« Showalter wins Manager of the Year award | Main | Texas signs two Rays »
November 12, 2004
Brocail Re-signs
Doug Brocail signed a one-year, $1 million contract for 2005.
A reasonable signing, though nothing over which to celebrate. Brocail looked dead at least year's All-Star break. Why was Texas holding on to a 37-year-old with a 7.45 ERA? Inexplicably, Brocail caught fire in the second half, allowing only a .224 average and no homers in 33 innings. He also pitched some high-leverage innings when Carlos Almanzar began to falter.
Brocail turns 38 in May, and three months of brilliance do not guarantee future results. Still, he's more likely to pitch well than Rosman Garcia or Travis Hughes, and if he doesn't, his salary doesn't sting too much.
Brocail clearly loves to pitch. Arm troubles limited him to a couple of minor-league innings in 2001 and none in 2002 and 2003. That he could suffer through three years of essentially no game action and then pitch effectively at age 37 is a testament to his dedication.
Posted by Lucas at November 12, 2004 09:25 AM