2015 MLB Season Thread

[Vander Blue Man Group]

Go look at their numbers through July.  Arrieta's ERA was 2.62, Greinke's was 1.41.  Roughly "have" (really, half).  Interesting.  It wasn't even close.  Those are facts.  I will provide you with more facts (see: stats...numbers never lie) if you would like.  Or you can continue to pretend that anybody other than Greinke was even worthy of discussion for the Cy Young Award "have" way into the season.

Congrats to Arrieta for having one of the greatest second halves to a baseball season ever.  He closed a gap that I didn't think anybody could.  But that doesn't mean we can rewrite history and pretend he was right there with Greinke on August 9.

Just like if you said today, "Russell Westbrook should be in the discussion for NBA MVP."  No, there is only 1 person worth discussing for NBA MVP right now, and it's Stephen Curry.  By the end of the year will that be the case?  Maybe, maybe not.  But as of November 19, nobody is even close to Stephen Curry, just like on August 9, nobody was even close to Zack Greinke for NL Cy Young.

I posted on August 9th that Arrieta should be in that conversation.  Their ERAs on August 9th were 1.65 and 2.36 respectively.  That's nowhere near half.  Numbers don't like, right? 

Being in the conversation is clearly not the same thing and saying he was "right there" with Greinke as of August 9th.  Comprehension is important.

Your Westbrook/Curry example is ridiculous as well, primarily because we are three weeks into the season.   

Thanks for calling out my "half" vs "have" typo in that manner.  Figures your one of those.  That last one is just for you if you want to correct it.   

[wadesworld]

I posted on August 9th that Arrieta should be in that conversation.  Their ERAs on August 9th were 1.65 and 2.36 respectively.  That's nowhere near half.  Numbers don't like, right? 

Being in the conversation is clearly not the same thing and saying he was "right there" with Greinke as of August 9th.  Comprehension is important.

Your Westbrook/Curry example is ridiculous as well, primarily because we are three weeks into the season.   

Thanks for calling out my "half" vs "have" typo in that manner.  Figures your one of those.  That last one is just for you if want to correct it.

I am in ownership of one of those?  What are those?  Not sure what it is, but I appreciate it.

Anyhow, I see you want to continue this.  Please go look at their WHIPs, BAA, home runs, etc. etc. etc.  Report back to me on those and we'll see whether Arrieta was even remotely close to where Greinke was on August 9.  (Hint: he wasn't)

If "being in the discussion" doesn't mean that someone is "right there with" the leader, then what's the point?  Then any player in the MLB could be in the discussion.  Sure, hypothetically we could have discussed Jimmy Nelson as a candidate for the Cy Young, but, just like Arrieta on August 9, it starts and ends with, "He's not even remotely close to being in contention for this award."

What Arrieta did from April through August 9 did not come close to winning him the Cy Young Award.  What he did in the last 2 months of the season won him the Cy Young Award.