Bleacher Report - Kansas City Royals

MLB 9s: Kansas City Royals—George Brett, Carlos Beltran Top Voting

Ash Marshall — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:08:11 -0500

One question, hundreds of answers: Which Royal had the greatest offensive season at his position?

Major League baseball has been asking fans this same question in an effort to choose each team's best-ever collection of stars.

They are calling it MLB 9s.

Here I have separated the contenders from the pretenders in an effort to pick my dream Royals lineup, based on their one career year. Have your say by commenting below, or by voting on the MLB site here .

My other MLB 9s you might want to check out are:

Diamondbacks , Braves , Orioles , Red Sox , Cubs , White Sox , Reds , Indians , Rockies , Tigers , and Marlins.

Catcher: Darrell Porter (1979)

Porter hit 20 home runs, drove in 112 runs, and scored 101 himself in what I believe is the best offensive season for any Royals’ catcher.

Porter’s 20 home runs are second all-time for a Kansas City backstop behind Miguel Olivo, while his RBI totals surpass any other catcher by a massive 45. His 121 walks are also a franchise high at his position.

Porter batted .291, with a .421 on-base percentage. He recorded 23 doubles and 10 triples, and finished ninth place in the AL MVP voting.

Highlight Game: August 17, 1979 @ Baltimore. By some accounts, his season was quite pedestrian. No multi-homer games, no four-hit games, no five-RBI games, nothing.

It is therefore more of a testament to his durability and consistency that he was able to have the best offensive season by a Royals’ catcher, without relying on a one-off four-home run game for example.

On August 17, Porter went 3-for-4 with a home run, triple, sacrifice, and three batted in, missing out on the cycle by a double.

Competition: Porter stands alone at the top of the catcher mountain. Mike Macfarlane would probably be second, based on his 1993 exploits. He hit 20 homers and batted .273, scoring 55 runs, and knocking in 67.

Good, but a long way from Porter. John Wathan would be even further down the list, saved only be a .305 clip and 17 steals.

First Base: John Mayberry (1975)

Mayberry had a career year in 1975, finishing runner-up in the MVP race to Boston’s Fred Lynn.

Mayberry hit 34 home runs and walked 119 times, giving him a .416 on-base percentage and .547 slugging percentage.

He hit 38 doubles and drove in 106 runs, scoring 95 times, and collecting a total of 303 bases, good enough for second in the AL behind Milwaukee’s George Scott.

Mayberry’s 34 home runs in a single season is the second best mark for a Royals’ first baseman, behind Steve Balboni’s 36.

Highlight Game: July 1, 1975 @ Texas. Mayberry went 3-for-4 with three solo home runs. Despite his headline day, the rest of his team were handcuffed with the bat, as the Rangers ran out 5-4 winners.

Competition: Mike Sweeney had a gem of a season in 2000 which I think is good enough for second best.

He hit 29 home runs and batted .333, scoring 105 runs, and knocking in 144. His 206 hits was third best in the AL, and his 136 runs created and 323 total bases both ranked inside the top 10.

Second Base: Frank White (1986)

White’s 22 home runs and 84 runs batted in are both Royals’ records for second basemen, and his .465 slugging percentage is second only to the .469 he posted four years earlier.

He batted .272 and scored 76 runs, posting the second highest OPS of his career. He ranked seventh in the AL with 36 doubles and 10th with 62 extra-base hits.

In the ’86 season he won his first and only Silver Slugger award and was selected to his fifth All Star Game.

Highlight Game: August 17, 1986 vs. Texas. White had his only multi-homer game of the season, going 4-for-5 with two home runs, a double, a walk, an intentional walk, and seven runs batted in.

The Royals won 9-8 in extra innings, with White hitting a walk-off home run to deep left field off Dale Mohorcic in the bottom of the 11th inning.

Competition: Jose Offerman stole 45 bases and batted .315 during the 1998 season, providing a sharp contrast to the power stroke of Frank White. More than a decade after Offerman’s ’98 campaign, his 102 runs is the most by any Kansas City second baseman.

Carlos Febles had a decent outing the following season, hitting 10 home runs and swiping 20 bags.

Third Base: George Brett (1980)

Brett had an incredible season, setting franchise records with a .390 batting average and .664 slugging percentage.

Brett hit 24 home runs and 33 doubles, stealing 15 bases, and recording 118 runs batted in.

His .454 on-base percentage led the American League, and the 1980 season saw him go to the All-Star Game for the fifth consecutive year, win his first Silver Slugger award, and beat out “Mr. October” Reggie Jackson for the title of Most Valuable Player.

Highlight Game: September 30, 1980 vs. Seattle. In the final week of the regular season, Brett handed the Mariners their third straight loss with a dramatic walk-off home run in the bottom of the 14th inning at Kauffman Stadium.

With runners on first and third, Brett knew a base hit would tie the game. But he took Mike Parrott yard, scoring Willie Wilson and U. L. Washington, and giving the Royals a 7-5 victory.

Competition: When a player had a dominant season like Brett had, the competition is fairly slim.

Dean Palmer hit 34 home runs and drove in 119 batters during the 1998 season, Joe Foy stole 37 bases in 1969, and Kevin Seitzer batted .323 with 105 runs scored in the 1987 season.

Shortstop: Jay Bell (1997)

Bell batted .291 with 21 home runs, 92 RBI, 89 runs scored, and 10 stolen bases.

His home runs and RBI tallies are the highest by any Royals’ shortstop, while his 71 walks are second only to Freddie Patek. His .368 on-base percentage is also a franchise high at his position and his .461 slugging percentage is second to Mike Aviles’ .480.

In his only year with the Royals, the former first round draft pick drew 71 walks and stole 10 bases.

Highlight Game: April 14, 1997 @ Toronto. In his only multi-home run game for Kansas City, Bell hit two home runs in a 3-2 victory over the Blue Jays in Canada. Both homers were solo shots, and he finished the day 2-for-4 with a pair of runs.

Competition: U. L. Washington had a decent season in 1982 with 10 home runs and 23 stolen bases, and Mike Aviles batted .325 with 68 runs scored in 2008.

Freddie Patek holds the single season record for steals by a Royals’ shortstop with 49, set in 1971 when he batted .267 and scored 86 runs.

Outfield: Amos Otis (1978)

I believe Otis had the best single offensive year by a Royals’ outfielder in 1978 when he batted .298 with 22 home runs, 96 runs batted in, and 32 stolen bases.

Otis finished fourth in the AL MVP voting behind winner Jim Rice, Yankees’ pitcher Ron Guidry, and Milwaukee slugger Larry Hisle.

Otis finished in the American league top 10 in batting average, on-base percentage, runs batted in, and stolen bases. He was also in the top five in slugging percentage.

His power-speed combination was rated third behind Bobby Bonds and Don Baylor.

The Royals finished first in the AL West, but lost in the ALCS to the Yankees.

Highlight Game: September 6, 1978 @ Oakland. Otis snapped an 8-8 tie in the top of the 12th inning against the As with a two-out, two-run single to right field.

Otis finished 4-for-6 with a home run in the eighth inning, a walk, a stolen base, and four RBI.

Al Cowens (1977)

Cowens batted .312 with 23 home runs, 112 RBI, 98 runs scored, and 16 stolen bases.

His 112 runs batted in is the third highest total of any Royals’ outfielder ever, while his 14 triples has only ever been beaten by the speedy Willie Wilson.

Cowens played all 162 games, ranked fourth in the AL with 318 total bases, and finished second in the MVP ballot behind Rod Carew.

Highlight Game: September 6, 1977 @ Seattle. Cowens went a perfect 5-for-5 with a pair of home runs, a double, four runs, and four RBI against the Mariners in the Kingdome.

It was his second five-hit game of the season and his only multi-home run game of the ’77 campaign.

Carlos Beltran (2001)

Beltran shone as a true five-tool player in the KC outfield in 2001. He batted .306 with 24 home runs and 31 stolen bases, recording triple-digit marks in both runs scored (106) and runs batted in (101).

In his third full year as a Royal, the 24-year-old Beltran hit 32 doubles and had a .514 slugging percentage. He ranked inside the top 10 of the AL for runs, hits, total bases, and steals.

Highlight Game: August 22, 2001 vs Chicago White Sox. In an agonizing 13-12 loss to the White Sox, Beltran went 3-for-4 with six runs batted in, a steal, and two walks.

He was a double short of hitting for the cycle after placing a triple in the third and a home run in the seventh.

Competition: Danny Tartabull is the one guy who I feel slightly bad about leaving off this list. He had three very good seasons with the Royals, including two different years when he batted above .300 with more than 30 home runs.

He was a solid gap hitter, playing at a time when the Royals were on top of the world after winning the World Series in ’85.

His best season came in 1991 when he hit 31 home runs and drove in 100 batters. His .593 slugging percentage ranks No. 1 all-time among Royals’ outfielders.

Jermaine Dye had a decent year in 2000 with 33 home runs and a .321 batting average, and both Lou Piniella and Richie Scheinblum were above average in 1972.

Designated Hitter: Hal McRae (1982)

McRae had the best single offensive year on any Kansas City DH in 1982 when he hit 27 home runs and drove in 133 runs.

Only Chili Davis hit more home runs as a designated hitter (30 in 1997), and none of their other five full-time DHs recorded 100 RBI in one season.

His 104 runs is also a high mark for the team, and he led the American League with 46 doubles and 133 RBI. He was selected as a substitute to the All Star Game for the third time and finished fourth in the AL MVP voting.

Highlight Game: July 26, 1982 @ Cleveland. McRae went 4-for-5 with a home run, double, and three runs batted in as part of an 8-1 win over the Indians.

Competition: Chili Davis batted .279 with 90 RBI in the season he hit 30 home runs, and Bob Hamelin batted .282 with 24 home runs in 1994.

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Kansas City Royals Prospect Report: Aaron Crow

Eric Stashin — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:52:22 -0500

If you knew nothing about the path 23-year-old Aaron Crow took after entering the 2008 draft, you would probably just assume that he’d already be making an impact in the Major Leagues.

Armed with a fastball that can touch the mid-90s, as well as a slider (which mlb.com called his best pitch) and changeup, that would’ve been a fair assessment after he was selected ninth overall by the Washington Nationals.

That’s not how things played out, however. Coming off a junior season at Missouri that saw him dominate, going 13-0 with a 2.35 ERA and 127 Ks, he was regarded as one of the top two college pitchers entering the draft (along with Brian Matusz).

The team and Crow’s representatives failed to come to an agreement, however, leaving Crow to spend the year pitching for the Fort Worth Cats of the Independent League.

While he didn’t make many starts for the team, he was dominant when he did take the mound. In three starts (17 innings), he went 3-0 with a 1.06 ERA and 17 Ks. Additionally, he allowed very few baserunners, allowing 11 hits and 5 walks.

He reentered the draft in 2009, once again going in the first round. The Nationals actually had a chance to redraft him (at No. 10, but they instead took Drew Storen), leaving Crow to drop to the Kansas City Royals at No. 12, who gladly scooped him up.

He didn’t make an appearance in the Royals minor league system, but got a chance to show his value in the Arizona Fall League. He has not been lights out, going 0-2 with a 5.87 ERA over 15.1 innings, but there have been a few positives to point out.

While his control is a concern for some, he has walked just two batters. In addition, he ended his time in the AFL by tossing four brilliant, shutout innings. During that start, he allowed one hit and no walks, striking out four in the process.

Crow said he was up in the zone in his first few starts, which led to his problems. He was quoted as saying, “Being out there and being on a scheduled routine and facing hitters every [start] and every week and focusing on keeping the ball down, it’s been a lot easier to do when you’re in a routine”.

We all know that the Royals are a team that is constantly looking for pitching help and it is possible that Crow could be on the fast track in 2009.

While he may start the year in Single or Double-A, depending on how much of a challenge the Royals want to give him, it would not be surprising to see him get a start or two in the majors at some point.

Of course, a potential innings limit could affect him, having barely pitched against professional hitters in 2009. He had just 15 starts in his junior year and between the Independent League and AFL, has just 32.1 innings under his belt.

While the team is said to be willing to be very active in the trade front (which they already have been when they sent Mark Teahen to the White Sox for Josh Fields & Chris Getz ), at this point their rotation appears to be a black hole behind Zack Greinke.

Yes, Robinson Tejeda showed potential and there is still hope for Luke Hochevar, but they need all the help they can get.

While yearly league owners would be smart to keep an eye on him, yet not take the gamble quite yet, he is a must-own for all dynasty leaguers. While a 2010 appearance may only be a cameo, he’s ticketed to be a mainstay for the Royals as soon as 2011.

What are your thoughts on Crow? How good can he be? When will he make his Major League debut?

You can read other recent Prospect Reports including:

To read the previous article, click here .

THIS ARTICLE IS ALSO FEATURED ON WWW.ROTOPROFESSOR.COM

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Zack Greinke Won the Cy Young...So What?

Jordan Bratt — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:45:43 -0500

The results are in and, as many predicted, Zack Greinke has won the 2009 American League Cy Young Award .

He has also claimed:

Sporting News AL Pitcher of the Year

Bullet Logan Award—Negro Leagues

AL's Outstanding Pitcher—Player's Choice Award

KC Royals Pitcher of the Year

Cool.

What does all of this mean for me?

As Chris Rock might say: "I got home from work and looked in the mailbox for my Greinke Prize, NOTHIN'!"

But that's not true. Every Royals fan won something today. Hope .

The idea of trading Greinke now is ludicrous; it reeks of a desperate attempt to identify "sell high" candidates, and illustrates an overall lack of baseball insight.

He just turned in one of the best seasons a pitcher has EVER had, he says he likes it in Kansas City, he's signed for the next three years at a reasonable rate and he just turned 26 years old.

You do not trade a "sure thing" for a bunch of maybe's; especially with the Royals track record of scouting talent.

Additionally, Greinke possesses the type of talent that can attract other ball players to Kansas City. Just as he makes management and the fan base drool, he has impressed his peers; as evidenced in the AL's Outstanding Pitcher—Player's Choice Award he won.

An optimal Greinke is a happy Greinke—we have experienced both in KC—and these accolades mean something in the grand scheme of things.

Greinke has previously stated that he wants to win . That is what motivates him, not individual achievement. He proves this time and time again in interviews *.

*Side Note: During this interview, Greinke revealed his ability to scout when he stated, "Davies thinks he's good at everything but he's not really good at anything."

Greinke wants to win everything he participates in. Playing for the Royals must be killing him.

Individual achievement doesn't resolve that, but losing out on achievement due to team ineptness perpetuates displeasure.

We can't afford to get too far ahead of ourselves and before last season Dayton Moore did sign Greinke through 2012, but he'll be under 30 and at his theoretical peak when his contract expires...will he be willing to re-sign?

Who knows? At least this years individual achievements give the franchise a stay of further negativity, possibility for improvement and doesn't add to the dog-pile of failure mounting on the lawn.

Greinke is the franchises best selling point in connecting with both free agents and fans.

If he comes close to replicating this years gem in 2010, he will legitimize his fans infatuations and prove he is the cornerstone player essential for a Royal turnaround.

That will assist in bringing coveted free agents to Kansas City without breaking the bank.

Which will lead to a more balanced ball club.

Which will assist the Royals in re-signing Greinke when the time comes and changing the overall culture of the franchise.

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Former Spokane Indian Zack Greinke Wins AL Cy Young For 2009

Mr. X — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:38:10 -0500

Starting pitcher Zack Greinke of the Kansas City Royals has won the American League Cy Young Award, defeating Felix Hernandez of the Seattle Mariners and Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers.

Greinke pitched for the Spokane Indians in 2002 for his first season.

Greinke compiled a record of 16-8, an ERA of 2.16 and a WHIP of 1.073, as opposed the record of Hernandez at 19-5, an ERA of 2.49 and a WHIP of 1.135.

For those who don't know, WHIP is Walks plus Hits in Innings Pitched, which is similar to the ERA but is a more individually based statistic, while the ERA is a mix of individual performance and the performance of the defense.

The edge that Greinke appears to have had is the streak of five shutouts to open the season for the Royals.

I had favored Hernandez because I thought he had been more consistent over the course of the season, and used the compilation of more wins and fewer losses as the tie-breaker, because both the Royals and Mariners gave little run support to either pitcher, and had similar stats all-around.

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Should the Kansas City Royals Give Consideration to Trading Zack Greinke?

Jesse Motiff — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:37:56 -0500

Zack Greinke's win of the 2009 Cy Young Award should be considered one of the best accomplishments in recent baseball history.

The Kansas City Royals weren't a bad team in 2009, they were awful. Greinke's dominance on a 97-loss team speaks to his greatness.

The Royals are in the very competitive but winnable AL Central. Any great team needs an "ace" of the pitching staff to always depend on, but the Royals have almost an entire roster full of holes to fill in order to compete with Minnesota, Detroit, and Chicago.

Kansas City is one of the smallest markets in baseball and must be creative with their money and players in order to compete. Would trading Zack Greinke be the smartest move for the long-term success of the organization?

At first thought, most fans would immediately say absolutely not. It would be a very difficult sell for the organization trading their most marketable star and hope fans would still come out to watch an awful team.

Trading Greinke could be a lethal blow to a franchise that hasn't been contenders since over 20 years.

While statistics will show that a dominant pitcher, like Greinke, is as valuable as any every day player, fans can only see him once every five days.

A position player that plays every day will draw fans to a game every day, but Greinke's drawing power only comes once a week. The front office will greatly favor someone that will bring fans to the ballpark on a daily basis.

If the Royals would decide to trade Greinke, they could get a huge haul in return. The Indians received four top prospects from the Phillies for Cliff Lee and Ben Francisco.

The Phillies picked up Lee's option for 2010, so they'll have him for a total of a year and a half.

Any team that trades for Greinke would have his services for three years. He's due to make just over $7 million in 2010 and $13 million in 2011 and 2012.

That is an absolute bargain for a Cy Young winner that will only be 26 when next season begins.

He could bring a better haul than Cliff Lee, Johan Santana, or even what Roy Halladay might. That type of talent returning to Kansas City coupled with what little talent they already could make them a respectable team and a viable competitor in their division.

A team like the Boston Red Sox would match up well as a potential trading partner. They possess enough pitching and hitting prospects that could turn around the Kansas City franchise.

The Red Sox have multiple pitchers that would immediately slide into the Royals' rotation and bullpen. They also have young hitters and fielders that could become cornerstones of the offense.

Fans need to understand that although having Greinke on their team is special, but how important is he to the success of team if his very best is only able to get the Royals to 65 wins?

The Royals have available funds to spend on the team in free agency. They could choose to keep Greinke and take their chances on adding pieces that way.

Adding key free agents and making shrewd trades could also build up the team, but can they do it before Greinke hits free agency after 2012?

Dealing Greinke could turn out to be a public relations nightmare for the Royals, but it may be the only move the team could make to become a relevant franchise again.

Trading Cy Young winners has become a growing trend recently, but the Royals have nothing left if Greinke is traded.

The Royals will have a hard time winning with him on the roster, but losing him will make it almost impossible and guarantee few fans will be around to watch what is left.

To read more by Jesse Motiff, click here .

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Zack Greinke Beats Hitters and Psychological Issues

Colin Linneweber — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:18:16 -0500

Kansas City Royals' ace pitcher Zack Greinke was deservedly awarded the 2009 American League Cy Young Award Tuesday afternoon.

Greinke, 26, who received 25 first-place votes and three seconds for 134 points, went 16-8 and he posted a 2.16 ERA for the putrid Royals (65-97).

Greinke’s sterling earned run average was the lowest mark in the American League since Pedro Martinez recorded a minuscule 1.74 ERA in 2000.

The Seattle Mariners' Felix Hernandez finished second in the balloting with 80 overall points.

The fact that Greinke won the most coveted pitching accolade in Major League Baseball is astounding when one considers the obstacles that the native of Orlando has had to overcome as a young adult.

Greinke, the Royals sixth overall pick in the 2002 amateur draft, led the AL in losses in 2005 when he went 5-17.

Furthermore, Greinke, who was named the Royals Minor League Pitcher of the Year and The Sporting News Minor League Player of the Year in 2003, was forced to take a personal leave of absence from “The Boys in Blue” in February 2006 because he was suffering from social anxiety disorder and depression.

“Depression kind of runs in my family,” said Greinke, who agreed to a four year contract worth $38 million with the Royals last winter. “The medicine I take is an antidepressant. At the baseball field, I was unhappy.”

Greinke made plenty of fans at Kauffman Stadium very happy this past baseball season and he should be ecstatic at what he achieved on the hill.

At the tender age of 26, Greinke has a vast arsenal of pitches and he should be a powerhouse hurler for the next decade.

Missouri’s nickname is unofficially, “The Show-Me State.”

Greinke no longer needs to prove or “Show” himself to anybody.

Zack Greinke is an elite pitcher in the major leagues and he will continue to be one for the foreseeable future.

Yanks Need To Beat Sox Again and Sign Cuban Lefty Aroldis Chapman

http://www.newyorkyankeesnews.com/colin815/weblog/8755/yanks-need-to-beat-sox-again-and.html

Randall Cunningham Should Fly Like An Eagle To Canton

http://www.newyorkyankeesnews.com/colin815/weblog/8754/randall-cunningham-should-fly-like.html

Joe Girardi is a Yankees Legend

http://www.newyorkyankeesnews.com/colin815/weblog/8733/joe-girardi-is-a-yankees-legend.html

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And the Cy Young Award Goes To...Zack Greinke

Josh Duggan — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:12:09 -0500

I contemplated preparing something in advance for the occasion of Zack Greinke winning the Cy Young, but I was not entirely convinced that the BBWAA would make the right decision. After the debacle that was the Bartolo Colon 2005 Cy Young Award and the late season statements of Patrick Reusse, a CY voter, I made sure to temper my expectations.

Consider my faith in the BBWAA as capable award voters restored.

This caps a season that we Royals fans are not entirely used to. In fact, most fans have not been privy to a season like Greinke's 2009 campaign.

By nearly cumulative measure, Zack Greinke was the best pitcher in the American League. If we start talking about stats like WAR, he was the best player in baseball. If you wanted to, a case could certainly have been made for Greinke deserving the Gold Glove, as well.

Now, were it not for Greinke's herculean efforts on the mound, Royals fans would have endured an historically abysmal season. When looking past the Royals ace, there was little to cheer for and even less to be encouraged by.

What Greinke gave us all was hope.

Looking beyond the mere fact that every five days we got to see the best pitcher in baseball donning that jersey for the club we somehow still root for, Greinke's dominance let us look towards the future with a little bit of optimism in the midst of a 97-loss season.

His candor refreshed us and gave an empathetic organizational face to the frustration we were all dealing with as apoplectic fans. After all, if there was anyone who didn't deserve a team falling apart around him, it was Greinke. He was our surrogate in that regard. While our suffering was undoubtedly nothing in comparison to his, we were on the same boat.

So, while Zack Greinke does not care for the accolades that have been heaped upon him, this award does somehow validate the slightly less sad existence of the beleaguered Royals fan.

For that, Zack, we salute you.

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Royals' Zack Greinke Wins American League Cy Young

Adam Bernacchio — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:47:59 -0500

My preseason pick for AL Cy Young: Zack Greinke

AL Cy Young award winner: Zack Greinke

I would like to personally thank the Baseball Writers’ Association of America and more importantly, Zack Greinke for making me look like a genius.

Today, Greinke won the American League Cy Young award in a landslide. Greinke received 25 out of 28 first-place votes to win the award. Seattle Mariners’ Felix Hernandez received two first-place votes, and the Detroit Tigers’ Justin Verlander received the other first-place vote.

When I picked Greinke to win the AL Cy Young award, I thought he would have a breakout year, but not to this extent. Greinke flat-out dominated the American League in 2009.

Greinke led the AL with a 2.16 ERA, 242 strike outs, a 1.073 WHIP, and a 0.4 HR/9 in 33 games in 2009. He also finished second in complete games with six and shutouts with three.

The only reason he had just 16 wins is because the team he was playing on was inept. By the way, those 16 wins represented 25 percent of the Kansas City Royals’ wins in 2009.

Greinke is an amazing story. Remember, four years ago Greinke lost 17 games and just three years ago this was a guy who left spring training because of a social anxiety disorder and wasn’t sure if he wanted to play baseball again.

Now he is one of the best young pitchers in the game and should be an ace for years to come.

Greinke becomes the third Kansas City Royal to win the Cy Young. David Cone won the award in 1994, and Bret Saberhagen won the award in 1985 and 1989.

You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @ theghostofmlg

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Zack Greinke Wins AL Cy Young Award, No Longer Stands Alone

PJ Ross — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:05:42 -0500

The final votes are tallied, and Zack Greinke is your overwhelming winner for the American League Cy Young award.

The baby-faced right-hander from powerhouse Apopka High School in Orlando received 25 first place votes and finished well ahead of runner up Felix Hernandez.

Overcoming his off the field personal issues, the 26-year old sprinted out of the gates to a herculean April start and never looked back.He notched a victory in all of his first six decisions while allowing just two earned runs over a 45-inning span.

Similar to the way he ripped through the start of the season, he finished out the year by mounting a 5-0 record in his last eight starts with a 1.29 ERA during that stretch.

But before I get into too much depth about Greinke, I want to address the other pitchers who were in the running to take the honor.

In my opinion, the race was whittled from five potential candidates down to two exemplary youths.

Sure, C.C. Sabathia won 19 games and left everything he had on the field with the World Champion New York Yankees.

And yes, Justin Verlander won 17 games for the Detroit Tigers while leading the league in strikeouts.

Even Roy Halladay, somewhat forgotten after his non-action at the trading deadline, put together 17 wins and a sub-3.00 ERA.

Yet we can’t always assume that the top Cy Young candidates only come from the big name pitchers, and the voters certainly gave the award to the right pitcher in 2009 by selecting Greinke over these outstanding talents.

Additionally, we must overlook the shortage of wins for Greinke because wins cannot be taken at face value ever since of the specialization of the bullpen and the preposterous new era that has seen the emergence of the “Joba rules.”

By this I mean that pitchers are not given the opportunity to win games without the aid of their relievers, and that clearly subjects the win total of a starting pitcher to be altered drastically by others on the staff.

Maybe the starter is rewarded with a 2008 Brad Lidge closing out games and gaining more wins, or perhaps they have the 2009 Lidge which results in losing a number of games they were once in position to win.

It’s almost comical to subject your staff ace and his record to be tarnished through the usage of routinely lesser arms to secure what could be a hard earned victory.

Just take a look at the numbers surrounding the win-loss records from 2009 and you can’t deny the spectacular season put up in the Pacific Northwest by Hernandez or the awe-inspiring campaign turned in by Greinke on an awful Kansas City Royals team.

Halladay, Verlander, and Sabathia all had very good seasons, but their efforts were overshadowed by the two new kids on the block in the Cy Young voting.

If I had to place the top five candidates, they would go in the following order.

	IP	CG	ERA	ERA+	Record	SO/BB	Runs/Gm	BQR*
Greinke	229.1	6	2.16	204	16-8	242/51	3.8	4
Hernandez	238.2	2	2.49	174	19-5	217/71	4.4	9
Halladay	239	9	2.79	155	17-10	208/35	5.2	0
Verlander	240	3	3.45	133	19-9	269/63	6.0	14
Sabathia	230	2	3.37	127	19-8	197/67	4.9	18

*Bequeathed runners (runners left on base when pitcher exited game

As far as I’m concerned, even the large hadron collider couldn’t split atoms small enough to indicate the differentiation between Greinke and Hernandez on the field.

The 23-year old Hernandez was absolutely dazzling in his own right, and his 2009 performance was certainly Cy Young worthy had it not been for such a remarkable effort from Greinke.

King Felix finally earned the crown that was bestowed on him as a teenager in the Emerald City, decimating hitters on the road and putting up a 1.99 ERA away from Safeco Field.

Hernandez also allowed a miniscule two runs or fewer in 23 of his 34 starts this season.

Still, the Midas touch that King Felix possessed can’t quite compete with the pace-setting numbers that Greinke amassed.

A telling statistic that gives much better depth to the basic win-loss record is the number of wins lost and the number of losses saved by the bullpen.

Using this stat to adjust wins and losses, it brings Greinke closer to Hernandez in the wins column and almost balances the losses.

Greinke had three wins lost and one loss saved, while Hernandez had two wins lost and eight losses saved. Those eight saved losses were the second-highest mark in the league.

If we adjust the win-loss record of each player for wins lost and wins saved, Greinke becomes 19-9 while Hernandez moves to 21-12.

When thinking about Greinke accumulating just 16 wins, keep in mind that during his nine no decisions Greinke had a 2.35 ERA. Amidst those no decisions, he lost two games when giving up only one run and saw two shutouts go to waste when the Royals blew his top-shelf efforts.

Greinke also had a silly 18 starts in which he allowed one run or fewer. Most pitchers don’t get that many quality starts in a year, let alone that many outings of such dominating quality.

Look no further than 2006, when the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Brandon Webb went 16-8 for a 76-win team but still took home the Cy Young hardware.

Webb even had a higher ERA (3.10) and fewer strikeouts (178) than Greinke did in 2009. If you think that Webb just had better control than Zach, think again, because Webb walked just one fewer hitter (50) in his award-winning season.

Not only that, but he also got 5.21 runs per start, almost one-and-a-half runs greater than Greinke who received a measly 3.8 runs per start this season.

Webb’s 152 ERA+ also led the league in 2006—so did Greinke in 2009, yet his mark was an astonishing 204.

The bottom line is that you can’t penalize him for playing on a losing team and the amount of havoc he wrought on the league is undeniable.

You could crunch numbers until the cows come home and no matter how you contort the stat lines, Greinke was the best pitcher in the junior circuit this season.

When you add in the factors of Greinke overcoming social anxiety disorder in 2006, this becomes an enthralling personal interest story with a storybook ending.

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Royals Sign Wilson Betemit!

Josh Duggan — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:53:53 -0500

The. Final. Piece. Of. The. Puzzle.

Simon says Championship.

It's hard to even feign emotion one way or the other about this signing. It's a minor-league deal, and he did man each of the four infield positions for the Yankees in 2008, so there is certainly an element of roster flexibility that he would fill in Mark Teahen's absence. He is pretty much a replacement player with a little postseason experience who isn't going to cost the Royals much of anything.

As far as his defense is concerned, it would appear as though he is sub-par across the board. The only position he has garnered enough playing time at to be able to make any quasi-meaningful analysis on is third base, where he has managed a -11.1 UZR/150 in 243 games played (173 starts). That is roughly comparable to Teahen's -10.1 in about twice as much time played at the hot corner. I was never particularly impressed with Teahen's defense at third, visually or statistically, but it always seemed like he was getting praise and then having his apologists chalk it up to being moved all over the field. If the not-having-a-home argument actually holds water, then the same argument can be applied to Betemit.

Again, this is not a move to get excited about, but he was a guy who the Yankees traded for a couple years back at the deadline for depth. At the price tag, it is hard to complain about the signing.

On an unrelated note, Fangraphs will be doing their Royals minor league assessment this week. Keep your eyes peeled.

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