There is never any sense in giving up.
Just ask former Winnipeg Goldeyes pitcher, Jeff Zimmerman. After five elbow surgeries and almost eight seasons out of the game, Zimmerman is back.
And he’s throwing 90 miles per hour with that same biting slider that got him into the big leagues more than a decade ago.
On Tuesday, Zimmerman told goldeyes.com that he had signed a one-year agreement with the Seattle Mariners and would start his formal comeback this week at the Mariners spring training facility in Peoria, Arizona.
Zimmerman, who will turn 37 in August, has spent his entire career battling the odds. But this time, the odds were so long, nearly everyone in baseball believed they were impossible to overcome.
And to think, his long road to The Show started right here in Winnipeg.
In the spring of 1997, Zimmerman drove from his home in Alberta (he was born in Kelowna, B.C., all the way to Winnipeg, just to attend a Goldeyes open tryout camp at Winnipeg Stadium. The manager at the time, Hal Lanier, fell in love with Zimmerman’s darting slider and signed him to a Northern League contract and while Zimmerman, 24 at the time, didn’t tear up the league immediately, he did pitch consistently enough to finish with a 9-2 record, a 2.82 earned run average and a club-record 140 strike outs. With that he led all pitchers in earned run average and won the Northern League Rookie Pitcher of the Year award.
More importantly, he signed a contract with the Texas Rangers organization and by April of 1999 had pitched himself into the big leagues.
At the time, Zimmerman became only the second Goldeyes pitcher to reach the big leagues (after Mike Cather), but little did he know where his rookie season in the Majors would take him.
With Texas, Zimmerman was an instant success. By mid-season he had a record of 7-1 with a 1.22 earned run average and was selected to pitch in the 1999 All-Star game in Boston. He had the baseball world at his feet after he came into the game at Fenway and shut down four of the National League’s most fearsome hitters – Brian Jordan, Jeff Kent, Vladimir Guerrero and Alex Gonzalez.
He was so good in his rookie season that he signed a three-year $10 million deal with the Rangers.
It appeared as if he was on easy street.
But all was not well. Zimmerman was pitching more often than he ever had in his career and the pressure to throw his almost-unhittable slider was taking its toll on his elbow. By 2001, he had nothing left. His elbow was shredded and after going 4-4 with a 2.40 ERA in 2001, it appeared his career might be over.
He did everything he could to get back into baseball. He had not one, but two Tommy John surgeries. He had two other procedures and three scopes. In total, he had five invasive operations and seven procedures, but by 2005, it was apparent he’d never pitch again.
“I kind of gave up and admitted to myself that it was probably over,” Zimmerman said, via telephone from the Mariners camp in Peoria.
“So I just kind of went about the business of helping Andrea raise the kids and didn’t think much about it.”
But this winter, Zimmerman grew tired of “getting in my wife’s way,” so in January he picked up a baseball again, just to see if he could throw it without any pain.
What happened next was a shock.
“Right away I was able to throw a baseball without any discomfort at all,” he said. “I sometimes find it hard to believe that after all that time, I was completely healthy again. I threw the ball in January and I had no trouble getting it into the high eighties.
“So I called my agent and asked if he could get me a shot with a big league organization. He called back and said he’d set up a tryout with Seattle.
“So I threw for the scouting staff and then the next day, threw for the GM and the manager and the coaches. Long story short, they’ve offered me a contract. I’m a Seattle Mariner.
Zimmerman expects to spend a few weeks working on his fitness and mechanics at extended spring training. Then he figures he’ll be assigned to the Mariners Double A franchise in Jackson, Tenn.
“It’s something I never expected,” Zimmerman said. “But here we are.
“I think having John Wetteland around to watch me throw was the difference. I played with John and he knew me when I was at my best. He’s the Mariners bullpen coach and his words carry a lot of weight. He told them I looked like “the old Zim,” and that was huge for me. After I finished throwing, they all seemed genuinely happy for me. After hearing all the stories of my rehab woes, I got the feeling they were really happy to see me throwing like I used to throw.”
It’s been almost eight years since Zimmerman threw in the big leagues. In fact, he pitched in the last game in 2001 and hasn’t thrown in the majors since. According to Zimmerman, it now feels exactly as it did when he drove across the west and made the Goldeyes in ‘97.
“I feel exactly as I did that day in Winnipeg,” he said. “I’m nervous and excited. My body is full of energy and I can barely sleep. It’s the greatest feeling I could ever imagine.”