Mike Hampton has had one of the strangest careers of any pitcher in history.
A 148-105 record, an ERA of 4.07 - not too shabby. But it could have been so much better.
He was almost considered a bust when he initially came up with the Mariners, but found his groove in the National League. He was a decent starter for the Astros until 1999, when for a brief period he was best pitcher in the NL, going 22-4 with a 2.90 ERA. And 10 years ago, he had impeccable timing; it was his free-agent year.
Colorado signed him to a massive contract - eight years, $121 million - and, like most pitchers traded to Colorado in that era, he suddenly couldn't get anybody out in the thin mountain air. After two terrible seasons he was traded to Florida, then Atlanta, his massive contract passed around like a hot potato. He won 14 games in 2003 with the Braves, then hurt his elbow and had to have Tommy John ligament transplant surgery in 2005. Then an oblique tear in 2007, followed by more elbow surgery. He finally came back late in 2008 after almost three years off, and finished that monster contract.
That would have been enough for most people. But Hampton is like the Energizer bunny - they patch him up and he comes back. If he threw with his right hand, his career would have probably ended five years ago, but good lefties are hard to find. And mediocre lefties - that's all Hampton is now - can still make a living.
The Astros brought him back with a $2 million deal and milked seven wins out of Hampton this season before, of course, he got hurt again. He had rotator cuff surgery - he had a full tear in the shoulder muscle - and will miss the entire 2010 season.
It will be 2011, and Hampton will be 38, but he just might come back one more time. And he also might have knee surgery, too.
"The perception is people begrudge him what he makes, and he could have gone home, but he continues to battle," Astros teammate Aaron Boone, no stranger to comebacks himself, told the AP. "He's a phenomenal athlete. He's been a very good pitcher for a long time. I wouldn't put anything past him."
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