Wake

*This post was written in late July, but 1.5 months and 18 runs of support later, its time is finally here.

Tim Wakefield is a master craftsman of the highest order. Countless fireballers have erupted onto the big league scene during Wake's career only to be extinguished by injury or ineffectiveness. Through it all, Timmay has trotted out to the mound like the consummate athlete he is, tossing knuckler after dancing knuckler, befuddling his foes. After two decades of slow-pitch dominance, Tim Wakefield is a 200 game winner.

Truly, this is a player worthy of a TDZ career retrospective.




Wakefield was born in 1966. I point this out not because I feel like starting from the beginning, but simply to point out that he's really old - but still going strong. Barring a comeback from Jamie Moyer following Tommy John surgery, Timmay is - and will continue to be - the oldest active player in the bigs.

I still remember his rookie year with the Pirates, where he burst onto the scene with a sparkling 8-1 record and 2.15 ERA. Not since the days of Phil Niekro had a knuckleballer made hitters look so inept. What a late-season pickup Timmay must've been for pioneering fantasy baseball players!

Indeed, a lot's changed since his debut in 1992. The Pirates were good; Nickelodeon was blowing up with "Legends of the Hidden Temple;" people started playing Playstation (the first one); Grunge was popular - incidentally this was the last time plaid was fashionable, outside of eccentric outdoorsman circles.

Wake couldn't quite keep up with the lofty expectations he set in his rookie year. His knuckler became erratic as he walked 9 batters twice, and even 10 batters in one game in 1993. The strike-shortened year of 1994 was no better, as Wakefield spent the entire time in the minors. He was unceremoniously released by the Pirates in April 1995.

Redemption came just 6 days after his release when he was signed by the Boston Red Sox. Working with knuckleball legends Phil and Joe Niekro, Wakefield reharnessed command of the pitch and became a vital starter in the rotation. He finished 1995 with a line of 16-8, a 2.95 ERA, and was 3rd in Cy Young voting as the Red Sox won the AL East.

Since then he's experienced some highs and lows, but, like his record, the good outweighs the bad. Indeed, he gave up a series-ending home run to Aaron bleepin' Boone in 2003, but he later won 2 World Series. Sure, he's led the league in hit batters multiple times, but he's also one of a select few who have struck out four batters in an inning.

All the while, Wake has been whatever the Red Sox have asked him to be: from starter to reliever, from the staff's ace to the bullpen's closer. Perhaps his greatest achievement, however, was as a recipient of the Roberto Clemente Award in 2010 as the player who gives back the most to the community. For this and his plays on the field, he has made MLB, the Red Sox, and planet Earth all the better. May his career continue indefinitely!