By Jordan Long
Pitcher Carlos Zambrano is trying for an MLB comeback. He has agreed to pitch in the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball with the Chicago Dogs. Their season starts on May 17th and he is hoping to make an impact there.
Zambrano hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since 2012 with the Miami Marlins. That season he went 7-10 with an ERA of 4.49. Zambrano added 95 strikeouts.
The majority of his MLB career was spent with the Chicago Cubs from 2001 to 2011. He was one their top pitchers with a record of 125-81 with an ERA of 3.60. Chicago made the playoffs with him 3 times. Unfortunately, Zambrano was not the same pitcher in the postseason as he was in the regular season with a record of 0-2 and an ERA of 4.34. In his time in the big leagues, his record was 132-91. Zambrano made a name for himself by striking batters out with a total of 1,637.
Zambrano feels he can still pitch at a high level. According to ESPN, Zambrano said, “Why not?” ”Bartolo [Colon] pitched until he was 45. I’m 37.”
Zambrano didn’t really show he could pitch last year. He was with the Leones de Yucatán of the Mexican League. He appeared in 7 games with a record of 2-1 with an ERA of 5.18. His problem was walks giving up 17. Zambrano’s fastball topped out at 89 MPH which isn’t what a Major League Baseball team wants to see. They would like it in the 90’s.
This might be Zambrano’s last chance to make a run at MLB. It is possible if he pitches well for the Chicago Dogs, MLB teams may scout him. From there a franchise might sign him to their team to help with the backend of their pitching rotation. If Zambrano pitches poorly or teams aren’t interested, he needs to retire from the game. This his is last chance to make an impression and keep the MLB comeback alive.
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