Dodgers pitching coach compares Zack Greinke to Greg Maddux

By foxsports
Published

While Zack Greinke didn't win the 2015 NL Cy Young Award after posting the lowest ERA in a single season since Greg Maddux's Cy Young campaign in 1995, Los Angeles Dodgers pitching coach Rick Honeycutt sees many similarities between Greinke and the Hall of Fame righty.

In a phone interview with Dodgers flagship station SportsNet LA, Honeycutt admitted that he was "a little bit shocked" that Greinke fell runner-up to the Chicago Cubs' Jake Arrieta in this year's Cy Young voting, feeling that Greinke should have won the award.

"From Day 1 to the end of the season, Zack was the most consistent out of all of them," Honeycutt said.  "[Clayton] Kershaw finished his usual self, super dominant; Arrieta was, too. I know Arrieta had a few more wins, but the winning percentage and the ERA? I was surprised that Zack got three third-place votes. I felt that was a little out of character."

Greinke, who is now 32 years old, opted out of his contract with the Dodgers, which had three years remaining on it, ostensibly with the hope of landing a longer, more lucrative contract that will take him into his late-30s.

Although the Dodgers might be tentative about granting Greinke an extended contract that will keep him in Los Angeles until his late-30s, based on the wealth of data that displays a major decline during a pitcher's performance during those years, Honeycutt believes Greinke has the makeup of a pitcher who will be successful for a long time, much like Maddux.

From his age-36 to age-42 seasons, Maddux compiled a 98-81 record with a 3.92 ERA, a 1.21 WHIP, and a 5.2 strikeouts per nine innings ratio.

"You've seen him each year we've had him, and each year he gets better as the season goes on," Honeycutt said of Greinke. "He's in great shape, he adds and subtracts to his pitches when he wants to. He can continue to pitch just like Maddux into his 40s. He has that ability, because he has the pitches already and makes the adjustments with the pitches he has."

In his three season with the Dodgers, Greinke has been nothing short of sensational, achieving a 51-15 record with a 2.30 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and 8.3 strikeouts per nine innings ratio.

"There's no doubt in my mind he can go as long as he wants to go," said Honeycutt, who worked with Maddux while he was with the Dodgers in 2006 and 2008, of Greinke. "For five years, I don't see him having any issues after being with him the last three years. He's very intelligent, he takes care of himself. A lot of guys have talent, but you have to have the smarts to go with it, and he certainly has that. He's got a lot of game."

(h/t MLB.com)