Angels News: Former pitcher wants one more year before retirement

Former Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim pitcher Bartolo Colon wants to suit up for one more MLB season.

Bartolo Colon has pitched 21 years in Major League Bas

eball and hasn’t appeared in a game since 2018. However, the soon-to-be 47-year-old right-hander hasn’t given up on pitching at least one more season at the game’s top level.

Speaking with ESPN’s Marly Rivera, Colon admitted that he would like to suit up at least one more season, in any role, and with any team.

“If I had the opportunity, I would play in any league; go anywhere,” said Colon. “If any major league team wants an old man, I’m available!”

Colon last pitched in 2018, when he made 28 appearances (24 starts) for the Texas Rangers. However, things did not go well, as he went 7-12 with a 5.78 ERA, a 5.47 FIP, and a career-low 5.0 K/9 ratio.

That is a far cry from the overall body of work that Colon has put up over the years. In 21 years and with 11 organizations, Colon owns a lifetime record of 247-188 with a 4.12 ERA, a 4.06 FIP, and a 7.6 K/9 ratio.

If he can return to the field at 47, it will be the second time in his career that he returned after a one-year layoff, having previously missed the 2010 season with shoulder issues. He returned to a career-resurgence in 2011, at 38, to go 80-59 from 2011 through 2016, with a 3.63 ERA and a 6.2 K/9 ratio.

Of course, Angels fans have their own fond memories of Big Sexy. Signed as a free agent prior to the 2004 season, Colon went on to win the American League Cy Young award in his first season with Anaheim. During that magical season, he went 21-8 with a 3.48 ERA, a 3.75 FIP, and a 6.3 K/9. The wheels would fall off in the ensuing two seasons, with Colon only making a combined 29 appearances due to a rotator cuff issue.

LA Angels: Which players will excel in a shortened season?

It may be difficult for him to find work in this environment, especially in a shortened season, but you never know what opportunity may arise for a savvy veteran like Bartolo Colon. If not, he’s managed to have quite the career and more than rebuilt his image after his failed drug test in 2012.