Zack Greinke, Los Angeles Dodgers
Zack Geinke is having the best season of his career, which says a lot for a former Cy Young Award-winner.
The Los Angeles Dodgers ace recorded a 1.66 ERA and 9.3 wins above replacement (WAR), both of which rank No. 1 among MLB pitchers in 2015. At the midway point of the season, Greinke was running away with the National League Cy Young Award. His second Cy Young Award could be in doubt, however, after Chicago Cubs starter Jake Arrieta recorded arguably the most dominant second half in baseball history.
Regardless, Greinke gives the Dodgers the best one-two punch among all 2015 MLB postseason teams. His counterpart, Clayton Kershaw, just recorded the first 300-strikeout season since 2002, and there is simply not another team in baseball that features this level of dominance at the top of its rotation.
The Cubs provide the closest competition in the National League, with the duo of Arrieta and Lester being capable of shutting down any offense in the postseason. But even with Arrieta’s incredible performance since the All-Star break, the pair does not touch Greinke and Kershaw this year.
Greinke’s outstanding 2015 campaign gives the Dodgers the potential to send the past two Cy Young Award winners to the mound for the first two games of each series, something that no other team can lay claim to.
Next: Lorenzo Cain, Kansas City Royals