Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports
Former ace Mark Mulder has thrown bullpen sessions and worked out for several teams, including the Arizona Diamondbacks, in a comeback attempt according to a post by Fansided’s own Bryan Rose found here.
Mulder was one of those pitchers who retired prematurely after suffering several injuries and barely lasted nine seasons going 103-60. The only problem is the fact that it has been five years since Muler last threw a pitch in the Major Leagues. At the same time it was reported that his velocity was up around 88-92 mph on his fastball.
Mulder put up impressive numbers in his nine seasons between Oakland and St. Louis going 103-60 with a 4.18 ERA, with 834 strikeouts and a 1.34 WHIP. Most of those numbers are bloated because of his last three injury-filled seasons in which he totaled 113 innings. In fact if you dig deeper into his statistics, you find more reasons for the D’backs to sign him. For his career he averaged 1 home run every nine innings, 2.8 walks per nine innings, 5.7 strikeouts per nine innings, and a 2.02 strikeout to walk ratio. Even with his down years, these are awesome averages.
Mulder was an ace when he was healthy, who could bring legitimacy to the starting rotation of the Diamondbacks, a veteran presence to help the young talent on the team. GM Kevin Towers is only missing his free agent starter on his offseason wish list and this could be the best possibility. The only issue is going to be how much Mulder will want to make after five seasons of not being an MLB pitcher. It is a free agent signing that is low-risk, high-reward as long as the price is right.
Christian Moffett, a fellow Venom Strikes writer argues the D-backs don’t need Mulder nor have a place for him has a point. My main reason for supporting Mulder is he would be a cheap alternative to Matt Garza or any other free agent pitcher Towers is after. What do you think of Mulder’s possible return? Would you like to see Mulder in Sedona Red? Let us know in the comments below.
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