I used to write that baseball writing was the only profession where ignorance was considered a virtue.    Zack Greinke winning the AL Cy Young shows that the combined muscle of Joe Posnanski, Rob Neyer and Fire Joe Morgan may have enhanced conventional baseball wisdom, slightly.

Twenty-five of 28 voters felt that Greinke’s statistical advantage in numerous categories trumped Felix Hernandez’ team winning three more games for him.  We have come far since the 2002 season when Pedro Martinez led the AL in ERA (2.26), adjusted ERA+ (202), WHIP (0.923), strikeouts (239), strikeouts per 9IP (10.8), and strikeout to walk ratio (5.98) and lost the Cy Young to Barry Zito, whose team won him three more games.

Writers, finally, seem to acknowledge that wins are an imprecise indicator of pitching ability and that, though a statistic may not be decipherable on Murray Chass’ abacus, it might be relevant.

It’s a double-victory for stat geeks, because Greinke is one himself. He was using FIP, fielder-independent pitching, to strategize last year.  FIP!  Imagine.  Baseball players are become receptive to information that couldmake them better.  Soon, they will realize chewing tobacco causes cancer and cardiovascular conditioning will help them extend their careers and stave off injury.

Greinke’s victory is small, but it should inspire optimism.  Perhaps, someday, we can realize that if Babe Ruth, Barry Bonds and Ted Williams did not have 3,000 hits but Paul Molitor and Robin Yount did, the milestone is irrelevant.