What I’ll be watching this week is the comeback attempt of Pedro Martinez. Pedro signed a one year contract with the Philadelphia Phillies earlier this month, and is currently on the 15 day disabled list, throwing in minor league games as he works his way back to the big leagues.
Pedro is one of the greatest pitchers of all time, so it’s easy to see the Phillies attraction. He has given numerous virtuoso performances, with my personal favorite being his dismantling of the Cleveland Indians, as he heroically trotted out of the bullpen in the 1999 playoffs.
While he won’t be pitching at that level anymore, he still brings a wealth of pitching knowledge to Philadelphia’s staff. Imparting his wisdom on young pitchers like Cole Hamels and J. A. Happ could be an invaluable contribution for the fightin’ Phils.
The real question however, is whether or not Pedro has enough left in the gas tank to be an effective major league starter. There have been multiple cases in which a once great starter failed spectacularly in a comeback attempt. See Tom Seaver, David Cone…and (gulp) John Smoltz. Whether Pedro can succeed where so many other great pitchers have failed remains to be seen.
Regardless of how it all shakes out, I’m glad he is back. Pedro is nothing if not entertaining. He is a showman through and through, whether he is threatening to wake up the Bambino and drill him in the backside, or opining about his days underneath the Mango tree. His starts are no longer appointment viewing, but that doesn’t matter. Baseball is more fun with Pedro involved.
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