Royals' 45-Year-Old 'Capable Of Pitching In The Majors,' Believes MLB Insider
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Comeback stories are always fun. But they're a lot more fun when the player involved has the chance to legitimately help a contending team.
Last season, 44-year-old Rich Hill spent most of the baseball season training in hopes of pitching in the majors. But by the time he signed with the Boston Red Sox and ramped up to game speed, the Red Sox were close to playoff elimination. Not to mention, Hill only threw 3 2/3 innings in a Red Sox uniform this time around.
This year, Hill got a jump start by joining the Kansas City Royals organization in mid-May. And his organizational debut, which took place on Tuesday night, was a tour de force. The now-45-year-old lefty struck out seven of the 12 batters he faced in the Arizona Complex League.
There are still several more boxes for Hill to check before the Royals can consider putting him on the major league roster. But one Major League Baseball insider believes there's credibility to Hill's comeback bid.
On Friday, Robert Murray of FanSided said that Hill's outing, coupled with his self-belief, gave him a legitimate shot at contributing to the Royals this season.
"When the Royals signed Rich Hill, I had someone text that the 45-year-old left-hander believed that he was capable of pitching in the majors," Murray wrote. "After his debut in the minors, in which he retired all 12 batters (struck out seven), I’m tempted to believe him."
Hill has pitched for 13 major league teams already, and he originally debuted with the Chicago Cubs in 2005. His best-ever season came in 2016, split between the Oakland Athletics and Los Angeles Dodgers, and he made 27 big-league starts as recently as 2023.
Do the Royals look like they desperately need Hill right now? Certainly not, but there's always a chance pitching depth could run thin enough later in the season that he could be a contributing factor.
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Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "Kansas City Royals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org
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