NewsPlayers honor Greinke, Wainwright
Midwest hurlers selected by peers as elite performers in '09
By Joe Frisaro / MLB.com
10/28/09 1:23 PM ET
Dominance comes to mind when you mention the names Zack Greinke and Adam Wainwright.Among the game's elite, the two right-handers are elite. So much so that they've been touted by their peers as the top pitchers in their respective leagues.
The Major League Baseball Players Association announced on ESPN radio on Wednesday that Greinke and Wainwright are 2009 winners of the Players Choice Awards for each league's Outstanding Pitcher.
Greinke, the ace of the Royals staff, posted a 16-8 record to go along with his MLB-leading 2.16 ERA. The 26-year-old won 25 percent of his team's 65 victories.
Additionally, Greinke struck out 242, which was second in the big leagues only to Detroit's Justin Verlander's 269.
Over the past two years, Greinke is 29-18. He had six complete games this season, second most to Toronto's Roy Halladay's nine.
For the Cardinals, Wainwright paired with Chris Carpenter to form arguably the best one-two starter punch in the big leagues.
Wainwright paced the National League with 19 wins. He ended up going 19-8, turning in 34 starts while compiling 233 innings.
The 29-year-old was a big reason the Cardinals captured the NL Central Division crown.
As the season progressed, Wainwright's numbers improved.
In the second half, he was 9-3 with a 2.10 ERA.
Players Choice Awards are given annually to the best player, pitcher, rookie and comeback player in each league.
The Player of the Year and Marvin Miller Man of the Year awards will each honor one player.
Balloting of all Major League players for the Players Choice Awards was conducted in September under the supervision of accounting firm KPMG.
Each 2009 Players Choice Award winner will recommend the charity of his choice to receive a grant from the Major League Baseball Players Trust. Since 1992, the Players Trust has contributed more than $3.5 million dollars to charities around the world in honor of Players Choice Award winners.
On Monday, the AL and NL Outstanding Rookie winners were Gordon Beckham (American League) and J.A. Happ (National League).
The Comeback Players were named on Tuesday. Aaron Hill won in the AL, and Carpenter as the NL winner.
Joe Frisaro is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
