Astros’ Zack Greinke finds perfect combination for better velocity early in spring

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Zack Greinke seems to have found the solution to the velocity problems he’s experienced in past spring trainings: Work out less and throw more.

That’s what the Astros starter did this offseason and he credited that combination with hitting 91 mph on the stadium radar gun in his second Grapefruit League start Wednesday.

How many of us could make such claims without being called slackers?

‘One in 10 million’: An oral history of Zack Greinke’s years with the Royals

Anderson: We were playing the Tigers. Dmitri Young was at the plate. He started him up with a fastball, 93 or 94. Strike one. And the next pitch was this curveball that came popping out of his hand. It squirted out and up and was so slow, and it had Dmitri completely fooled and it comes into the strike zone. Dmitri has the bat on his shoulder, and he’s kind of chuckling as he peeks into our dugout on the first-base side like, “What was that?” While he’s doing that, I’m leaning forward and peeking at the miles per hour in the stadium, and it was 50. I’m not kidding you. It wasn’t 51, it wasn’t 49, it was 50.

Gobble: I think he did that against the Yankees, too.

Anderson: I sat back and was like, “This kid’s on another planet.”

John Buck, catcher: I remember Vladimir Guerrero had hit us around on a couple things, and we’d thrown the kitchen sink at him. Zack was like, “I’m going to throw a BP fastball down the middle because I think if I put it right down the middle, he’ll overswing on it,” which he did. He whipped it foul out of the stadium left, but it didn’t scare Zack. Then he throws a good, firm fastball and elevates it a little bit and got him. I don’t know, it’s weird. Throwing a BP fastball and seeing what Vladimir Guerrero is going to do with that — in a real-time game. We’re talking about in The Show.

Allard Baird, general manager (2000-06): He could add or subtract, by design, fairly often to the mile per hour, which is pretty special.

Baker on Greinke being late: ‘He’s Zack Greinke’

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.—Astros manager Dusty Baker said veteran pitcher Zack Greinke won’t report to camp until Feb. 22—more than a week after the pitchers and catchers report date. Baker said Greinke is healthy and working out on his own but didn’t offer up a reason for the tardiness.

“Other than he’s Zack Greinke,” Baker said. “I’ve got no problem with that.”

Greinke, traded to the Astros from the D-backs in July, is coming off a vintage 2019 campaign in which he went 18-5 with a 2.93 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP, winning eight of his 10 starts after arriving to Houston. Greinke carried a shutout into the seventh inning in Game 7 of the World Series before the Nationals rallied to win the title.

Greinke has also famously taken his time building up his velocity, generating headlines in February and March with mid-80s readings on the radar guns before going on to submit typically excellent regular-season performances. So, in some respects, he’s likely earned the right to start the year at his own pace.

And we, apparently, are not.