The Diamondbacks have signed Mike Hampton to a minor-league contract, according to a team press release. Hampton will be assigned to Arizona's Triple-A franchise in Reno.
When last we heard from Hampton, he was set to miss the entire 2010 season after undergoing surgery on his left rotator cuff. It was just the latest in a series of health setbacks for Hampton, who made just 25 total starts between 2005 and 2008 due to a variety of injuries, including Tommy John surgery. Hampton is a two-time All-Star, but the southpaw is best known for the eight-year, $121MM deal he signed with Colorado before the 2001 season that is often included in "worst contract ever" discussions.
According to Jack Magruder of FOXSportsArizona.com (Twitter link), Hampton will start for Reno on Monday but pitch just the first inning, as Hampton is being converted to relief pitching. Hampton threw a 60-pitch bullpen session for the Snakes on Wednesday and D'Backs GM Jerry Dipoto told Magruder that Hampton will be a "positive influence" on his younger teammates (both Twitter links).
…wow. They are desperate.
[insert joke about D’Backs being really desperate here]
they’re more desperate than a 50 year old divorcee with 2 sons, oh,oh, thank you(rodney dangerfield impression.)
boooooooooooooooo
lol i tried
Ken Rosenthal is now reporting that the DBack’s have signed Rick Vaughn to be their closer.
Does the haircut come with him?
Yes. And the haircut has an option for 2011.
I like Vaughn’s haircuts chances of doing something in 2011 more than I do Mike Hampton’s chances.
Forget Rick Vaughn! Gimme Kenny Powers!
Sal Fasano.
How is the Arizona school system?
Maybe he is being signed strictly as a pinch-hitter.
and pinch runner…he had good speed back in the day.
hes a clubhouse guy for AAA…dont really see why everyone is joking about this…its not a bad move considering hes getting virtually nothing…i would rather a MLB experienced journeyman then a career minor leaguer any day
I hope the SCHOOLS are good in Arizona!
Doesn’t matter now- His kids are in graduate school
Isn’t he the villain from Unbreakable?
Mike Hampton? He went from being a pitcher who was never injured to a pitcher who is always injured. You would think he’d get tired of rehabbing almost non stop. Hey, more power to him. He did manage to stay on the mound last year for more than half the year for the Astros. He wasn’t very good, but he did make it back. I can’t bring myself to make fun of him. The dude obviously still wants to play.
How old is Mike Hampton? Old enough to have shared a bullpen with Ted Power, who used to close games for a Dodgers team that featured the first player ever drafted by Major League Baseball, Rick Monday.That’s two degrees away from the dawn of the true modern age of baseball. (Go back two more degrees [via Don Blasingame] and you get from Hampton to Harry “The Hat” Walker in four degrees. Yikes. Five degrees gets you to Pepper Martin, and six to Grover Cleveland Alexander.)(EDIT: Also six to Rabbit Maranville, but that’s not quite as impressive to most.)
Wow this is a WTF moment if I have ever seen one.
The MiLB season is almost over. This really makes no sense. Is he going to contribute at the MLB level this season. I don’t see it.
Good move that pen needs a lefty.
Rumor has it … he was one of Bernie Madoff clients. Come to find out he couldn’t get him out either.
Oh my god I’m tired of hearing about this guy. He was never worth he money he got which was always over 10MM$ a year. The only season he was worth more than one million was 1999. Other than that, it’s injury after injury, after injury.
Good move by the D-Backs. I think it would be better if they made the move around late June or early July but it works. Great orginizational depth signing, and at this point Mike Hampton can bring a veteran vibe to the clubhouse. He is not going to be great nor expected to do anything spectatcular but I can see him really helping out this team. This is basically a win win situation because if he does bad who cares it’s the D-Backs and there not contending right now, but if he does good then you win because it was a minor league contract. So good work D-Backs.
Mike Hampton was so excited about signing a minor league contract with the D-back that he attempted to try to do a back flip, in which he failed, and ended up breaking every bone in his body and now he is on the disabled list for the next 10 years.
I think they signed him for his power rather than his arm, because they really need offense.