By Gary Armida, Sr.
So, why am I The Crafty Veteran? Well, I fit the definition: a cunning person of long experience. To this day, whether it’s THE Thanksgiving Day Family Football Game, a family game of wiffle ball, or bocce, I am always trying to figure out a way to use my declining skills to gain an edge. I do sometimes think that I’m hanging on too long and should retreat to the sidelines, but my competitive fire keeps burning and won’t let me become just a spectator.
If I look at my definition and think about today’s baseball players, the hands down choice for the Crafty Veteran’s Crafty Veteran Award goes to…
Jamie Moyer.
Moyer has been crafty longer than Joba Chamberlain has been alive and his longevity and effectiveness is mind boggling. Moyer can’t break the proverbial pane of glass and has had his changeup clocked at 55 miles and hour. Yet, over the past 22 seasons, Moyer sports a record of 238-184 (.564), averaging 13 wins per season, and ERA of 4.20, 3,664 IP, 2,195 K’s, and has started 570 games + throw in a post season mark of 5-5 with a sparkling 2.43 ERA.
Moyer was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 6th round of the 1984 Draft and made his ML debut on June 16, 1986. Moyer, who will turn 46 on November 18, won 20 games in 2001 and 21 games in 2003 for the Seattle Mariners at the age of 38 and 40 respectively. He also won 14 games last season at the age of 44 and has 8 W’s this season. Remarkably, Moyer has won 74 games since he turned 40; “throwing every piece of junk I’ve got in me, skipper”.
Although Moyer has only been an All-Star one time (2003), he has been an All-Star off the field, having won the “Triple Crown” in 2003; The Fred Hutchinson Award, The Lou Gehrig Award and The Roberto Clemente Award, and followed these up with The Branch Rickey Award in 2004.
Jamie Moyer is the classic example of being a pitcher versus a thrower and shows that you don’t have to light up the radar gun to be a successful Major League pitcher. You just have to be a Crafty Veteran.
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3 responses so far ↓
1 Gary Armida // Jul 18, 2008 at 7:05 am
Excellent article. Moyer was always one of those guys I thought would get ripped everytime he took the mound “this will be the day that major league hitters figure out that he’s throwing 70″.
It really hasn’t happened. You gotta love a guy who actually pitches. It’s even more amazing that he throws in such an offensive orientated ballpark.
2 Camp // Jul 18, 2008 at 8:37 am
great work! i’m surprised Mooyer isn’t geting more attention from the media. they loved the julio franco story a year or two ago, and al he did was pinch hit.
3 Doug Hill // Jul 20, 2008 at 9:15 pm
Great article Crafty! I knew Moyer had success in his career, but I didn’t realize his overall numbers were that good. I agree with Camp on how the media should be all over this amazing story of continued excellence at this age. My question to all of you is this; is Moyer a Hall of Famer? There are many examples in the Hall of pitchers that were rewarded for longevity coupled with some career years. Does Moyer fit this mold?
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