Jamie Moyer: 'I'm Not Retired'

Two weeks ago, Jamie Moyer was released for the third time this season (Rockies, Orioles, Blue Jays).

And so now he’s got time to play golf! That’s what retired people do, often. But Moyer says he’s not retired! Tom Mahon:

JAMIE MOYER wanted to make it clear. So clear that he said it twice:

“I’m not retired. I’m not retired,” he said Wednesday at a news conference at the American Century Celebrity Golf Tournament at Lake Tahoe, Nev. “I’m just kind of laying in the weeds and just trying to figure out what’s going on.”

(“JAMIE MOYER” is in caps in that quote because those were the first two words of the article, a stylistic device, not the writer trying to make any kind of point.)

Moyer went on to say that he doesn’t see himself coming back as a relief specialist, only as a starter or long reliever. He’s got his agent out looking for a spot, but “so far there aren’t any takers.”

Enough teams are looking for pitching that someone might take a flyer on him. He’s out there! Playing golf! But he wants to play baseball again! Won’t you please help, major-league GMs?

Blue Jays Release Jamie Moyer, 49

Is it over?

Blue Jays officially release Jamie Moyer from the 51s Roster.

— Las Vegas 51s (@LasVegas51s) July 6, 2012

Moyer's now got more releases (3) than major-league wins (2) this year.

At 49, that's not a good thing. Or for that matter, at 39 or 29.

Moyer, who opened the season in the Rockies' rotation, has now been released by the Rockies, the Orioles, and the Blue Jays. Moyer seemed like a good fit with Toronto, as that club went through a stretch of losing starting pitchers like Spinal Tap loses drummers.

But Moyer started only twice for the Jays' triple-A affiliate in Las Vegas, and racked up an 8.18 ERA.

Will he find a fourth employer this summer? It seems unlikely. In his defense, Moyer's got a brilliant strikeout-to-walk ratio in 27 triple-A innings this season. But he also gave up four home runs in those 27 innings. More to the point, there's a big difference between following triple-A hitters and surviving against the big leaguers.

Then again, Moyer couldn't be any worse than Jonathan Sanchez ...

Jamie Moyer Signs With Blue Jays

The ongoing 2012 road show of veteran pitcher Jamie Moyer is now heading north of the border, as the 49-year-old lefthander signed a minor-league deal with the Toronto Blue Jays:

Jays have signed Jamie Moyer to minor-league deal with no promises. He’ll go to Las Vegas.

— John Lott (@LottOnBaseball) June 26, 2012

So, before he pitches for the Jays in Canada, he’ll head to the bright lights of Vegas. This sounds like a movie script, or at least the basis for a Jack Kerouac-style novel.

The Blue Jays could use the pitching help, as they had several starting pitchers go down with injuries within a very short period of time. If Moyer shows up well in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, the Blue Jays could very well give him another major-league chance.

Moyer threw well in three starts for Triple-A Norfolk in the Orioles’ organization, posting a 1.69 ERA and issuing just one walk in 16 innings. If he throws that well in Vegas… what happens in Vegas probably won’t stay in Vegas.

For more on the Blue Jays, please visit Bluebird Banter.

Jamie Moyer Granted Release From Orioles

Jamie Moyer requested and has been granted his release from the Baltimore Orioles, the team announced Saturday. His brief stay with the organization consisted of three starts for Triple-A Norfolk, where he posted a 1.69 ERA (0.68 WHIP) with 16 strikeouts in 16 innings.

Despite the fine numbers, Moyer simply wasn't needed at the big-league level. The team asked the 49-year-old veteran to make at least one more start for Norfolk, Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette confirmed on Friday, but he apparently declined. Once again a free agent, it's likely that Moyer will continue to seek another big-league job.

Moyer opened the season with the Colorado Rockies, posting a 5.70 ERA (1.73 WHIP) in 10 starts before being released earlier this month. He signed with the Orioles on June 6 with the understanding that he'd make three minor-league starts before being re-evaluated.

For more on the Orioles, please visit Camden Chat.

Orioles' Decision On Jamie Moyer Due Soon

Jamie Moyer might be getting close to a return to the major leagues, with the Baltimore Orioles.

Roch Kubatko:

Jamie Moyer is scheduled to make his third start tonight for Triple-A Norfolk, and executive vice president Dan Duquette is nearing a decision on the 49-year-old southpaw, according to the timetable he set after signing Moyer to a minor league contract.

Duquette said the Orioles would evaluate Moyer for two or three starts. Moyer has allowed two earned runs (three total) and eight hits in 12 innings, with no walks and 12 strikeouts. If he shuts down Buffalo tonight, that might be good enough to get him back in the majors after the Rockies released him.

That’s pretty good performance at Triple-A, notably the zero walks. Kubatko says the Orioles have a couple of rotation starters — Tommy Hunter and Jake Arrieta — who have been struggling, and who both have minor-league options remaining.

Jamie Moyer’s had a remarkable career; now, his latest comeback might put him in the midst of a pennant race.

For more on the Orioles, please visit Camden Chat.

Baltimore Orioles Sign Jamie Moyer

The Jamie Moyer saga isn’t over yet:

#orioles agree to terms with Jamie Moyer. Starting Saturday for Norfolk

— Roch Kubatko (@masnRoch) June 6, 2012

The Orioles are currently tied with the Rays for first place in the AL East, though they have slipped a bit, losing seven of their nine games going into Wednesday. And two of their starting pitchers, Tommy Hunter and Jake Arrieta, have ERA's well above 5.

This is a minor-league deal and there’s no guarantee Moyer will pitch anywhere but Norfolk. He last pitched in the minor leagues in 1997, when he made a rehab start at Tacoma while with the Mariners.

It will also be Moyer’s second stint with Baltimore, if he makes it back; he pitched for the Orioles from 1993 through '95.

In 1993, one of his teammates with the O's was Fernando Valenzuela.

For more on the Orioles, please visit Camden Chat.

Colorado Rockies Release Jamie Moyer

There’s been no official news release from the Colorado Rockies, but according to CBS Sports’ transaction page, the inevitable has happened, summed up in one simple line of digital type:

Colorado Rockies | Jamie Moyer | Released

In fact, according to the page, it happened Sunday, quietly, on a weekend when no one was watching. This wasn’t unexpected after Moyer was designated for assignment last Wednesday; he’s obviously cleared waivers and the Rockies had no interest from other teams in trading for him.

Moyer still wants to pitch, and given the dearth of starting-pitching options for many teams that have injury issues, it seems quite likely that Moyer will get some offers, or at least inquiries. He pitched pretty well at Coors Field this season; if a pitcher can do that, it would seem that a team with a big ballpark (since Moyer has allowed 11 home runs this season) might find him helpful.

We await developments. So does Moyer. He’d surely like to go out of baseball on his terms, not via “Released.”

For more on the Rockies, please visit Purple Row and SB Nation Denver.

5 Teams That Could Use Jamie Moyer

Is Jamie Moyer's career over? It shouldn't be. Plenty of teams could use him, including one from his very recent past.

Rockies Replacing Jamie Moyer With Josh Outman

Jamie Moyer was designated for assignment by the Colorado Rockies, partly because he was getting hit hard, and partly because he didn't have a long-term future on a team that had set fire to the short-tem. And the Rockies have found their replacement for Moyer in Josh Outman, who will start on Friday. From MLB.com:

"The way it was put to me was that this isn't going to be a spot-start," Outman said. "It's going to be the first step in stretching me out to be a starter for the long haul."

Outman hasn't pitched more than an inning in relief this season, so his start on Friday will likely be a short one. But the Rockies seem committed to the experiment, and he should get more than one start.

Outman was acquired from the Athletics in the Seth Smith trade, and he has a career 3.92 ERA (108 ERA+) in 156 career innings. He posted a 1.29 ERA in seven minor-league appearances this year.

Jamie Moyer Says He Still Wants To Pitch

The Colorado Rockies designated Jamie Moyer for assignment on Wednesday, and that could be the end of Moyer’s career.

Or maybe it won’t. While Moyer was getting hit hard — a 5.70 ERA — half of his 10 starts could be characterized as at least “decent”, and several big-name pitchers, including Ubaldo Jimenez and Tim Lincecum, currently have higher ERAs than Moyer.

So is this the end for Moyer? Not if he can help it:

Asked if he is interested in trying to continue to pitch, Moyer said “I am.”

For now, though, Moyer has a few days to kick back.

“I’m going to go home (Wednesday night) and go to a high school graduation on Saturday," he said in reference to the coming event for Hunter, his second-oldest son. "His team (Cathedral Catholic High School in San Diego) is in the playoffs so after the graduation we will to go a baseball game."

So maybe he can treat this as a bit of an in-season vacation. The 10-day DFA period means that other teams might contact the Rockies with interest. There are teams that have pitching issues at this time. Somehow, I don’t think the final chapter of Jamie Moyer’s MLB career has yet been written.

Rockies Designate Jamie Moyer For Assignment

It was a nice story. Jamie Moyer turns 50 in November. He was still pitching for a major-league baseball team. After a spring-training invitation and a good spring, the 49-year-old lefty made the Colorado Rockies' rotation, and that meant he got to set all sorts of records whenever he pitched. He was the oldest player to record a win. He was the oldest player to record an RBI. He was the oldest player to allow a home run to a guy who threw his bat at the ball.

But on Wednesday, he became the oldest player to be designated for assignment:

Rockies designate Jamie Moyer for assignment.

— Tracy Ringolsby (@ROOTSPORTS_TR) May 30, 2012

Moyer had a 5.70 ERA in 10 starts with the Rockies, allowing a league-high 75 hits in 53 innings. He also allowed 11 home runs, which is a lot even by Coors Field standards. With the Rockies looking to get their young pitchers some innings in the rotation, Moyer was clearly expendable.

But it's worth a moment to stop with the silly jokes (which we've all made) and think about how incredible it was that Moyer could get even a single out in the major leagues. He was born in the same year as Oddibe McDowell, Danny Tartabull, and Wally Joyner. Kevin Seitzer, Darren Daulton, Darryl Strawberry.

He's 12 days older than Bo Jackson.

And he was designated for assignment, not put to sleep. He could still pitch. He probably doesn't have a lot left, but it's possible. Here's hoping ...

To replace Moyer in the rotation, the Rockies called up Carlos Torres, a 29-year-old right-hander who had a 2.45 ERA and 32/12 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 33 innings at Colorado Springs.

Should Rockies Give Up On Jamie Moyer?

Jamie Moyer's been pounded in his last two starts, and his 5.70 ERA this season leads to some uncomfortable questions about the ancient southpaw.

Is MLB's Oldest Winner Also Rockies' Ace?

The Denver Post's Troy Renck on record-setting Jamie Moyer:

While his signing was viewed as a novelty act, Moyer has been the Rockies' best starting pitcher this season. He didn't walk clumsily into history against San Diego, instead embracing it with pitches on the corners and at all different speeds. Moyer worked seven innings, allowing no earned runs on six hits. His lone strikeout victim was Padres center fielder Cameron Maybin, who swung so hard he fell to his knees in the sixth inning.

The Brooklyn Dodgers' Jack Quinn was the previous oldest pitcher to win a game, topping the St. Louis Cardinals in 1932 at 49 years, 70 days.

"I kind of wish I was a baseball historian, and I am a little embarrassed that I don't know more about it," Moyer said. "To have my name mentioned with the greats of the past is special."

Well, it's not exactly like Jack Quinn's a household name; the spitballer once went 9-22 in a Federal League season, finished his career with 247 wins, and topped out with nine Hall of Fame votes.*

* If you want know more about Jack Quinn, here's an excellent profile via the SABR BioProject.

Anyway, I can't hold anything against Moyer for not being a baseball historian. He's spent the last 25 years studying hitters, and it's hard to argue that he should have been spending that time studying anything else.

I never really thought of Moyer as a novelty act; the Rockies seemed at least moderately serious about contending this season, and management couldn't have imagined that Moyer's spring-training tryout would goose season-ticket sales or something. I think their starting pitching was somewhat thin, and they just figured what the hell. And yes, baseball people do love a good story. Maybe management just wanted to be close in case Moyer really could still pitch.

I didn't think he could still pitch. Not well enough, anyway. But yes, he (arguably) has been the Rockies' best starting pitcher this season. Granted, the Rockies' starting pitchers have been terrible. Moyer's ERA is now 2.55; the next-best ERA among the starters is Jhoulys Chacin's 5.63.

But Moyer has struck out six batters in 17⅔ innings. It's difficult to succeed that way. But if Moyer keeps the ball down -- I mean, really keeps the ball down -- it's possible.

Jamie Moyer Becomes Oldest Winner In MLB History

On April 17, Rockies left-hander Jamie Moyer became the oldest pitcher in major-league history to win a game.

Jamie Moyer Looks Like He'll Be Around A While Longer

Looking for "oldest player to..." things about Jamie Moyer? You won't find them here, just a tribute to a man who completed a remarkable comeback on Saturday.

Who Will Be The Oldest MLB Player In 2013?

Jamie Moyer and Omar Vizquel are both ancient, by baseball's standards. Will either of them still be around for Opening Day 2013? And if not, who will take their places?

Jamie Moyer Wins Spot In Rockies' Rotation

So this is really going to happen. Barring a terribly disappointing injury in the next few days, Jamie Moyer will soon become the second-oldest man to start a game in Major League Baseball's long history, and the oldest to start more than once.

In 1965, Satchel Paige started one game for the Kansas City Athletics. He was 58 years old, and pitched three scoreless innings against the Boston Red Sox. But that was obviously a stunt; it was Paige's first appearance in the majors since 1953, and would be his last.

Aside from Paige, the oldest major-league starter was Phil Niekro, 48 when he made 26 starts in 1987.

Satchel Paige was a performer; Phil Niekro was a knuckleballer. Meanwhile, Jamie Moyer is just another (relatively) conventional pitcher, except that he's 49 years old and has officially earned a spot in the Colorado Rockies' pitching rotation. That's the word from Troy Renck (who's been on this story from Day 1 of spring training).

Even better, Moyer's actually going to be the Rockies' No. 2 starter, with the lefty slotted between right-handers Jeremy Guthrie and Juan Nicasio.

Obviously, there's no telling how long Moyer will last. Past the All-Star break will be an upset, though, as injuries or ineffectiveness are likely to take their toll as Moyer does something that nobody's ever done before.

Still, one start or 30 starts, Jamie Moyer is an amazing athlete and won't soon be forgotten.

For more on Moyer and the Rockies, please visit Purple Row.

Jamie Moyer Struggles Against White Sox, But Still On Track To Make Rockies Rotation

Jamie Moyer’s outing on Wednesday could have clinched a spot in the Rockies’ starting rotation for him, especially after his last start, which was four perfect innings against the Giants.

Unfortunately, Moyer had a rough time against the White Sox, throwing 89 pitches over four innings, giving up seven hits, three walks and three runs, hitting a batter and throwing a wild pitch.

Nevertheless, as of now, he’s still on target to open the season with Colorado. Troy Renck:

Moyer remains the favorite to secure the fifth spot in the rotation, ahead of Guillermo Moscoso and Tyler Chatwood. In fact, it wouldn’t be a shock to see him slot higher to create diversity. As it stands, the Rockies’ order in spring games is Jeremy Guthrie, Moyer, Juan Nicasio, Jhoulys Chacin and Drew Pomeranz. Splitting two hard-throw right-handers with a pillow-tossing lefty would be an interesting strategy, one that has likely been tossed around by Rockies’ officials.

“Pillow-tossing”. You know, that would actually be interesting to watch. The way Moyer throws, hitters would probably have less of a chance to hit a pillow he threw, than a baseball, even though the pillow is much larger.

Moyer will have one more spring start, early next week against the Mariners, and if he shows well in that start, he’ll probably head back to Colorado as a Rockie. Besides, we need more players like this:

As Jamie Moyer spiked a curveball in the third inning today against the White Sox, he screamed at himself. “(Gosh darn) Jamie, Let’s get it going!”

Jamie Moyer Pitches Four Perfect Innings Against Giants

After pitching hardly at all this spring, 49-year-old Jamie Moyer's comeback attempt just got a big boost. Thomas Harding (via MLB.com):

Jamie Moyer pitched four spotless innings with four strikeouts and Michael Cuddyer hit his first home run of the spring as the Rockies beat the Giants, 7-0, at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on Thursday night.

Moyer, throwing in a Cactus League game for the first time since Mach 11 because he needed time to rest a sore left leg, used just 45 pitches -- 30 of which were strikes. A non-roster invitee, Moyer, 49, is trying to return to the Majors after missing a year and a half because of elbow surgery.

Moyer's hardly locked up the fifth rotation slot; he just hasn't pitched enough innings this spring for that. But according to Troy Renck, Moyer's now the leading candidate, ahead of Tyler Chatwood and Guillermo Moscoso.

I'm still not convinced this is a good idea, considering a) how Moyer pitched in 2010, and b) Coors Field. But of course, it's impossible to help pulling for him to pitch again in the majors, and pitch well.

Jamie Moyer's Forgettable Time As A Cardinal

Jamie Moyer's comeback this spring with the Colorado Rockies hasn't gone brilliantly, yet. But of course it's something of a miracle that he's pitching at all. Considering, you know, that he's coming off major elbow surgery. And is 49 years old.

One thing you might have forgotten about Jamie Moyer -- I forgot it, anyway -- is that in 1991 he pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals, managed by Joe Torre. And you wouldn't be the only one. Tyler Kepner:

It was so forgettable that Torre, as the Yankees’ manager, would claim that Moyer had pitched for him only in spring training. But Moyer never forgot.

"I know at least two or three of those starts, I couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn, and I got tally-whacked around," Moyer said. "But I do remember pitching a couple good games and losing. So I was 0-5 after seven starts, and I get called into the office. We’re in Pittsburgh, I had a horrible night the night before, I think Bonds might have hit two home runs off me, and I know what’s going to happen.

"Joe Torre is the manager, and he looks at me and says, ‘This is really tough.’ But waiting in the wings was Omar Olivares, who was their big prospect at the time. And Joe looked at me and he said — I remember it as if it was yesterday – ‘We don’t win when you pitch.’

"I’m thinking to myself, ‘O.K., Joe, not that I’m a good hitter, but I don’t hit in those other eight spots.’ I took it as though he didn’t know what to tell me. I was right shy of five years. I was a little bit bitter.

Moyer's memory is fine, 21 years later. He did give up two home runs, both to Bonds, in the second and third innings. And the pitch that Bonds hit for the second homer was the last pitch Moyer threw for the St. Louis Cardinals.

You can't blame for Moyer for being bitter, at the time. Getting fired from your job's no fun. But you can't really blame Torre for firing Moyer, either. At the time, his ERA stood at 5.74 and he'd walked 16 batters in 31 innings. Yes, he'd pitched a few decent games -- Game Scores of 65, 56, 53, 46 -- and could easily have won a couple of them. The problem was that he was either decent or terrible in his seven starts, but never excellent.

And there wasn't any reason to think he would ever be excellent, even for a short stretch. At that point, Moyer had thrown exactly 700 innings in the majors, with a 4.56 ERA and 1.56 strikeout-to-walk ratio. In those (and these) days, you could get away with the latter figure only if you were particularly good at limiting home runs, and Moyer wasn't.

He simply hadn't learned to pitch effectively with his limited stuff, and really wouldn't learn until two years later, when he pitched for the Orioles' triple-A affiliate. He was 30, and nobody could have guessed, however wildly, that 19 years later he would be bidding for a spot in a major-league rotation.

The bid continues tomorrow night, when Moyer makes just second start this spring against big-league hitters. His time is growing short, his tooth growing long.

Jamie Moyer Injury: Rockies Lefty Has Setback In Comeback Attempt

Jamie Moyer is 49 years old. He's got stiffness in his leg. Who doesn't at that age? For Moyer, though, it's a bit more important an issue.