Pitcher Bartolo Colon turns 47 on Sunday, but he still has the drive to compete in Major League Baseball. He told ESPN’s Marly Rivera he wants to pitch one more season in the majors, ideally with the Mets.
Colon has pitched in the majors for parts of 21 seasons with 11 different teams. He spent 2014-16 with the Mets, helping the club reach the World Series in ’15. Colon said, “If it was up to me, I would retire with the Mets. I would like my career to end in New York.”
The veteran did not pitch in 2019, coming off a disappointing ’18 campaign with the Rangers. He made 24 starts and four relief appearances, posting a 5.78 ERA with 81 strikeouts and 25 walks over 146 1/3 innings. It does not seem like the Mets have room in the rotation for Colon, even after losingNoah Syndergaard to Tommy John surgery. If the season were to start today, the rotation would feature Jacob deGrom, Marcus Stroman, Rick Porcello, Steven Matz, and Michael Wacha.
Colon has built something of a cult following in the late stages of his career due to his age and atypical body. Syndergaard dubbed him “Big Sexy.” He could be generously described as a fringe Hall of Fame candidate, currently sitting on 247 wins and 2,535 strikeouts. He has a 4.12 ERA and 47.8 Wins Above Replacement, per Baseball Reference, over 3,461 2/3 innings.
Have we seen the last of Alex Cora as a Major League Baseball manager? Cora is suspended through the 2020 season for his role in the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal. But even when his suspension lifts, the 44-year-old Cora might not pursue a managerial job. Friday night, a Twitter troll told Cora his managing days…
If Major League Baseball players are to return to action this summer, they will be playing in an environment that looks significantly different from what they left in March. Aside from the expected diligent testing and temperature checks, the changes include everything from pitchers bringing their own baseballs to the bullpen, wearing masks in the…
Baseball is planning for a July 4th return to the diamond. The owners and players are once again arguing over money. Arguing over money at a time when 36 million people have lost their jobs. Millions of people have had their salary cut by 20,30 even 40 percent. Blake Snell comments show how tone-deaf he […]
Tampa Bay Rays ace Blake Snell is not planning on playing the 2020 MLB season on a reduced salary. On a Twitch stream this week, he became the latest player to speak out against the proposed 50-50 revenue split that MLB has offered the MLBPA in a potential plan to start the season, which has been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Snell believes that the risk of contracting the coronavirus is “just not worth it” — especially for less money than his contract says he should be earning.
During Thursday’s edition of “Nothing Personal with David Samson,” David Samson weighed in on Snell’s recent comments and believes that owners should press their players to see if they agree with what Snell is saying.
“The union looks at what Blake Snell says and doesn’t even give it a thought,” Samson said. “The owners look to see what Blake Snell says and they latch onto it because if they see one little fissure in the union, what they would try to do as I would try to do. I would get to my players and say listen ‘Do you believe and agree with what Blake said? Do you not understand that A.) We’re trying to take care of the health aspect? and B.) Do you understand that you’re getting older and you’d have a full year of not playing making no money. Blake Snell says you’re all fine with that.”https://playlist.megaphone.fm/?e=CBS5990299485
It’s going to be interesting to see if many players side with Snell as the process of resuming baseball rolls along. Samson thinks this will be a great opportunity to see if the majority of the players truly feeling this way in regards to playing with COVID-19 still being in everyone’s minds.
Jayson Tatum recently admitted he wasn’t very keen on the idea of being picked by the Celtics heading into the 2017 NBA Draft. In fact, the young swingman nearly denied Boston’s request for a second workout. Considering the C’s were coming off a 2016-17 season in which they claimed the No. 1 seed in the…
Nationals closer Sean Doolittle is one of baseball’s truly good guys. He and his wife Eireann Dolan have been involved with numerous philanthropic efforts and Doolittle even earned a nomination for the Roberto Clemente Award in 2016 when he was with the Athletics. They have supported Operation Finally Home, which is a nonprofit that provides “custom-built, mortgage-free” homes to members of the military and their widows. They also supported San Francisco’s veterans charity Swords to Plowshares, which “provides needs assessment and case management, employment and training, housing, and legal assistance” to veterans.
In 2015, Doolittle and Dolan hosted Syrian refugee families for Thanksgiving amid a turbulent time concerning Syrian refugees and U.S. foreign policy. The pair continued to speak out in support of refugees, including in 2017. Doolittle and Dolan also supported LGBT people in 2015, buying enough tickets to fill the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum on LGBT night. That was in response to critics who vowed to sell their tickets in protest. Last year, Doolittle was recognized for his advocacy of union workers who serve food at MLB stadiums.
This is all to say that Doolittle is a thoughtful guy who puts his money where his mouth is. He doesn’t just shoot from the hip.
Today, we learned that MLB ownership has agreed on a proposal it intends to present to the MLB Players Association on Tuesday regarding the 2020 regular season. The proposal will include details about the schedule, location of games, as well as worker pay. Ahead of that proposal, Doolittle offered his thoughts on the matter in a thread on Twitter. He provides links to many resources, validating his concerns. It’s worth reading and considering.Obi-Sean Kenobi Doolittle✔@whatwouldDOOdo ·
Bear with me, but it feels like we’ve zoomed past the most important aspect of any MLB restart plan: health protections for players, families, staff, stadium workers and the workforce it would require to resume a season. Here are some things I’ll be looking for in the proposal…Obi-Sean Kenobi Doolittle✔@whatwouldDOOdo
And that’s before we get to hotel workers and transportation workers (pilots, flight attendants, bus drivers). They are essential workers. We wouldn’t be able to play a season without them, and they deserve the same protections.Obi-Sean Kenobi Doolittle✔@whatwouldDOOdo
We don’t have a vaccine yet, and we don’t really have any effective anti-viral treatments. What happens if there is a second wave? Hopefully we can come up with BOTH a proactive health plan focused on prevention AND a reactive plan aimed at containment.Obi-Sean Kenobi Doolittle✔@whatwouldDOOdo
Sorry, I had to get that out of my system. I’m going to turn my phone off now. Best of luck to my mentions. Stay safe. Keep washing your hands and wearing your masks. I hope we get to play baseball for you again soon. Obi-Sean Kenobi Doolittle✔@whatwouldDOOdo
We haven’t heard from many players about the risks they face if they were to resume playing. Doolittle has taken it upon himself to speak up. Hopefully, union reps take his concerns into account before hearing MLB’s proposal tomorrow.
NEW YORK — Major League Baseball will cut its amateur draft from 40 rounds to five this year, a move that figures to save teams about $30 million. Clubs gained the ability to reduce the draft as part of their March 26 agreement with the players’ association and MLB plans to finalize a decision next…
On the 10-year anniversary of his perfect game against the Marlins, ESPN will air a documentary about former Blue Jays and Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay.
The view from left field 