Cy Young Mysteries

by Mike Izzo

Has anyone else noticed the amount of Cy Young winners that have either changed teams or gotten injured this off-season? Of all the active winners of the coveted pitching award it seems like only Tim Lincecum and C.C. Sabathia have stayed put and relatively healthy (and even then, C.C. had off-season knee surgery).

But just how much help will they be to their new teams? Here’s a look at the big names that changed colors this season.

Zack Greinke (2009 AL winner with KC) to Milwaukee Brewers

Few can compete with Grienke when he's on his game. But for every Cy Young worthy season he’s had - like his 2009 season with a 2.16 ERA - there is a 2010 campaign to go with it - he had a poor 4.17 ERA in 2010. Savior, he is not. The Brew Crew have a lot more work to do than just adding Greinke to get to the playoffs. The move to the National League is always good news for pitchers and he should add a couple of wins this year thanks to an improved offense behind him (But hey as long as it wasn’t the Pirates anything is a step up from the Royals…Sorry Jeff and Pete. Truly, I am.) I would say an ERA slightly under 3.00, which is great, but don’t expect any Cy Young talk.

Brandon Webb (2006 NL with ARZ) to Texas Rangers

When he won his Cy Young five years ago, the sinker was the best pitch in baseball. Nearly un-hittable, and practically impossible to hit a home run off of. Heck, it got Chien-Ming Wang 38 wins in two years! But times have changed, and neither’s sinker is what it used to be. After missing nearly two complete seasons with shoulder injury, Webb finds himself in a new home with a lot to prove. Does he still have that sinker in him? I say no.

If Webb returns to form, he could be a steal for Nolan Ryan and the Rangers.

Bartolo Colon (2005 AL with LAA) to New York Yankees (minor-league contract)

The real travesty is that Colon even has a Cy Young in the first place. A career 4.10 ERA pitcher, he beat out Mariano Rivera (43 Saves, 1.38 ERA) and Johan Santana, splitting a pair of Cy Young's for Johan, solely because he had 21 wins. Wins, if you didn’t know, are the most useless stat to judge a pitcher by. Felix Hernandez was on 13-12 when he deservedly won last season. Don’t expect anything from this move. Colon doesn’t need a new home to pitch well, just a serious diet (By the way, his ESPN profile page lists his weight as 185lbs. Yeah. Maybe when he was 13.).

Colon is a big dude. Plain and simple.

Cliff Lee (2008 AL with CLE) to Philadelphia Phillies

Okay, so maybe this one will work out all right. There isn’t much to say that hasn’t already been said about this. Lee is at the top of his game right now. He’s part of the greatest rotation in recent memory. Nolan Ryan and the Steinbrenners are quietly plotting his demise. Yada, yada, yada

Cy Young Injuries:

Greinke: fractured rib, out three regular season starts

Oh by the way, did I forget to mention a couple of paragraphs ago that Greinke will miss the start of the season because he can’t take a charge in a pickup basketball game? To my knowledge, this is the first time since Aaron Boone that an MLB player will miss significant time due to a pickup basketball. Welcome to the club, Greinke.

Greinke has a career record of 60-67.

Johan Santana (2004, 2006 AL with MIN): shoulder surgery, will miss the majority of the 2011 season

I only hope that Johan returns soon and at 100 percent because when he is healthy, there are few, if any, better than him. It would be a shame to see him cut down in his prime. Then again, he does pitch for the Mets so it’s not like his season mattered anyway (Let’s be honest Mets fans. You come to this realization every year by July anyway. Save yourself the stress. The Phillies own this division right now.) At the rate he was going before his injury, there could be a few more Cy Young awards left in him if he comes back healthy. Here’s to hoping.

Jake Peavy (2007 NL with SD): unique shoulder surgery with no precedent for recovery

Though Peavy has already made two preseason starts for the White Sox, he is coming off a type of shoulder surgery that has never before been used on a MLB player. Some project him to miss half of the regular season. Others expect him to pitch from the start, albeit at 60-70 percent. Either way, it’s safe to say his best years are behind him.

Carpenter is the only man on this list still on the team he won the Cy Young with.

Chris Carpenter (2005 NL with STL): strained hamstring

Hopefully, this is just a blip on the radar for another talented pitcher. Just a few short years removed from Tommy John surgery, Carpenter came back and picked up where he left off. With Wainwright out for the season, the Cards need him healthy if they have any chance of winning the Central.