The Royals starting rotation is off to an inauspicious start this season, with a 4.59 rotation ERA and 4.70 FIP that ranks them 24th and 28th, respectively, in baseball. But one bright spot has been the return of Kansas City’s prodigal son, Zack Greinke. He’s pitched admirably thus far, with a 2.67 ERA and 3.70 FIP in 33.2 innings, despite precious little run support from the offense. The way he’s going about it is very atypical for a modern pitcher; he’s essentially pitching like a dead-ball era pitcher.
Successful pitchers generally do so with good peripherals: lots of strikeouts, few walks, and few home runs allowed.