Getty Zack Greinke walks off the mound at Kauffman Stadium during to complete his 2023 season.
Starting pitcher Zack Greinke has accomplished quite a bit during his 20-year MLB career. He’s been to six All-Star Games while also having six Gold Glove Awards, two Silver Slugger Awards and one Cy Young Award displayed at his house. With 225 career wins and a 3.49 ERA, he’s built up an impressive on-field resume.
But who doesn’t like to see a glimpse of famous people before they hit it big? Footage emerged on December 19 of Greinke participating in his high school’s morning announcements. And it’s all thanks to the power of social media.
Here’s Zack Greinke Reading Morning Announcements
Rob Friedman (you know him as Pitching Ninja on X, formerly known as Twitter) was the one to uncover this footage and share it with the world. The entire broadcast can be found on Apopka High School’s YouTube Channel. This particular video took place in the spring of 2002.
You can watch Greinke’s moment in the spotlight below, which comes at the 7:15 mark.
There’s nothing quite like talking about cheerleading tryouts and the cost of yearbooks, right?
Not long after he made this appearance, everything changed for him. On June 4, 2002, the Kansas City Royals took Greinke with the sixth overall pick in the MLB Draft. The right-hander made his way to the big leagues in short order, too.
Greinke spent the 2002 and 2003 seasons in the minor leagues. He worked his way up from rookie ball to make his MLB debut on May 22, 2004, against the Oakland Athletics as a 20-year-old. So, he was a big leaguer just about two calendar years after participating in his high school’s morning broadcast.
Will Zack Greinke Catch on With a Team in 2024?
Greinke has suited up for six different teams during his 20-year career. The organization he’s racked up the most time with is the Royals. He spent the first seven years of his career in Kansas City before coming back for each of the past two seasons.
He posted a 3.68 ERA in 137 innings as a 38-year-old for the Royals in 2022, which led to him getting another one-year deal with Kansas City in 2023. This past year was a little tougher for the right-hander. Across 142.1 innings, Greinke posted a 2-15 record with a 5.06 ERA and 1.27 WHIP.
Was 2023 the last we’ve seen of Greinke in the big leagues? Not if he has anything to say about it. Royals general manager J.J. Picollo told MLB Network’s Jon Morosi on November 7 that the hurler was unsure as to whether he wanted to pitch another year or retire. But on December 12, Morosi said Greinke’s reps are telling teams he’s preparing to pitch in 2024.
Zack Greinke’s representatives have communicated to @MLB teams that he’s preparing to pitch in 2024 and is open to contract talks.
Greinke, 40, went 2-15 with a 5.06 ERA this year over 142 1/3 innings.
Will Greinke sign with the Royals, or will he be looking elsewhere to take up a starting rotation spot? Kansas City has been quite active so far this winter, and that activity has included signing two pitchers for the rotation.
Seth Lugo agreed to a three-year, $45 million deal before Michael Wacha also signed on for two years and $32 million. As it currently stands, Roster Resource has the Royals’ starting rotation including the following hurlers: Cole Ragans, Wacha, Lugo, Brady Singer and Jordan Lyles.
Wherever Greinke does sign, it probably won’t break the bank from a financial perspective. He signed a one-year, $8.5 million deal with Kansas City for the 2023 campaign, per Spotrac.