Zack Greinke, the newly-anointed ace of the Milwaukee Brewers is working out in Spring Training and for the first time in his career, preparing to compete with a team that actually has a chance to make some noise this year. There’s some uncertainty regarding his ability, considering his numbers in the last three seasons have been inconsistent, but there’s little doubt that he has some of the best raw talent in the league right now.

Greinke was a runaway winner of the AL Cy Young in 2009, but fell to earth hard last season with a 10-14 record and almost doubling his ERA from 2.16 to 4.17. To say he was less effective overall is an understatement. But with the Brewers, who have a better defensive core and more pop at the plate, not to mention weaker opposing lineups compared to those he saw in the American League, Greinke will look to once again put up numbers fitting of one of the best pitchers in the game.

In reality, Greinke’s win-lost record has as much to do with his pitching as it does with the team around him, and the Royals were not a team who helped in the win column. His 2010 regression in WHIP and strikeouts is concerning, but the fact he’s now a National League starter should infuse a new level of confidence in the 27-year-old righty. Basically, he has a clean slate in front of him. What he does with it will be entirely of his own doing.

And just like that, the Brewers are all of a sudden a powerhouse. With the addition of two 2010 Opening Day starters in Greinke and Shawn Marcum, they boast one of the best starting rotations in baseball. Greinke is still a young guy and his health is not an issue. He’ll make $13.5 million for the next two seasons, but we’ll definitely read about a contract extension in less than 12 months. Brewers fans can expect some of the best years of Greinke’s career to be in Milwaukee.