48-year-old Jamie Moyer vies to pitch again
Jamie Moyer has spent half of his life pitching in the Major Leagues. Like an ageless wonder with a rubber arm as he’s made a living defying the critics and earning spots on seven different Major League rosters.
His most recent tenure came with the Philadelphia Phillies where Moyer spent the past four seasons in the mix of their starting rotation. His best season in Philly saw the then-45-year-old put together a 16-7 record, good for the fourth-highest mark of his career.
Moyer has twice won 20-plus games, which included the 2003 season where, at the age of 41 he dominated batters en route to a 21-win season and a career-low ERA of 3.27 while pitching for the Seattle Mariners.
It’s been a storied 24 years that have seen him dawn the uniforms of the Cubs, Rangers, Cardinals, Orioles, Red Sox, Mariners and Phils, and now Moyer is facing his biggest obstacle yet; Tommy John Surgery.
You might think that after two and a half decades of pitching in the Majors, a career that has seen him win 267 career games and a World Series in 2008, Moyer would take this opportunity to walk away from the game he dearly loves. But no.
The now-48-year old Moyer has made it public that he has every intention of attempting a comeback for the 2012 season despite going under the knife. He recently underwent the procedure on Dec. 1, 2010 to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow and as a result will miss the entire 2011 baseball season.
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The left elbow injury happened while Moyer was playing winter-ball in the Dominican Republic, and evidently it was the same elbow injury that forced him to shut down his 2010 season with the Phillies back in July.
So now begins the long road of rehab for Moyer.
“Thanks to the advances in surgery, many pitchers have made successful returns to the mound after undergoing surgery similar to mine,” Moyer told MLB.com. “I look forward to the challenge of making a comeback for the 2012 season. I love this game, and I still believe I can be a successful pitcher in the big leagues. Prior to the injury, I was feeling great and throwing well.”
But no matter how optimistic he may be now, the big question everyone will want to know is how effective a 49-year-old arm will be after a year off recovering from extensive surgery?
Matt Gelb, the Phillies beat writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer told The Good Point that an uphill battle for Moyer is nothing new.
“He always talks about when he was released by three teams in the span of three seasons. And that was 20 years ago. He’s been dedicated to his career from the very beginning and his success in Philadelphia validated a lot of that work and diligence.”
The situation that Moyer finds himself in now is not exactly comforting. In July, 2010 when he first injured the left elbow, the Phillies placed Moyer on waivers which fast tracked him to the free agency market.
Moyer admitted to MLB.com, that to play for his hometown team was special and he realizes that a return to the Phillies is unlikely.
“I really enjoyed playing here. If it’s over, it’s over. I’ve really enjoyed playing with my teammates. Winning here was the pinnacle of my career. And doing it where I grew up was pretty special.”
While a return to Philadelphia is an admirable dream, Moyer may well be more concerned with simply getting an invite to Spring Training,
“Moyer has reached a place where he cannot be picky,” says Gelb. “If a team offers a chance to make the Big League club, he’ll have to jump at it.”
To help his case, the winter league is the only option that Moyer has to prove he’s healthy enough to endure the rigorous MLB schedule. Should he even be healthy, Moyer still has to pitch well enough to convince a team to take a chance on him and offer an invite to camp.
With an invite to camp as his only real possibility, Gelb recalls that Moyer does have some concerns over the scenario.
“Moyer has said before he does not want to be some sort of sideshow, gimmick-type event at spring training. If he doesn’t think anyone will take him seriously, then maybe it doesn’t work out.”
In Moyer’s case, deciding to play in the Dominican Republic’s winter league during this past off-season may have cost him his career. He had to have known that his body would not rebound as quickly from an injury as it would have 20 years ago.
Regardless, there is hope that Moyer will find his way back to a Major League mound.
There have been many pitchers who have undergone Tommy John Surgery and more than a few have recovered and gone on to continue having great Major League careers. Take Florida Marlins ace Josh Johnson.
During his first season with Florida, Johnson went 12-7 with a 3.10 ERA in 2006. A year later in 2007, he underwent the Tommy John Surgery. Since his operation, Johnson has gone 33-11 with a 2.98 ERA and 434 strikeouts and is now considered one of the best in the game.
Legendary John Smoltz moved to the bullpen and became the Atlanta Braves closer, locking up 154 saves, post-Tommy John Surgery. In 2005, he made the unthinkable happen returning to the rotation and leading the league in wins one last time at the age of 35.
But there is a common theme here. Age. Smoltz, as mentioned was 35 when he rebounded, and just 32 when he had the procedure; Johnson just 23 years young when he went under.
Moyer, of course, will be 49 years old when he attempts to come back from his surgery. No such precedent has been set for a successful rehabilitation.
While the Souderton, Pennsylvania native has battled his entire career for the respect and credibility that he so rightfully deserves, this last battle is a daunting task. One that might ultimately prove to be too much.
If it is, after 4,000 innings of work and over 2,400 career strikeouts, Major League Baseball may have seen the last of Jamie Moyer. It’s unfortunate there could not have been a better send off for one of the real good guys in the game.
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