Now Batting 9th: Bruce Chen

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Just because we’re in the off-season doesn’t mean we stop caring about mediocre ballplayers taking up perfectly good space on upcoming lineups. And one guy you thought (or wished) you saw the last of, is coming back for another season – Kansas City Royals pitcher, Bruce Chen – yup, he’s still playing. I was surprised too. 

Can you imagine a major league professional baseball team starting a 35-year old pitcher with a losing lifetime record in his 14th season? Well, if you’re a Royals fan – yes you can. Because your club has been starting the veteran for the past three years… and he’s coming back.

This is a real picture supplied by Major League Baseball

I spend every spring at Royals' camp in Surprise, Arizona and true to its name, I’m always surprised to see the lineup this team throws together. I’m always even more surprised to see the flock of fans who come out to support the boys in baby blue. And may I say, they are the nicest and smartest baseball fans around. A lot of that comes from knowing their history and reminiscing about the golden age of Royals folklore when guys like George Brett, Frank White and Hal McRea roamed the field. Even though there are glimmers of hope in guys like Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer, the diehards are not fooled by the hard cold reality of where they’ll be come October.

But it’s because of teams like KC, that there’ll always be a place for guys like Bruce Chen. I’m not going to waste too much time telling you Chen’s life story – like how he was born in Panama City and attended Georgia Tech. Blah, Blah, Blah – who cares. Let’s get into the real meat and bones of Chen’s overstayed welcome in the big leagues...

Lifetime Record:
Win-Loss Record: 71-72
ERA: 4.60
SO: 1022
BB: 493

Salary:
The lefty originally signed a 1-year, $600,000 deal with the Royals in 2009. From there, he signed consecutive 1-year deals including a 1-year, 2 million dollar deal for 2011. At the beginning of the 2012 season, the Royals front office decided they couldn’t risk Chen going anywhere else and locked him into a sweet 2-year, 9 million dollar deal. Before that, his best contract came in 2006 when the Orioles handed him 1-year for 3.8 million dollars.

Chen’s current salary earnings (not counting the 4.5 million for 2013) equals: $13,477,500.00.

Now for all you mathematicians out there, look away because we don’t need you to know that these numbers just don’t add up.

Strategy:
One of Chen’s strategies for his long tenure, is his banking on the fact that there’ll always be a place for him on one team or another. I mean there are 26 teams in the majors after all. They can’t all have hot young pitching prospects.

Take a gander at some of the teams who have employed Chen over the years and notice his stays are pretty short (KC being the exception, of course):

Atlanta Braves (1999-2000)
Philadelphia Phillies (2000-2001)
New York Mets (2001-2002)
Montreal Expos (2002)
Cincinnati Reds (2002)
Boston Red Sox (2003)
whew...
Houston Astros (2003)
Baltimore Orioles (2004-2006)
Texas Rangers (2007)
Kansas City Royals (2009-present)
 
Suggestion:
If you live in a town where the Royals will be visiting, here’s my advice – check out their pitching schedules, determine when Chen will be starting and buy your tickets. Seeing this sheep in sheep’s clothing will make your baseball-fan career. Plus, your team will likely score a ton of runs and probably win by a very large margin. Go team!