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A Big Surprise?

The fact that the Kansas City Royals invited him to Surprise, AZ for their 2004 Spring Training was not much of a shock to Zack Greinke.

For him, the talent of the players at the Major League level was the real surprise and was like nothing he’d ever seen before.

“The best competition I’ve faced in my life so far, was this spring,” said Greinke. The numbers he put up gave him a reality check.

In 4 games started, Greinke had a 0-1 record, posted a 6.17 ERA and allowed opposing batters to hit .396 against him. He gave up 19 hits, 8 runs (all earned), and 7 walks in the 11.2 innings he pitched.

Despite his hunger to make the big league squad, Zack’s mistakes, which included a balk, continued to get the best of him.

“It seemed every time I missed over the plate, they’d get a base hit, and not just any base hit,” said Greinke. “They’d hit it well.”

The news came a week before opening day that Greinke would start the ’04 season at Triple-A Omaha, and not with the Kansas City Royals.

“We felt he needed to work on fine-tuning his command with all of his pitches,” said Shaun McGinn, Director of Player Development for the Kansas City Royals. “Triple-A was obviously the next step in his development before he gets to the big leagues.”

Predictably, Zack politely disagrees with the decision, displaying the overwhelming confidence he has in his abilities.

“I think I’d be able to do fine if I was up there,” Greinke told MLN.

High Performance Fine Tuning

Although Zack believes he was prepared for the big leagues, he noticed there is a world of difference between the hitters in Triple-A and those he faced in the two lower levels last season.

“Everyone’s so much stronger here,” said Greinke. “A lot of these guys are fully grown and they’re smarter players. They’ve been around and seem more comfortable at the plate. They have a plan on what they’re doing and when they hit the ball it goes a lot harder off their bat.”

“Triple-A hitters will make you throw strikes,” agrees McGinn, “and they’re going to be patient.”

Mike Jirschele, the Omaha Royals’ manager, believes that Greinke is doing just fine with his adjustment to the Pacific Coast League hitters.

“He hasn’t struggled at this level,” said Jirschele. “He’s done a good job in each outing.

“He doesn’t look like he’s overpowering, but by hitting his spots and keeping the ball down in the [strike] zone, they don’t take good swings off him.”

Greinke’s maturity level and the way he handles pressure like a veteran is what really impresses the skipper.

“He could be on the mound with bases loaded and no outs, or be out there with two outs and two strikes on a hitter and you can’t tell the difference,” Jirschele continued. “He’s got exceptional mound presence, doesn’t panic and he’s very confident in his abilities.”

Shake Your Groove Thing

Besides the hitters, the biggest difference Zack has encountered this year has been his reduced workload on the mound.

As of May 16, Greinke has started 5 of Omaha’s 37 games. He’s pitched a total of 22 innings, averaging just a little more than 4 innings per appearance this season.

The decreased playing time is clearly a source of frustration for Zack.

“Last season I had (more) innings by now and I was getting in the groove. Now, I’m still trying to develop my groove,” he says. “It’s putting a slow start to my season.”

At least Greinke can take comfort in the fact that it’s nothing personal.

“We watch all of our pitchers who are 20-years old and younger as far as their pitch count. Last year Zack threw 1,901 pitches,” said McGinn. “We’re looking to upgrade that by a percentage this year.”

Go The Distance

Even more important, the Kansas City front office has a master plan in place to give Greinke some valuable September starts.

“We’re trying to put him on a pitch count and on a rotation schedule that would let us go further into the year with him and not worry about the innings he racks up,” states McGinn. “Whether it’s in the big leagues or the Arizona Fall League, we definitely want Zack to pitch against better competition later on in the year.”

Although Greinke understands the program and the reasoning behind his limited innings, he still doesn’t have to like it.

“It’s just something I’ve got to deal with,” Greinke says about his low pitch count. “I don’t enjoy it.”

Omaha skipper Mike Jirschele believes the Royals are handling Zack’s progress the right way.

“He’s still getting work in, still using the arm, and even at 70-80 pitches every 5 days, you’re still putting your body through a lot,” he says. “I think it’s better to do it this way. So many times you have young kids who have success and they’re pushed too hard. They throw too many innings and they come up with soreness, because their body isn’t ready for that. Physical maturity is a big thing with Zack.”

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