Bartolo Colon will not give up on returning to the majors. He has been adamant that he wants one more year in the major leagues, convinced that he still has something to offer. However, he has been unable to garner any offers, even on a minor league deal, since his last major league appearance in 2018.
But that does not mean that Colon is done in professional baseball. He has signed a deal with the Acereros de Monclova in the Mexican Baseball League.
RHP Bartolo Colon reached a one-year deal with @AcererosOficial in @LigaMexBeis, per @Beisbolpuro.@z101digital @ZDeportes pic.twitter.com/zXdP5OnjNs
— Héctor Gómez (@hgomez27) February 16, 2021
Bartolo Colon is still going strong
Colon had planned on playing in the Mexican League last year. He had signed with the Acereros for the 2020 campaign as well, again with an eye towards earning a major league offer. However, due to the pandemic, the 2020 season was canceled, leaving Colon on the slow pitch softball diamonds, where he was treating opposing pitchers as though they were James Shields.
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It would be understandable if Colon wanted to call it a career. He will turn 48 years old during the upcoming season, and has already had a solid career. The fan favorite has been a four time All Star and won the 2005 AL Cy Young award. Over the course of his career, he has posted a 247-188 record with a 4.12 ERA and a 1.312 WHiP in his 3461.2 innings, striking out 2535 batters with 948 walks.
While Colon had been a dependable innings eater through his career, he just did not appear to have anything left. In his final two years in the majors, he combined for a 14-26 record with a 6.13 ERA and a 1.465 WHiP over his 289.1 innings. He struck out 170 batters with only 60 walks, but also served up 60 homers in that time.
But hope springs eternal. As teams are contemplating using six man rotations, and starters may not be able to handle the same sort of workload, having someone that can provide six solid innings will be important. If Colon pitches well in Mexico, he may be able to make that comeback he has desired.
Bartolo Colon is still going strong. If he can have a solid showing in Mexico, he may well be able to parlay that into one more chance at the majors.