|
HE'S BACK!
By Callie Spear
Will he be able to lead the league in pitching yet again? The Atlanta Braves may be taking an enormous gamble. 38-year-old pitcher, John Smoltz finds himself once again returning to the bullpen. Smoltz has decided to restake his claim to fame, but after already having two elbow surgeries, is it smart?
After signing a two-year contract with the Braves Thursday, Dec. 6, Smoltz received a $6 million signing bonus and will now earn $6 million in 2005 and $8 million in 2006. The club also holds an $8 million option for 2007. Thursday’s deal was motivated by Smoltz returning to the starting rotation when the team recently traded for closer, Danny Kolb. Before his contract was reworked, Smoltz stood to earn a base salary of $12 million in 2005 with a bonus clause calling for $100,000 for each start. After reconsideration, Smoltz agreed to exchange his per-game bonus clause for an additional year on his contract.
A 22nd-round draft pick of the Tigers in 1985, Smoltz was traded to the Braves during the 1987 season for Doyle Alexander. He was a major league debut in 1988 and was a fixture in the Braves’ rotation from 1989-1999. In 1996, Smoltz won both the Players Choice Award for Most Outstanding Pitcher and the Cy Young Award after going 24-8 with a 2.94 ERA. He won the Silver Slugger Award in 1997 and shared the Comeback Player of the Year Award in 2002 after setting the National League single-season record for saves with 55. During this time, he joined Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux to give the Braves three starters who won a combined total of six Cy Young Awards with the team in the 1990s.
Smoltz is the only Braves player to have been with the team since the team’s string of 13 consecutive division titles began in 1991.
Smoltz began his career with the Braves as a starter, but was moved to the pen in the 2001 season after missing the previous year recovering from surgery. Smoltz had a second outstanding season as a closer in 2003. Despite missing yet another month, he finished second in the league with 45 saves. At this time he was selected to his sixth All-Star team. He capped off the season by being the Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award.
Since moving to the bullpen, Smoltz has seen his velocity increase. He regularly hits 97 with his fastball, and is also capable of throwing a splitter and knuckle ball, but rarely uses either pitch as a closer.
This year the Braves expect to have found their pace with the Lucky Number Five: Smoltz, Tim Hudson, Mike Hampton, John Thomson and Horacio Ramirez, along with Maddux, John Burkett and Glavine back on top. Yes, the Braves are missing a true closer, but with Smoltz returning as part of the bullpen, even this may be a problem of the past.
|
|
|
No comments yet - join this discussion...
|
|
|
|
|
|
