Zack Greinke is living proof that you can, in fact, teach an old dog new tricks.
Speaking this week with Anne Rogers of MLB.com, the Kansas City Royals veteran pitcher Greinke revealed that he is making a major change for the 2023 season — he is turning analytics to help improve his game.
Rogers reports that the 39-year-old Greinke went to Driveline, a data-driven facility in Arizona, for the first time in his career this offseason. Greinke has been working with trainers at the facility on pitch design, effectiveness, and even a bit of velocity.
“I like it a lot because I believe in it,” Greinke was quoted as saying about analytics. “All those number things. Especially because in Houston, they would call guys up that weren’t even good prospects. And they’d say, ‘This guy’s going to be good because his pitches do this.’ And the pitcher ended up being good.”
The former Cy Young winner Greinke re-signed with the Royals on a one-year deal this offseason. He went 4-9 in 2022 with a 3.68 ERA in 26 starts.
Rogers notes that Greinke had the lowest strikeout rate of any MLB pitcher with at least 100 innings of work last season (12.5 percent). He may also have a tougher time getting outs in 2023 now that the infield shift has been outlawed. But Greinke, who has always been a flexible guy, is clearly up for the challenge and very willing to shake up his approach in order to succeed.
