Cherish the Zack Greinke Memories

The Summer of 2008 will always be one I remember.  I had a job that allowed me a lot of freedom to go out on weekends, have fun with co-workers my age, and enjoy my time at home in suburban Milwaukee.  Additionally, the Milwaukee Brewers were in the thick of a pennant race, and then acquired C.C. Sabathia in early July.  Sabathia put on one of the best performances from a pitcher that a team brought in to win games.

 For the first time in my life, the Brewers had a true number one ace.  Not some fraud like Ben Sheets, but an actual ace.  Honestly, knowing every five days, or three in some cases, the Brewers would win the game nine out of ten times was one of the best things ever as a baseball fan.

Since the Fall of 2008 when Sabathia departed for the Big Apple, the Brewers have looked for that ace again.  Some thought Yovani Gallardo would make that next step, and become a true ace. That has not happened with Yo, although he's still young.  The Brewers decided to make another trade to bolster the starting rotation by getting Zack Greinke.

Greinke won Cy Young for the Kansas City Royals, and became one of the most feared pitchers in the American League. Last year, Greinke had moments of brilliance with some stellar outings, but we never saw the 2009 version of Greinke all year. He did win 16 games, but only registered 1.4 WAR last year.   This year has been completely different, and once again, the Brewers have a true ace.

When Greinke is dealing, it is more fun to watch him than the offense. He hits all the corners, and makes the opposing hitters feel foolish. There is really nothing like watching someone being that good at his position.  Right now, any Greinke start feels like primetime viewing just like it did when Sabathia towed the mound. Additionally, it's expected that Greinke is at his best at all times because in reality, he has been all season.  

Greinke is currently 8-2 with a 2.82 ERA with 104 strikeouts, but with the advanced statisitics, they reveal more about how good of a year Greinke is having.  He is second in WAR for pitching behind Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers. Greinke is also second in both FIP and xFIP behind Stephan Strasburg.   His HR/9 is .35 meaning Greinke is barely giving up a home run every nine innings, and also ranks second in that as well.  He also is in the top ten in both K/9 and BB/9.

When the dinosaur and advance stats say you are having a good year, then things are really going good for you.  Too bad for Greinke, his team, the Brewers is falling out of playoff contention.  The Brewers are 2-4 in their last six games with those two wins being when Greinke is on the mound.  This has lead to a fervent amount of trade speculation as Greinke has become this year's Sabathia.

Although this year is different for a couple reasons. The first one being that there is a fifth playoff spot, and right now, it would take 85 wins to get there meaning only teams based in Chicago, San Diego, and Houston are out of it.   The second being if a team uses Greinke as a three-month rental, and they will not get draft composition for him like the Brewers did Sabathia and other teams did in the past.

Greinke might not get dealt, and the Brewers will make their attempt at trying to bring him back to create a foundation with him and Ryan Braun.   But if he does get dealt to Texas, Atlanta, New York, and the horde of other teams who will be after him, these three months of Greinke have been really special.  It's not every year a team like the Brewers has an ace, and that's what they have with Greinke.

Charlie.