Barry Zito sings and plays guitar in single off his upcoming country music album

It's been a year since former Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants pitcher Barry Zito retired from baseball to spend more time with his family and pursue his passion for songwriting.

The 2002 Cy Young Award winner and two-time World Series champion recently shared that passion with the public by posting a music video of himself playing the guitar and singing a country tune on what appears to be a personal YouTube channel.

Dubbed "Secret of Life," Zito's song is reportedly a preview single off his upcoming debut album. Several of the lyrics can be interpreted as references to his baseball career, which began with a prominent rise in Oakland before tumbling into mediocrity after he signed a seven-year, $126 million contract with San Francisco as a free agent in 2007.

Zito was part of the successful A's rotation trio that included Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder in the early 2000s. The finesse left-hander known for his sweeping curveball went 23-5 with a 2.75 ERA during his Cy Young season in 2002. Despite personally never living up to his contract in San Francisco, Zito twice won the World Series with the Giants, in 2010 and 2012.

Overall, he finished his career with a 165-143 record and 4.04 ERA.

-- Nick Ostiller