Scot Shields sounded as if he was closing the door on his baseball career last September, but while the veteran reliever says he is still "not leaning any way" about whether or not he wishes to continue pitching, Shields seemed a bit more open to returning in an interview with Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.
"If something comes along that seems like it's a good deal in a good place, I will play. If not, I'll be happy to stay home and spend time with my family," Shields said. "I feel really good….It doesn't take me long to get ready for the season. If I do play, I'll have a lot of desire to prove I can still pitch."
DiGiovanna speculates that if Shields does return, either with the Angels or another team, it will be on a minor league contract given Shields' injury-plagued 2009 and 2010 seasons. If Shields is healthy, he could provide a team with a nice right-handed bullpen option. The 35-year-old posted a 2.93 ERA, a 2.53 K/BB ratio and an 8.2 K/9 rate in 428 appearances with the Halos between 2001 and 2008, earning a "set-up man of the decade" distinction from Sports Illustrated.
Wish the guy well whatever he does. He really was an unsung hero to the Angels’ successes the last 8 years…at least to those not fans of the Halos.
Aren’t you over looking “Donkey” Donnely there?
How that Sports Illustrated article put Beltran in over Ichiro is beyond me, even after reading their excuse. Probably a good call on Shields, though.
Shields was a beast and very underappreciated. It would be nice to see if he has anything left in the tank.
Watching him the past few years you could still see a lot of action on the ball. Decrease in velocity was part of the problem. However, the biggest culprit of his demise was his control. He was all over the place. Even when he would throw a strike it seemed more like luck than skill. If he could regain his control I have no doubt that he would be more than just a useful arm on an MLB team.
Anaheim had the best setup guys in the game for years with Shields and the Donkey. There was just -0- way a team had a chance from the 7th and 8th inning with those guys rested.
Come on out to Rockies spring training Scot!
A team like the Pirates, Royals or Indians should take a chance on this guy. They need pitching help more than anybody
Scot Shields = “The Cal Ripken of the Bullpen”
I’m not sure it’s his decision to make. As great as he once was, scioscia ran him into the ground during his rubber-armed glory years. I think he’s done.
Agreed on Ichiro. Even assuming he starts to decline there’s a good chance he’ll get his 4,000th professional hit by 2013.
Try looking at single season slugging rates. The top 6 are all Bonds and Ruth.