Jamie Moyer has battled time and again to prolong his career to an age that few in baseball ever come close to reaching. Pitching beyond the age of 48-years old, however, may not happen for Moyer has he’s set to undergo Tommy John surgery.
On the facebook page for his foundation, Moyer wrote, “It’s official – Jamie is having surgery Wednesday and we are cautiously optimistic Superman make a comeback!”
Optimism is the key word here because Moyer may reach 50 by the time he’s able to pitch in any sort of game again. Tommy John surgery can take anywhere between 12 and 18 months, but this sort of surgery isn’t often done for pitchers in their late 40’s. As Dave Murphy pointed out in the Daily News, John Franco was the last instance of a pitcher undergoing this procedure in his 40’s. Franco had the surgery at 42 and went on to pitch three more seasons.
Moyer just will not take no for an answer. His drive and guile should be applauded, however, sometimes you have to know when to say when. After his rehabilitation is complete, it’s hard to believe a major league team will give him anything more than a tryout. Really, that’s all Jamie Moyer needs. He’s surprised people before, he’ll likely do it again.
