that simple. Greinke, who is the ace in the Kansas City Royals rotation, is the owner of the best ERA in baseball.
The question is not to discuss the winningest pitcher in baseball, or the pitcher with the best shot to lead his team into the postseason. The fact that Greinke is a pitcher for one of the worst teams in baseball does not diminish the fact that he is a dominant pitcher. Greinke was named to his first All-Star team in 2009 (many believed that he SHOULD have been the starter), and is considered a favorite by many to win the American League Cy Young Award.
I hate to say it, but just imagine how bad the Royals would be if they DIDN’T have Greinke in their rotation! The Royals’ team ERA is a pathetic 4.69 (the fifth worst in baseball), and that INCLUDES Greinke’s league leading 2.14 ERA. The fact that he has lost six games this year is due primarily to a lack of run support by the Royals offense, who ranks in the bottom ten for total runs scored at 626 (as a side note, the New York Yankees have scored 856 runs as a team in 2009 – that is 230 MORE runs than the Royals).
Do not hold it against Greinke that the Royals are a bad team. As far as individual performance is concerned, Greinke is the most dominant pitcher in baseball today.
As already discussed, he leads the league in ERA. He also ranks third in the Majors in strikeouts with 224, and has only walked 44 batters. It is unfortunate that Greinke can’t have a better supporting cast around him. If that were the case, the Royals might actually be in contention for the postseason (especially in the American League Central division). Unfortunately for Kansas City fans, though, Greinke is only available to pitch once every five nights.
When Greinke does step onto the mound, though, fans know they are going to be treated to something special. At only 25 years old, Greinke is LOADED with upside! Since his rookie season in 2004, he has progressively improved in every single aspect of his game. His ERA has dropped every year, his strikeouts have increased, he is pitching for more innings, and his record has improved with each season. Who knows what lies ahead for Greinke? If he keeps this pace up, though, they might as well begin planning his induction ceremony into Cooperstown now!
