Astros: Zack Greinke chasing rare milestone for pitchers at the plate

Zack Greinke is a man of many talents on the diamond, but he is still chasing a sacred milestone.

There is only one milestone that means anything to Houston Astros starting pitcher Zack Greinke. He wants his baseball legacy to be defined by the long ball and impressive foot speed, not just earning Gold Gloves and winning ERA titles.

During the early days of 2021 MLB spring training, Greinke informed us how close he is to hitting 10 career home runs and stealing 10 career bases. Greinke has spent parts of nine seasons in the National League with the Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks. However, getting traded to the AL in his mid-30s presents a problem. He is stuck on nine apiece.

Zack Greinke is a two-time Silver Slugger at the plate in his 17 MLB seasons

Greinke is not only one of the better pitchers of his generation, he is adeptly skilled at the plate. The six-time All-Star has a pair of Silver Sluggers on his mantle, one with the 2013 Dodgers and one with the 2019 Diamondbacks. His career slash line at the plate is a solid .225/.263/.337. He has nine career home runs and 34 runs batted in. He has stolen nine bags but was caught once.

With 2021 being the Apopka, Florida native’s 18th big-league season, he is running out of time to get to 10 home runs and 10 stolen bases. This will be his age-37 season. Even if he does play in the Junior Circuit, it is only a matter of time before the designated hitter becomes universal. Simply put, Greinke must take advantage of the very limited amount of plate appearances he has got left.

If any pitcher deserves to hit 10 career home runs and steal 10 career bags, it has to be Greinke.