February 27, 2008
The Anti-Tommy John
R. A. Dickey doesn't have an ulnar collateral ligament. Yet he's had a career pitching, and now emerges as a knuckleballer.
Dickey, a huskily bearded father of three, said: "Doctors look at me and say I shouldn't be able to turn a doorknob without feeling pain, and I shouldn't be able to turn the key and start my car without feeling pain. But I'm still here. I feel I have a whole career ahead of me."
Dickey's knuckleball danced through the Pacific Coast League last year, when as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers' Class AAA farm team in Nashville he went 13-6 with a 3.72 earned run average. (He went 9-2 with a 2.51 E.R.A. in his final 15 starts as the pitch started to become particularly effective.) The Minnesota Twins signed him in November, but he was soon snapped up by the Mariners in the Rule 5 draft, meaning Seattle must keep him on its 25-man roster all season or offer him back to Minnesota.
Bill Bavasi, the Mariners' general manager, said that one of Dickey's primary attributes is -- of all things -- his durability. "He can throw four innings in relief tonight and spot start tomorrow," Bavasi said. "He can save your butt by eating a lot of innings."
He's certainly someone to watch this summer.
Posted by David Pinto at
12:23 AM
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If he can't make it back to the Show as a knuckleballer, maybe he could go the Rick Ankiel route. Dickey currently has a major-league batting average of 1.000.
Isn't he the guy who gave up 6 HR in Texas last year? Not much good to keep pitching if all you can do is give up gopher balls.