The $206 million man arrived in the Valley in December. On Monday, he'll take the mound for his first official start in an Arizona Diamondbacks uniform.
As it turns out, former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke, whom the D-backs signed to a huge contract three months ago, was no stranger to the D-backs or the state of Arizona.
Here are five things you may not know about the 32-year-old right-hander, who will start for the D-backs in their Opening Day matchup with the Colorado Rockies in Phoenix on Monday night.
1. He has struggled with anxiety.
Greinke often appears uncomfortable in certain media settings. That likely stems from a social anxiety disorder that he was diagnosed with in 2006. Greinke has said his anxiety is under much better control than it used to be, but he's still not crazy about receiving a great deal of media attention.
"The one thing I guess I wouldn't look forward to is if I go home in the offseason and everyone knows who I am to where you never really have any privacy," Greinke said. "But so far in my career, even in LA, everything's been pretty smooth."
2. He has spent a lot of time in Arizona.
Greinke has spent many spring training sessions in the Valley as a member of the Dodgers, Kansas City Royals and Milwaukee Brewers. He said he's more familiar with the area than perhaps even some people who call it home.
"The times I'm here (during spring training), the weather's amazing, so we'll see about summer weather," Greinke said with a smile before adding he enjoys the Valley's "fantastic" sunsets.
3. He has a heated history with the D-backs.
It's fair to say Greinke and the D-backs haven't always seen eye to eye. As a member of the Dodgers, he played a key role in this bench-clearing brawl in 2013 after he was plunked in retaliation by then-D-backs pitcher Ian Kennedy.
4. He hit his first career home run at Chase Field.
Greinke has hit six home runs in his MLB career, and his first came in Phoenix. As a member of the Kansas City Royals in 2005, he hit a one-out homer in the top of the fifth inning off then-D-backs pitcher Russ Ortiz in Chase Field.
Does Greinke remember that moment? "Oh yeah," he said. "That was very, very exciting."
5. He has an infant son.
Greinke is married to former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader Emily Kuchar. They had their first child, Bode, on July 23.
Zack Greinke with his son Bode. pic.twitter.com/Gzu5JQhq3s
— ABC15 Sports (@abc15sports) December 11, 2015
