A man who won 201 games after turning 32, former Seattle pitcher Jamie Moyer was considered something of a marvel when he won 21 games for the Mariners at age 40.
Impressive? Moyer said you ain’t seen nothing, yet.
Three weeks away from his 49th birthday and more than a year after undergoing Tommy John surgery to rebuild his left elbow, Moyer is throwing again in the belief he will start the 2012 season in the rotation of a big league team.
Hall of Fame front office executive Pat Gillick has seen Moyer throw and said it’s no pipedream.
“I’ll be frank – he looked just like he always has,” Gillick said of a bullpen session he observed. “I think he’ll pitch again.”
From the time he walked off the mound in June 2010, Moyer has been committed to another improbable achievement in a season full of them.
“I’ve been throwing since April, and throwing (bullpen sessions) the past seven weeks,” Moyer said from his home near San Diego. “I’m throwing two bullpens a week.
“When I threw my first bullpen – 20 pitches – it was like I had a brand new arm. I was amazed how good I felt.”
A soft-throwing left-hander who made his big-league debut in 1986, Moyer’s greatest success came after he was traded to the Mariners 10 years later. Since then, he’s won 201 games – 145 with Seattle – and has 267 victories in a career spent with a change-up as his out pitch.
After watching him throw, Gillick did more than encourage Moyer. He made a telephone call.
“I told him I thought he ought to be in the American League,” Gillick said. “He hasn’t pitched there for what, five years? A lot of hitters haven’t seen him. That would be to his benefit.
“I’ll tell you how good I thought he looked: I made a call for him, contacted a team that knows about him, that has a need.”
Moyer said all he wants is a legitimate chance, and is open to any team.
“I’m going to reach out to clubs, tell them I’m throwing again, and tell them where to come see me throw if they have interest,” Moyer said.
“It would be (a) pretty easy negotiation. All I want is the opportunity to come to spring training with the chance to compete for a starting job. I want to pitch. I wouldn’t go to a team I didn’t have a chance to make.”
Could a return to the Mariners, for whom he last pitched in 2006, be possible?
“I want to pitch,“ Moyer said. “I don’t know what their needs are.”
Seattle general manager Jack Zduriencik said his wasn’t the team Gillick called, but beyond that he wouldn’t comment on Moyer or any other free agent.
Moyer said his comeback effort began as he was wheeled to a hospital room from a post-op room.
“The first thing I asked the doctor about was the rehab process,” Moyer said. “I already knew all about the surgery.
“I’ve heard I’m too old, too slow – there are always people with negative assumptions. But I’ve also heard from a lot of people my age who think what I’m trying to do is pretty cool – people who work for a living and go to gyms and try to stay competitive in whatever they do.
“If I can help them keep a focus, great,” Moyer said. “I appreciate their encouragement.”
Where is he in the process?
“If this was the regular season, I’d be ready for a rehab assignment. I feel like I felt every season around May or June – real, real good,” Moyer said.
“If I came back and pitched one healthy inning and thought, ‘I’ve had enough,’ I’d know I made it back. My goal is to face hitters again – major league hitters – and get them out.
“I’ve been a pretty consistent pitcher, and whether you throw 95 mph or 55 mph, all that matters is getting outs. I’ve gotten a lot of outs, pitched a lot of innings.
“I think I can start and help someone win. I know I’m healthy, but saying it doesn’t prove anything. You writing it wouldn’t prove anything. So I’ll have to prove it to anyone who has interest.”
Gillick, a former left-handed pitcher, agreed.
“He’s in better shape now than he was in 2008, and he won 16 games for the Phillies that year,” Gillick said. “I could tell watching him, talking to him, he still has that fire in his belly.
“You look at his numbers from the time he was traded to Seattle in ’96, I doubt there are four or five pitchers in the game who are more games above .500 since then than Jamie – and I don’t think he’s done.”
OLDEST MAJOR LEAGUERS
Player, Position, DOB, Last game, Age
Julio Franco, Infield, 8-23-59, 9-17-07*, 48
Phil Niekro, Pitcher, 4-1-39, 9-27-87**, 48
*-Outfielder Minnie Minoso played Oct. 5, 1980, at age 54 for the Chicago White Sox, but he last played regularly in 1964.
**-Satchel Paige pitched Sept. 25, 1965, at age 59 for the Kansas City Athletics, but he last pitched regularly in 1953.
larry.larue@thenewstribune.com
blog.thenewstribune.com/mariners/
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