Back in December of 2012 when Zack Greinke had his introductory press conference at Dodger Stadium, he told the gathered media that he loved to hit. Of course, he immediately followed this up by saying that his primary job was to pitch, not hit. Sure enough, when the now 32-year-old 2015 NL Cy Young runner-up opted out of his contract with the Dodgers this past winter to sign with the division-rival Arizona Diamondbacks, he left the Dodgers with a three-year batting average of .249 that included three home runs, 11 doubles and (are you ready for this) three stolen bases. Yes, Zack Greinke loved to hit.

When Dodgers pitchers and catchers reported on Friday morning at Camelback Ranch amidst a hoard of media on hand to get their first glimpse of Japanese superstar right-hander Kenta Maeda, the other new Dodgers starter – 32-year-old left-hander Scott Kazmir – was somewhat left in the shadows. This, of course, worked out great for catching Kazmir for a brief one-on-one interview. And aside from the expected pitching mantra and ‘best shape of my life’ spring training jokes, Kazmir – like Greinke – says he is looking forward to hitting.

“I’m going to have to start swinging the bat a little bit and get comfortable with that,” Kazmir said. “I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself. It’s been like 10 years that I was swinging the bat consistently so we’ll see how it goes.”

When you’ve had only three hits in your 11-year MLB career, it’s difficult to find a photograph of one of them. Fortunately, USA Today’s Jake Roth captured this one on June 16, 2015 against the San Diego Padres. It was an RBI single that led to an eventual 6-5 A’s win.

As an 11-year MLB veteran – all in the American League – Kazmir did get a few hacks in. In fact, he has had a total of 27 plate appearances. Unfortunately for the Houston, Texas native, he hasn’t fared nearly as well as Greinke did. He is a mere 3 for 26 (.115) and does not have an extra base hit. But don’t expect that to keep him from seeking guidance from the many fellow left-handed hitters that are rather prevalent in the Dodgers lineup.

“I’m going to have to grab someone real quick. First I’m going to have to get evaluated and then go from there,” said Kazmir. “There’s a lot of lefty bats that can maybe give me a pointer, a little tip here and there. I’m definitely all ears when it comes to that stuff. It’s going to be fun.”

It was pretty clear who the media star was when pitchers and catchers reported for spring training on Friday morning. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Whether Kazmir turns out to be another Zack Greinke-esque Silver Slugger with the Dodgers or not remains to be seen. But one thing is for certain – he will have his work cut out for him if he ever hopes to match Greinke’s signature (and epic) bat flips, that’s for sure.

Dodger fans are truly going to miss Zack Greinke-s epic bat flips.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)