Pedro Won’t Call It Quits – Yet
The speculation on whether Pedro Martinez will make another midseason comeback is finally over, at least as far as 2010 is concerned. He has made his decision.
According to his agent Fernando Cuza, Pedro has decided to not repeat what he did last year when he came on board during the season, as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies.
“After a meeting to discuss his immediate future, Pedro decided he wouldn't pitch this year, in order to spend more time with his family in the Dominican Republic,” Cuza said in Spanish.
Last year, when Pedro joined the Phillies midway thru the season as they were making their playoff push, he was able to help them a great deal, despite his advanced age and decline in form. He finished the regular season with a 5-1 record, with a respectable 3.63, in a total of nine starts. He was able to help lead the Phillies into the playoffs and into the World Series, where he made two starts, before his team eventually fell to the New York Yankees.
Even if Pedro has stated that he is content to sit out the remainder of the 2010 season, he also made it clear that he is not retiring as of yet, and remains open to pitching in 2011.
“This does not mean Pedro is announcing his retirement from baseball, because the possibility that he changes his opinion for next season still exists,” Cuza added. Pedro himself has allegedly said that he is “wide open” to a return in 2011.
Pedro has astounding numbers for his 18-year career in baseball. The former NL Cy Young awardee and two-time AL Cy Young award winner has a career record of 219-100 with a 2.93 ERA, along with 3,154 strikeouts.
His best years may be behind him already, but there is no doubt that Pedro can still help a team, especially one that is in dire need of quality pitchers – and many teams are. That is why, despite his age, mileage on his arm, and decline in form (as opposed to before), many teams were still interested in acquiring him, even for the short term.
Pedro’s respectable numbers last year led many teams (including the Phillies themselves) to feel that as a potential fifth starter on a rotation, he would be a better choice than some of the younger talent that normally is the choice as a fifth starter. Certainly, he has the experience for it, as well as the guile, in spite of the far lesser velocity he now has.
Now that he has made his decision for 2010, will Pedro still be able to pitch in 2011 or should he retire? That is the question in the minds of many. Teams might not risk getting a 39-year old Pedro with a full season’s (and a bit more) worth of rust. However, he has shown that he can contribute, especially to a team in need of a quality pitcher. The question is if he can replicate that.
What is certain is that Pedro is not retired as of yet. According to Cuza, Pedro will decide in the future “when he will say his final goodbye.” For a gritty Dominican like Pedro, goodbye is not an easy word to say.
Whether or not Pedro pitches next year or retires soon, he is sure to be headed to the baseball Hall of Fame. He has had a wonderful career capped with the greatest prize in baseball – the World Series ring. No one will fault him if he decides to hang up his cleats – Pedro Martinez has achieved everything — a hefty criterion for a place in Copperstown.
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