tk13
02-19-2006, 04:00 AM
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/baseball/mlb/kansas_city_royals/13907557.htm
Back to the future (star)
Greinke ponders what it will take to regain his groove
By BOB DUTTON
The Kansas City Star
SURPRISE, Ariz. — Zack Greinke tried preparing for this, the inevitable inquiries regarding expectations after a disastrous year that saw him lose more games than any American League pitcher.
“I’ve been thinking about it for about a month now,” he said, “how I’m going to answer the coming-in questions.”
And?
“I don’t know yet,” he admitted.
OK, honest enough.
But there’s more, and it’s pure Zack.
“Last year was actually the first year that I enjoyed baseball,” Greinke reflected as he stood, sweating from a workout, in front of his locker in the Royals’ spring clubhouse.
“Every year before, I’d wake up baseball and go to sleep baseball. All day long, it would just be baseball, baseball, baseball. It just drove me crazy doing that. But it worked. I did well all of those years.
“Last year, I made it a goal not to do that. And it didn’t work. But I had more fun.”
Digest that for a minute.
Greinke was 5-17 with a 5.80 ERA in 33 starts for a club that posted baseball’s worst record at 56-106. He butted heads early and often with former pitching coach Guy Hansen — a factor, no doubt, in Hansen becoming a former pitching coach.
There was one miserable night against the Diamondbacks when Greinke set a club record by surrendering 11 runs. Those 17 losses were more than he had combined in his four previous professional seasons.
Still, here’s Greinke openly acknowledging that he enjoyed the ride. More than ever, too.
“That’s one thing the kid doesn’t do is lie,” manager Buddy Bell observed through a wry smile (or was it a grimace?) as he shook his head. “Sometimes, I wish he would. A little.”
What comes next?
The fact is, neither Bell nor anyone knows quite what to expect this year. Will Greinke, still just 22, recapture the eye-popping form that saw him selected as the club’s pitcher of the year as a rookie in 2004 and long fostered comparisons to Greg Maddux?
Or not?
“It’s just a matter of him figuring out what kind of pitcher he is,” Bell said. “He’s had a little success in doing it both ways — as a power guy and as a finesse guy.
“He got to simplify things. By that, I mean he’s got way too many pitches right now. He’s got to figure out what works best for him.”
Overseeing that task tops the to-do list for new pitching coach Bob McClure. Greinke declined to comment on his relationship with Hansen, an incessant tinkerer, but expressed optimism that things should be better with McClure.
“I think I’ll like him,” Greinke said. “He seems cool. I don’t see him as being a problem. We have the same interests outside of baseball, and we have the same goal inside of baseball. It should work out well.”
McClure said he has no preconceived plans for Greinke.
“It’s very difficult to say anything at this point,” McClure said, “because I haven’t seen him pitch in a game. With tapes, it’s not the same. He might pitch completely different this year. I don’t know.
“We haven’t had the time yet to sit down and for me to ask, ‘Zack, what is going to be your approach this year?’ I’m sure he sees that there’s more competition. We’ve brought in some guys who are very good about leading by example. I think that’s going to help.”
Whatever his potential, Greinke is no lock for a spot in this year’s rotation. Not after last season. He has options remaining. A remedial tour at Class AAA Omaha isn’t out of the question if he fails to show something this spring.
The Royals insist that, barring injuries, veteran newcomers Scott Elarton and Mark Redman are the rotation’s only certainties. Greinke, Joe Mays and Runelvys Hernandez enter camp as favorites to complete the five-man group, but candidates also include Jeremy Affeldt, Denny Bautista and J.P. Howell.
“I wish I could forget last year,” Greinke said. “I guess there was probably something good about what happened. I’ll just have to see how things continue. … I don’t know that I want to forget about it completely, though.
“I mean, it happened. I don’t know if I’ve learned anything from it yet. I probably have and just don’t realize it.”
Despite what happened last year, he plans to have fun again and believes it’s possible to enjoy himself and be successful.
“I can do both,” he said. “I remember at the end of my rookie year, I had fun and it worked — and it worked better than I’ve ever pitched. So it has worked before and probably will again.
“I just need to figure out a way to get my work in and do my studying of the hitters. What I couldn’t do before was shut it off. I could get into it, but I couldn’t shut it off. I’d live it all day. I couldn’t relax.
“Then last year, I could get out of it, but I couldn’t get back into it — not where I could completely focus. So I need to be able to figure out a way to turn it on and off when I need to.”
Back to the future (star)
Greinke ponders what it will take to regain his groove
By BOB DUTTON
The Kansas City Star
SURPRISE, Ariz. — Zack Greinke tried preparing for this, the inevitable inquiries regarding expectations after a disastrous year that saw him lose more games than any American League pitcher.
“I’ve been thinking about it for about a month now,” he said, “how I’m going to answer the coming-in questions.”
And?
“I don’t know yet,” he admitted.
OK, honest enough.
But there’s more, and it’s pure Zack.
“Last year was actually the first year that I enjoyed baseball,” Greinke reflected as he stood, sweating from a workout, in front of his locker in the Royals’ spring clubhouse.
“Every year before, I’d wake up baseball and go to sleep baseball. All day long, it would just be baseball, baseball, baseball. It just drove me crazy doing that. But it worked. I did well all of those years.
“Last year, I made it a goal not to do that. And it didn’t work. But I had more fun.”
Digest that for a minute.
Greinke was 5-17 with a 5.80 ERA in 33 starts for a club that posted baseball’s worst record at 56-106. He butted heads early and often with former pitching coach Guy Hansen — a factor, no doubt, in Hansen becoming a former pitching coach.
There was one miserable night against the Diamondbacks when Greinke set a club record by surrendering 11 runs. Those 17 losses were more than he had combined in his four previous professional seasons.
Still, here’s Greinke openly acknowledging that he enjoyed the ride. More than ever, too.
“That’s one thing the kid doesn’t do is lie,” manager Buddy Bell observed through a wry smile (or was it a grimace?) as he shook his head. “Sometimes, I wish he would. A little.”
What comes next?
The fact is, neither Bell nor anyone knows quite what to expect this year. Will Greinke, still just 22, recapture the eye-popping form that saw him selected as the club’s pitcher of the year as a rookie in 2004 and long fostered comparisons to Greg Maddux?
Or not?
“It’s just a matter of him figuring out what kind of pitcher he is,” Bell said. “He’s had a little success in doing it both ways — as a power guy and as a finesse guy.
“He got to simplify things. By that, I mean he’s got way too many pitches right now. He’s got to figure out what works best for him.”
Overseeing that task tops the to-do list for new pitching coach Bob McClure. Greinke declined to comment on his relationship with Hansen, an incessant tinkerer, but expressed optimism that things should be better with McClure.
“I think I’ll like him,” Greinke said. “He seems cool. I don’t see him as being a problem. We have the same interests outside of baseball, and we have the same goal inside of baseball. It should work out well.”
McClure said he has no preconceived plans for Greinke.
“It’s very difficult to say anything at this point,” McClure said, “because I haven’t seen him pitch in a game. With tapes, it’s not the same. He might pitch completely different this year. I don’t know.
“We haven’t had the time yet to sit down and for me to ask, ‘Zack, what is going to be your approach this year?’ I’m sure he sees that there’s more competition. We’ve brought in some guys who are very good about leading by example. I think that’s going to help.”
Whatever his potential, Greinke is no lock for a spot in this year’s rotation. Not after last season. He has options remaining. A remedial tour at Class AAA Omaha isn’t out of the question if he fails to show something this spring.
The Royals insist that, barring injuries, veteran newcomers Scott Elarton and Mark Redman are the rotation’s only certainties. Greinke, Joe Mays and Runelvys Hernandez enter camp as favorites to complete the five-man group, but candidates also include Jeremy Affeldt, Denny Bautista and J.P. Howell.
“I wish I could forget last year,” Greinke said. “I guess there was probably something good about what happened. I’ll just have to see how things continue. … I don’t know that I want to forget about it completely, though.
“I mean, it happened. I don’t know if I’ve learned anything from it yet. I probably have and just don’t realize it.”
Despite what happened last year, he plans to have fun again and believes it’s possible to enjoy himself and be successful.
“I can do both,” he said. “I remember at the end of my rookie year, I had fun and it worked — and it worked better than I’ve ever pitched. So it has worked before and probably will again.
“I just need to figure out a way to get my work in and do my studying of the hitters. What I couldn’t do before was shut it off. I could get into it, but I couldn’t shut it off. I’d live it all day. I couldn’t relax.
“Then last year, I could get out of it, but I couldn’t get back into it — not where I could completely focus. So I need to be able to figure out a way to turn it on and off when I need to.”