Greinke likes ability to answer doubters
Big workload at 37 would benefit staff
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — No active pitcher has started more games than Zack Greinke. Only one has thrown more innings and accrued a higher Baseball Reference Wins Above Replacement. Justin Verlander won’t pitch this season, so it stands to reason Greinke could soon pass him in both categories.
Presuming he stays healthy this season, Greinke will become the lone active pitcher with 3,000 innings. His place among the sport’s elite pitchers is cemented. Each start puts him in better company. He stands 312 strikeouts away from 3,000 — a feat only 18 others have conquered. Greinke pays it almost no mind.
“The only milestone I pay attention to is I wanted to get 10 home runs and 10 stolen bases,” Greinke said Monday. “And then I got traded to the American League, and it made it way harder for that to happen.”
Greinke’s acquisition in 2019 made Houston’s starting rotation the sport’s envy. The Astros did not get him for his bat or his baserunning, although Greinke gloats more about his offensive prowess than any pitch he ever throws. Greinke came to Houston as a presumed final piece for a World Series team.
Twice, the Astros failed to reach the pinnacle. Greinke got them eight outs away in 2019 before he was removed from Game 7 of the World Series. Disaster ensued, and a divide appeared between the pitcher
and his new home.
After getting out of a jam to finish his outing in Game 4 of last year’s American League Championship Series, Greinke claimed the organization didn’t seem “to have confidence in my ability.” He said that for once, it was “nice having someone have confidence in me.”
Greinke’s criticisms included, but were not limited to, his Game 7 departure. He cited “probably a dozen examples” along with it. First-year general manager James Click sought clarity. One day after Greinke’s comments, the two had a conversation. A week later, Click reiterated the organization’s confidence in Greinke.
Greinke avoided any absolutes while discussing the comments Monday. He joked to the virtual crowd that “usually, you guys butter me up” before asking a difficult question. Still, it came: Do you think the Astros have confidence in you?
“I have to pitch good,” said Greinke, who had a 4.03 ERA and allowed nine hits per nine innings last season. “That’s the main thing, I guess. I feel pretty good at the moment. Where I’m at right now, I should be pretty good this year. Hopefully, it keeps feeling good, I’m able to execute pitches, and will be able to do what the team wants this year.”
Greinke has thrown fewer than six innings in 17 of his 22 regularseason starts with the Astros. All short starts are not the same. Greinke earned an early hook in some of them. He faced a batter for a third time in a game on 59 occasions in 2020. Those hitters slashed .298/.305/.491 against him.
“You just let him pitch. I didn’t know what had transpired here before I got here, but I don’t think I have to reinforce my faith in him,” manager Dusty Baker said. “This game is ‘what have you done for me lately,’ and sometimes faith goes and comes, too, depending on your performance you’ve shown. He’s a big boy. He was doing pretty good without reinforcement.
“I’m just going to let Zack be himself. I admire the guy. I respect him.”
Greinke eclipsed 200 innings during each of the past three 162-game seasons. He’s done it nine times during his 17-year career. His durability has never been more important.
Three of Greinke’s four presumed rotation mates have never thrown more than 145 innings during a season. Lance Mccullers Jr. threw 1652⁄3 between the minor and major leagues as a rookie in 2015. He’s never surpassed 129 major league innings during a 162-game season.
Getting 200 innings from Greinke could assist in allaying concerns about the Astros’ rotation depth. Whether he can maintain the workload at 37 is an obvious question. He posted a 1.134 WHIP during the truncated 2020 season — his highest since 2016. Greinke threw only 1582⁄3 frames that year while combating an oblique injury. He battled arm soreness in the playoffs last season, too, casting serious doubt on his availability.
“I’ve been able to stay healthy, which is kind of key,” Greinke said. “Hopefully, that keeps going. I’ve been able to stay healthy for a long time. I still feel really good. I don’t see it changing, but you never know, I guess. I feel good. Still, my body moves really good. I throw hard enough. Stuff ’s good enough. Should be able to keep doing it as long as those things (hold up).”
Greinke did not adjust anything during the winter to account for his diminished workload. Last offseason, Greinke made a change he continues to find beneficial. He works out less and throws more.
To hear him describe it Monday, it sounds like Greinke throws year-round. He threw live batting practice sessions and bullpens at Rollins College in Orlando before reporting to Astros camp. His first bullpen session occurred Sunday. It is unclear when he’ll make a Grapefruit League appearance.
“Arm feels great,” Greinke said. “Which, since I started throwing all year long, my arm has felt a lot better and doesn’t get as sore when spring training starts. I feel stronger. I work out different than most people. I work out when I want to work out, kind of, and do whatever I feel like doing that day. So that’s what I’m still doing. And I feel pretty good.”
If his health allows, Greinke plans to pitch beyond this season — his last under contract with the Astros. The Astros are scheduled to lose Greinke, Verlander and Mccullers to free agency. One of Click’s foremost goals this winter will be to acquire a front-line starter. Mccullers made it known he wants to remain in Houston.
Greinke’s intentions are a mystery. The new collective bargaining agreement after the 2021 season is expected to include a universal designated hitter, eliminating Greinke’s most important mission. He has nine career home runs and nine stolen bases. A month after the Astros acquired him, Greinke was caught stealing in Milwaukee.
“I got caught because I wanted it too much,” Greinke said. “That’s my only goal, I guess — 10 home runs and 10 stolen bases. It’s going to be really hard for me to do now.”