Zack Greinke

Profile: Greinke’s 3.83 ERA in 2011 was pedestrian, but nothing else in his performance qualifies as such. He recorded a mammoth 10.54 strikeout rate per nine innings in his first run through the National League, walked just 2.36 per nine, and posted the league’s best xFIP at 2.56. However, there were some bumps in the road — home runs, which eventually evened out to one per nine innings, and stranding runners, which did not even out, as he finished with a 69.8% strand rate (73% is about average). Without Yuniesky Betancourt at shortstop, Greinke should be able to count on some better defense behind him, and as such, his ERA should be expected to match up at least a little better with his fantastic peripherals in 2012. (Jack Moore)

Quick Opinion: Greinke posted the league’s best xFIP in 2011, but his ERA remained merely average. However, an utterly fantastic second half proved what he’s capable of with just the slightest amount of defensive help.

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