“Rodney last played in the big league with the Washington Nationals in 2019. Will he ever come back?” the U.S. Yardbacker said on Tuesday (Korea time).
Rodney, who made his debut with the Detroit Tigers in 2002, is a veteran bullpen pitcher who pitched in 951 games in 17 Major League seasons and recorded 48 wins, 71 losses and an ERA of 3.80. Notably, he garnered 48 saves each in 2012 and 2014. He played in the All-Star Game four times.
Starting with Detroit, he was a journeyman who moved as many as 11 teams, including the Los Angeles Angels, Tampa Bay Rays, Seattle Mariners, Chicago Cubs, Arizona Diamondbacks, Oakland Athletics, and Washington.
In 2019, when he played in the last big league game, he had three losses, two saves and an ERA of 4.05. In the World Series against the Houston Astros, his record was not good with an ERA of 9.00 in two innings in three games, but as Washington won the championship, Rodney will wear his first ever championship ring.
After the end of the season, Rodney was in the FA market, but no team was in the market. Then, he successfully signed a minor league contract with the Houston Astros in July that summer. However, he failed to take the mound in the big league and was released in September.
Rodney has since continued his career in the Mexican League. Last season, he pitched in six games, recording two wins, one loss and a 6.35 ERA.
Rodney told The Athletic Sam Blum, “I want to throw until I’m 50. I’m trying hard right now. If I want, I can throw 95, 94, 93, 92 miles (152 to 148 kilometers). I think I can do it for another three years. I want to do it until then and feel how I feel.”
“Rodney’s fighting spirit is great, but his chances of returning to the Major League are low. It’s very difficult for a pitcher to return to the big leagues after such a long time. It doesn’t help that he’s approaching his late 40s. The oldest pitcher last season was Rich Hill, 43,,” Yardbacker explained.
Although it was close to impossible, he didn’t think it was a 0% chance. The media reported, “It’s also important to note that Rodney never stopped pitching. He spent the last few seasons in the Mexican league and pitched in the Dominican Winter League this winter. As a result, he is rusty. Maybe a team can invite him for spring training this year because of that.”
“Baseball fans will be rooting for Rodney. It’s not very likely that he will return to the Major League, but it will be wonderful to see the soon-to-be 47-year-old achieve his goal. He also said, “You only need to raise three more saves to overtake Francisco Cordero and become the No. 1 save for the Dominican Republic.”
BY: 토토사이트