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MLB Awards Watch: Cy Young races

By Nicholas Ian Allen

June 6, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Max Scherzer (31) throws in the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
June 6, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Max Scherzer (31) throws in the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jun 26, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zack Greinke in the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 26, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zack Greinke in the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Zack Greinke, Arizona Diamondbacks

Name recognition goes a long way in voting for awards like the Cy Young, which is the biggest reason why Zack Greinke has a lead on Alex Wood in our rankings at this stage. Greinke, the 33-year-old Diamondbacks ace, won the 2009 AL Cy Young with Kansas City, and was the runner-up for the NL plaque in 2015. He’s also bounced back admirably from a disappointing 2016 campaign, and while none of those things should matter to voters this year, some will take them to heart when they fill out their ballot.

Of course, there are several numbers that back up our case for Greinke as a top five candidate. First and foremost, he ranks second in the NL and fourth among all pitchers (tied with Alex Wood in both instances) with 2.6 fWAR. By that all-encompassing measure, he’s been the second best pitcher in the senior circuit.

Greinke is 9-4 with a 3.08 ERA (a reasonable eighth among NL starters) and 3.30 FIP (sixth). He has struck out 116 hitters in 102.1 innings across 16 starts, which equates to 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings – the second best of Greinke’s 14-year big league career. Greinke has struck out 28.4 percent of the hitters he has faced, which would be a career best and is a significant improvement over his 22.1 percent career mark. His 5.4 percent walk rate would also be an improvement as Greinke has a 5.9 career percentage. Together, Greinke has a 23.0 percent K%-BB%, which would also be a career best and a major upgrade over his career numbers (16.2 percent).

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