Former Padres, Dodgers Pitcher Hasn't Ruled Out MLB Comeback at 47 Years Old

The veteran of 21 MLB seasons had an 8.23 ERA with the Padres.

Aug 12, 2023; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Rich Hill (41) pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Don't call it a comeback — yet.

Rich Hill was the oldest pitcher in Major League Baseball a year ago when he made two appearances for the Kansas City Royals at age 45. He never officially retired, even after announcing in January that he had no plans to play this year.

In an interview this week with ESPN's Buster Olney on the Baseball Tonight podcast, Hill did not rule out pitching in 2027. He turns 47 in March.

“You can only do this for so long," Hill said. "And if you feel like you can maybe — Taylor Rogers up in Toronto has given me hope to come back as a submariner.”

Hill never thrived on velocity during his peak years in his late-30s with the Los Angeles Dodgers. His fastball averaged 88.3 mph in his two games with Kansas City last year. The left-hander got through nine innings by throwing a multi-shaped curveball — his signature pitch — just as often as the four-seamer.

Typically, Hill alternated arm angles from a variety of sidearm positions. Rogers, 35, is a true submariner. The right-hander gets away with an 83.2 mph fastball by virtue of his unique arm angle, which Hill might need to emulate to continue his career.

”If it does [happen], great," Hill said. "If it doesn't, I don't have to ask the question, what if?"

Last year with the Royals, Hill waited until midseason to sign a minor league contract. He acquitted himself well enough at Triple-A Omaha (4-4, 5.36 ERA) to earn a look as a midseason injury replacement.

Hill has pitched for a record-tying 14 teams in a major league career that began in 2005 with the Chicago Cubs, but didn't take off until a decade later, when he retreated to independent ball and reinvented his repertoire.

Hill has spent four seasons with the Cubs, four with the Los Angeles Dodgers and six with the Boston Red Sox. Every other team he's been with hasn't been more than a year-long stint.

Hill isn't currently working on his new delivery. He said his plan is to "build up over the offseason and get on a throwing program again, get back into the gym and continue to keep, you know, working and ... not getting back to where I was, but trying to find a new spot or a new normal of where I can help a team out of the bullpen or possibly start. I don't know. "

"I don't know how that's going to come around," Hill added, "but certainly I don't want to put myself in a position where it's like, 'Yeah, that's it, I'm done.'"

Sign up for our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X/Twitter for the latest news.