MLB analyst believes Royals' Zack Greinke is a no-brainer for Hall of Fame after illustrious 20-year career: "This guy is incredible"
Zack Greinke began his MLB career in 2004 with Kansas City and there is a real possibility that he could end it with the Royals as well. The 39-year-old is entering the final stages of a one-year, $8.5 million contract. While there is no confirmation yet from the pitcher that this will be his last year, he may consider calling it quits after a remarkable 20-year career.
Greinke is a six-time All-Star and won the American League Cy Young Award in 2009. The powerful right-hander is a six-time Gold Glove winner and has two Silver Slugger Awards to his name.
During a recent episode of the "Baseball Today" podcast by Jomboy Media, Chris Rose asked former MLB infielder Trevor Plouffe whether he thought Greinke was deserving of a place in Cooperstown:
"This guy is incredible…To answer your question yes he is a Hall of Famer, there is no doubt," said Plouffe.
Plouffe went on to praise the pitcher for his command, movement and his ability to change speeds to keep hitters off balance.
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Plouffe went on to admit that he was just 1-9 (.111) when facing Greinke over his career.
This season, Zack Greinke is 1-15 with the Royals and has a 5.18 ERA over 29 games. It has been a turbulent year for the Florida native, but one bad season should not take away from an extraordinary career.
Zack Greinke ranks 20th in the all-time MLB strikeouts list
Greinke made his MLB debut with the Royals in 2004 and has gone on to play with six different organizations over his career. He has had stints with the Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona Diamondbacks and Houston Astros.
"Zack Greinke, Nasty Sliders." - Rob Friedman
Over his 20 years in the majors, Greinke has gone on to pitch in 585 games and amassed an incredible 3384.1 innings. He has recorded 2977 strikeouts over that stretch and has a lifetime 3.49 ERA.
He currently ranks 20th all-time in the MLB strikeouts list, above some of the game's greats like Clayton Kershaw, Tom Glavine and Cy Young. He also ranks 86th all-time in total innings pitched.
Looking at his body of work, it is clear Greinke has done more than enough to deserve a place in the prestigious Hall of Fame.