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Zack Greinke signed a 6-year $147 million dollar deal with the Dodgers before the season started. In his first season in Los Angeles, the right hander didn't dissapoint.
What went right?
Name something baseball related and Greinke probably did it successfully in 2013. The 30-year-old had his best season since 2009 when he won the AL Cy Young. During the regular season, Greinke went 15-4 with a 2.63 ERA, 148 strikeouts, and a 1.114 WHIP. The right-hander also pitched very well in the playoffs for the Dodgers. He went 1-1 with a 2.57 ERA and 17 strikeouts in three starts.
During the final two months of the regular season, Greinke was one of the best pitchers in baseball. The right-hander went 7-1 in 11 starts and had a 1.49 ERA. In August specifically, Greinke was 5-0 in five starts with a 1.23 ERA to take home NL Pitcher of the Month honors.
Greinke was also dominant in the batters box for the Dodgers. The 30-year-old won the first Silver Slugger of his career when he finished with a slash line of .328/.409/.379.
The right-hander's best outing of the season came on July 13th against the Rockies. Greinke struck out nine and gave up just two hits over nine shutout innings.
What went wrong?
This.
Greinke's confrontation with Carlos Quentin put him on the disabled list for a month with a broken clavicle. The incident occurred on April 11th and was supposed to knock him out for eight weeks, but he returned on May 15th.
If Greinke didn't miss that month, it isn't clear what would've happened to Los Angeles in the long run because the team ended up running away with the division.
The Dodgers' starter struggled at the end of June and the beginning of July, but not enough to have his numbers change significantly.
2014 status:
In the Dodgers' rotation. That's really it.
It will be tough for Greinke to top his incredible 2013 season when he dominated at the plate and had his best season on the mound since he won the AL Cy Young in 2009. But if he can, the best 1-2 bunch in the National League would get even better.