Zack Greinke Beats Hitters and Psychological Issues

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Kansas City Royals' ace pitcher Zack Greinke was deservedly awarded the 2009 American League Cy Young Award Tuesday afternoon.

Greinke, 26, who received 25 first-place votes and three seconds for 134 points, went 16-8 and he posted a 2.16 ERA for the putrid Royals (65-97).

Greinke’s sterling earned run average was the lowest mark in the American League since Pedro Martinez recorded a minuscule 1.74 ERA in 2000.

The Seattle Mariners' Felix Hernandez finished second in the balloting with 80 overall points.

The fact that Greinke won the most coveted pitching accolade in Major League Baseball is astounding when one considers the obstacles that the native of Orlando has had to overcome as a young adult.

Greinke, the Royals sixth overall pick in the 2002 amateur draft, led the AL in losses in 2005 when he went 5-17.

Furthermore, Greinke, who was named the Royals Minor League Pitcher of the Year and The Sporting News Minor League Player of the Year in 2003, was forced to take a personal leave of absence from “The Boys in Blue” in February 2006 because he was suffering from social anxiety disorder and depression.

“Depression kind of runs in my family,” said Greinke, who agreed to a four year contract worth $38 million with the Royals last winter. “The medicine I take is an antidepressant. At the baseball field, I was unhappy.”

Greinke made plenty of fans at Kauffman Stadium very happy this past baseball season and he should be ecstatic at what he achieved on the hill.

At the tender age of 26, Greinke has a vast arsenal of pitches and he should be a powerhouse hurler for the next decade.

Missouri’s nickname is unofficially, “The Show-Me State.”

Greinke no longer needs to prove or “Show” himself to anybody.

Zack Greinke is an elite pitcher in the major leagues and he will continue to be one for the foreseeable future.

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