Barry Zito Returns to Oakland; What to Expect?
After eight years away, left-handed pitcher Barry Zito is returning to the Oakland Athletics, his first home in the major leagues. There’s no guarantee that Zito will earn an opening day roster spot, or even make the team at all, but his return is a feel good story.
The 36-year-old southpaw is wearing his familiar number 75 in Spring Training. He wore the same number his entire stint in San Francisco, and his last six years in Oakland. In 2000, his rookie season, he wore 53. His eccentricities played a part in him picking that number, as he is famous for saying 75 “creates a shelf” to hold up his name, giving a small insight into his free-spirited personality.
The contrast between Zito’s last two contracts is almost laughable. When he first signed with the San Francisco Giants before the 2007 season, his deal was worth $126 million over seven seasons, making him the highest-paid pitcher in history, at the time.
His current contract, signed earlier in February, is a minor league agreement, with an invitation to Spring Training. If Zito makes the 40-man roster, the deal becomes worth one year and $1 million.
Since 2007, when the San Francisco deal was signed, many players have surpassed the huge sum of money Zito earned. Just this offseason, Jon Lester and Max Scherzer blew that total out of the water. While he is no longer recognized as the highest-paid player, he is known as a big bust.
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His career started out so well in Oakland. In seven years wearing the green and gold, he started 222 games, finished with a 102-63 record and 3.55 ERA. Nine of his 12 career complete games, and four of his five shutouts came with Oakland. He was a three-time All-Star, and won the 2002 Cy Young Award, becoming the fourth A’s pitcher to be honored with the accolade. That year, he lead the majors with 23 wins, to go with his 2.75 ERA and 1.134 WHIP.
After his seventh season, he signed that huge deal with San Francisco, moving to the other side of the Bay. Zito’s fortunes turned in the orange and black, and he was never able to replicate his earlier success.
In seven seasons with the Giants, he pitched in 208 games, with 11 relief appearances, and posted a 63-80 record with a 4.62 ERA. He never posted a full-season ERA under 4.03.
It wasn’t all bad with the Giants. 2012 was the most memory-filled season with the team, as his first start of the year was a complete game shutout against the Colorado Rockies, at Coors Field. No easy feat by any means. The victory ended a three-game losing streak to start the year for the team.
Zito pitched well in the postseason in 2012, after being left off the roster completely in 2010. He started three games, and gave up just three runs in 16 innings. In Zito’s last two starts, one in the NLCS against the St. Louis Cardinals and one in the World Series against the Detroit Tigers, he pitched 13.1 innings, and gave up just a single run, winning both starts. During the run, the world-famous #RallyZito was born, and despite everything that went wrong, he was endeared, once again, to the fans of San Francisco.
Sep 29, 2013; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants pitcher Barry Zito (75) acknowledges fans as he leaves the field against the San Diego Padres during the eighth inning at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
2013 was rough again, possibly Zito’s worst as a Giant. Even through that, after his final appearance with the team, on September 29th against the San Diego Padres, Zito received a standing ovation from the Giants’ crowd. Zito was still as lovable as the magical 2002 season.
Zito’s option for the eighth season was bought out for $7 million, and he became a free agent. He stayed away from baseball in 2014, but is making his return this year, in hopes of resurrecting his career where it all began.
Zito hopes of remaining a starter with Oakland. He told MLB.com’s Jane Lee that “I’ve conditioned my body, my arm, my mind to be a starter.” His focus is clear, and he will need to be as focused as ever to win a job.
The A’s are pretty well packed as far as starting pitchers go. Sonny Gray, Scott Kazmir, Jesse Chavez, A.J. Griffin, Drew Pomeranz, Jesse Hahn, Jarrod Parker, and Chris Bassitt are just some of the starting pitchers in camp with the Athletics. The competition will be fierce and furious, with veterans and prospects all competing for the same spot.
Oakland had success with a similar story last year. Kazmir was an ace with the Tampa Bay Rays, a two-time All-Star, and a key component to getting the Rays to the 2008 World Series, the first, and thus far only, appearance. He fell on hard times, struggling from 2009 to 2011, split between the Rays and the Los Angeles Angels, with a 5.54 ERA and 1.515 WHIP.
After missing the entire 2012 season, he returned in 2013 with the Cleveland Indians, and was fairly good, but in 2014, his first season with Oakland, he turned a great corner.
Kazmir was fantastic in the first half, posting an 11-3 record, combined with a 2.38 ERA and 0.980 WHIP, earning himself his first All-Star bid since 2008. He wore down as the season dragged on, which is understandable, since his 190.1 innings pitched were his most since 2007.
The Athletics are hoping they can rekindle Zito’s magic in the same way they did for Kazmir.
It’s too early in the Spring to tell if Zito is a miraculous comeback story, or if this is another failed comeback attempt by a pitcher. Maybe Zito has his mojo hidden somewhere deep within the bowels of O.co Coliseum, and he needs to pull it out of hiding to return to top form. Maybe #RallyZito will move across the Bay with the pitcher.
One thing is for certain, Zito still has his bread-and-butter pitch, the curveball.