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2008 How old is Moyer? So old that PECOTA figures his only peers are two knuckleballers, a guy who liked to say that his surgically repaired left arm was 20 years younger than he was, and a victim of the color line who was a Rookie of the Year candidate at 41 and pitched three scoreless innings at 58. Wouldja believe Moyer had the third-highest strikeout rate of his career last year, trailing only those of 1987 and 1998? He also had his highest walk rate since 2000. That's right, folks: Moyer has been around so long he's actually wrapped around and restarted as a power pitcher (not really). That's not to say Moyer didn't show signs of the inevitable last year: his season began with a string of seven consecutive quality starts, but thereafter he posted a 5.65 ERA as he lost consistency. When he was good, he was very good. When he was bad, it was time to warm up the TiVo and watch an old Hitchcock film. Moyer probably has more of the same in him in this, the last year of his contract. The real question is when the injury termites will finally start gnawing. 2007 In order to get Moyer to waive his no-trade clause and cross the country, the Phillies had to extend his contract into 2007. They liked what they got so much that they reworked it after the year was out, piling on more money and extending him into 2008. Former Mariner`s GM Gillick is clearly counting on Moyer`s junk working as well in Philly as it did in Safeco, which isn`t going to happen if he keeps generating grounders only 40 percent of the time as he did in Seattle the last three years; curiously enough, he was up to 50 percent after moving over to the weaker league. 2006 The big salaries, constrained rosters, and cramped scheduling of today`s game make it tough for a team to try something as unusual as a home-road tandem starter arrangement, but that`s exactly what the Mariners should do here. Moyer went 10-0 with a 2.95 in 17 starts at Safeco last year, but just 3-7 with a 6.11 ERA and 16 homers allowed in 15 starts on the road. Unable to miss bats (his strikeout rate was the second-lowest of his career), Moyer is at the whim of his defense and the park behind him. Without the safety of Safeco`s distant outfield walls, he`s a replacement-level pitcher, a pity given his ability to deceive batters and keep the ball in the park at home. Moyer`s not likely to go undefeated at Safeco again, but easing in a young gun like Jesse Foppert in a part-time role partnering with Moyer could help the team now and--in Foppert`s case--into the future. Moyer negotiated his own contract in the off-season, a one-year, $5.5 million deal with incremental IP incentives. Moyer`s logged 200 or more innings the last five years, and seven of the last eight, but he`d be a bigger help now if used more judiciously. 2005 There may be no coming back from this. Hitters smoked him for a massive dollop of extra home runs this year. If Moyer has lost enough of his super-fine control that he can't play the location-location-location game, his career as a starter will end. Moyer is such a dedicated player and preparation freak that he's not going to go out without a struggle, but struggle may not be enough. 2003 Everyone knows that Moyer is flirting with disaster, and that he lives and dies on his control, wiles, and zealous preparation. The expectation is that at some point, age is supposed rob him of enough of his edge, and then he’ll turn into the worst pitcher in baseball. And it never happens. At age 39, Moyer put up a season a lot like his 1998 performance, when people thought he was due to fall off that same tightrope.
The Mariners re-signed Moyer, who represented himself in negotiations, to a unique three-year deal where the third year only guarantees $1.5 million, but can go to $7.5 million if he meets playing time incentives in the next two years. It’s a creative compromise. As long as Jamie can hold it together, he’ll be outstanding, but the drop should be a hell of a toboggan ride. 2002 One of the most laughable elements of the postseason was the Fox radar gun telling us that Jamie Moyer was throwing 85-mph heat. Moyer couldn’t throw 85 downhill with gale-force winds behind him. He’s lucky to get over 80, and his best fastball is about 82. He became the oldest pitcher to win 20 games for the first time. Moyer’s all about preparation and control. Watching him is a joyous, baffling experience as he sets up and sits down batters with stuff that would be average in the PCL. 2001 The end is near. Jamie Moyer’s ERA was 7.41 over the last two months of the season, when his arm angle dropped and he couldn’t get a good downward plane on his pitches. Though an injury was suspected, he never admitted to it. There is a school of thought that says pitchers who don’t throw hard can pitch forever, but if that were true, Randy Jones would have been on the mound when the Padres shed their mustard uniforms. Piniella is intensely loyal to his veterans, so Moyer will be given every opportunity to find his old form. 2000 He had an ERA of 7.96 on April 23, when the Mariners boldly extended his contract through 2001 with a club option for 2002. From that point on, he was the second-best starter in the league. Moyer is a master in the art of pitching, befuddling batters with off-speed pitches that never cross the heart of the plate. He lives and dies with his control, and I expect him to be on life support by the end of his contract. 1999 The Doug Jones of pitchers. Doesn't just survive on an assortment of offspeed pitches and other junk - he thrives. Posted career bests in innings and strikeouts, nearly posted career bests in wins and ERA. Threw three shutouts. As long as he keeps his control, he could pitch another three or four years at this level. 1998 A fantastic acquisition and an amazing pitcher to watch. The left-handed Steve Ontiveros, but with healthy sinew. Moyer gets people out by pounding the low and away corner until either the umpire or batter gives in. Probably one of the smartest pitchers playing, and I see no reason for him to suddenly fall off a cliff, barring injury. Big reverse platoon split. This is what Tom Glavine would be if he didn’t get a ridiculously huge strike zone. 1997 Throws so slow it’s a wonder he’s survived this long without a knuckleball. One of the better quotes this season came from Piniella, who commented on Moyer by saying, “All young pitchers can learn from watching Moyer. When he gets into a jam, he doesn’t try to get out of it by throwing harder.” Despite a good season, he’s not a safe bet; he’s 34 and if his control isn’t perfect, he’s liable to get bombed. 1996 Lefty junkballer, but not a horrible one. Commenting on Jamie Moyer is like commenting on Jody Reed or Terry Steinbach. Do you really need to know more about Jamie Moyer?
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