Major League Baseball (MLB) Teams

"Every single day for the last couple of years I've enjoyed it. That's part of the reason why I signed here again. I knew I enjoyed it here in the Kansas City situation."

"I didn't realize there was a cure for what I had, where I just hated being around people. I was going to get a job where I didn't have to be around people all the time. Mainly, just mowing grass was my goal."

"I don't want to be a starter if there's someone better than me that can start. I don't even want to be a reliever if they think that there's someone better than me to relieve. I just want to help the team win."

"I just hated being around attention and stuff. In the clubhouse, I hated being around that. I didn't like anything to do with being around people, for the most part. I mean, I could be around them, just not in a talking situation, and that would make it even worse."

"I knew there was something wrong with me, but I never thought about going to see anyone to talk about it."

"I've been through ups before and even lower downs. I've seen how fast things can change. I'm just spending all my attention trying to continue to do good, to help us out, instead of getting caught up in it like I did before. I just want to stay consistent."

"I was actually hoping the Royals would pick me. It was the main team I wanted to go to. Their colors are Royal blue and that's my favorite color."

"Most people have to pay their dues before they get where they want to be."

"Sometimes my arm wants to throw a hard fastball, but my brain doesn't want to throw it that hard."

"Guys like him come along in baseball every 10 years. He pitches like a guy who's been in the league 10 years. The way he changes speeds reminds me of Tom Seaver." - Tony Pena

"He didn't care about the results," Moore says. "He just wanted to get a feel for the changeup. That's what's so amazing about Zack. He doesn't need the changeup to be good. He's already good. He worked on it because it can help make him great. And that's what the great ones do." - Dayton Moore

"He does have a mean streak in him, I'll say that. Most of the good ones do. They've got a little bit of edge to them. He's not trying to throw at anybody's head, but he's trying to get it right under his chin. He's pretty fearless." - Bob McClure

"He keeps you off-balance. He'll blow you away with a 95 (mph) if he wants to." - Vernon Wells

"He's a special pitcher, no doubt. That would be an understatement." - Trey Hillman

"He's had to adjust because he hasn't been so comfortable with that, but at the same time, he's humble," Kuchar said. "Yes, he knows he's good, but he doesn't like all the fame and he doesn't like to be in the spotlight. And I think that social anxiety or not, he would feel that way." - Emily Kuchar

"He's the best in the league right now." - Ozzie Guillen

"He was a real team guy. When a lot of guys came out of the game, they'd go to the clubhouse and get ice. But he'd stay on the bench the whole game. That was good for him, part of the maturing and what it was like to be part of the Minor League system." - Frank White

"I can only imagine how difficult it must have been for him to recognize his condition and evaluate it honestly and do something about it. He’s been able to take all of those experiences and combine them and that’s why he is where he is today." - Dayton Moore

"I don't mean this as a knock on the kid, but it truly is just a game to him. You talk about poise and those type of things, but with Zack from the very start, he was just going out there and playing the game. And whether he won the game or lost the game, he really wasn't any different." - Allard Baird

"If he keeps pitching this way, he looks like a Cy Young candidate, no question. - Dave Dombrowski

"I know it's fashionable to say he learned how to pitch, but I don't buy it. The guy had a great feel for pitching from the start. I think he's just in a good place mentally. He wants to compete. People talk about 'Does he love to pitch?' I think he likes to pitch. But this guy loves to compete." - Allard Baird

"I see the athleticism of a Bret Saberhagen and the way he can back up that fastball to lefthanded hitters reminds me of Greg Maddux. He has the best characteristics of a lot of great pitchers all rolled into one." - Allard Baird

"I think everything caught up with him. He wanted to surf more than play baseball at one time. That’s why he needed that little break." - Johnny Damon

"I think it's pretty amazing what he's doing, given the way the league is hitting this year (2009) and the home runs that have been hit. Obviously, he has a chance to have a special season." - Nolan Ryan

"I think there were a lot of expectations for Zack at a young age that it was hard to live up to. Zack is getting comfortable just being Zack." - Bob McClure

"The issue he had to deal with and how he dealt with it speaks volumes for the kid. He took a private issue and had to work it out in a very public environment. How he handled it was always amazing to me." - Allan Baird

"What he's achieved speaks volumes about himself as a man and the support from his family, his fiancée and friends. It still comes back to him and I'll always have great admiration for that, and that goes well beyond what he does on the field." - Allard Baird

"You talk about mental toughness. There isn't a game that he'll pitch in his life that'll put him on the spot more than what he's already gone through." - Allard Baird