Reliever's long journey leads home
At 39, Bradenton resident Mark Guthrie seeks work in the Devil Rays bullpen.
By DAVE SCHEIBER
Published February 25, 2005
ST. PETERSBURG - Devil Rays reliever Mark Guthrie has rambled through major-league baseball long enough that his first name could be Woody.
"Unfortunately, he's no relation," the veteran said, smiling. "If you heard me sing, you would know that."
But if there's a land made for Guthrie, it's here on Florida's west coast. The 1983 Venice High graduate and current Bradenton resident is back for his 16th season after missing the 2004 campaign because of shoulder surgery. He's also reunited with Tampa Bay, which he pitched for briefly in 2000.
How far his journey in baseball continues remains to be seen. But at 39, the oldest player in Rays camp feels good and is glad to have a shot at continuing his career in his hometown.
"It's really nice not having to uproot my family for spring training," the 6-4, 215-pound left-hander said before morning workouts at the Naimoli complex. "I have an 11-year-old boy (Kevin) and a 9-year-old boy (Ryan), and as they get older, it gets tougher. Ever since this team was in existence, I've always wanted to play at home. So this is nice. It's a good situation, with a young, fresh team, and I look forward to it."
Guthrie has particularly enjoyed being able to attend his sons' Little League games with wife Andrea. "We just had opening night on Saturday," he said. "It was really special to be there. I talk to a lot of guys who have kids in that age range, and when you go to spring training, you never get to see it."
Guthrie's last go-round with the Rays was over almost before it began. After starting the season with the Chicago Cubs, he went 1-1 with Tampa Bay with a 4.50 ERA in 32 innings. But just before the trade deadline, he was dealt to Toronto.
Guthrie's services remained in heavy demand after the season. In 2001, he pitched for Oakland, posting a 6-2 record with a 4.47 ERA. The next season, he was a New York Met, finishing 5-3 with a 2.44 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 48 innings. His tour de force was a club-record scoreless streak over 33 games covering 27 innings.
In 2003, Guthrie rejoined the Cubs, going 2-3 with a 2.74 ERA (allowing only 14 of 50 inherited runners to score). The Cubs lost to the Marlins in the NLCS, in which Guthrie made three appearances, including an 11th-inning loss in Game 1.
Last year, Guthrie signed with Pittsburgh, but he was released late in spring training as his left shoulder began to give him problems. After surgery to repair a torn labrum, he missed the season, then endured months of grueling rehabilitation. "It was frustrating, because as the spring went on my shoulder felt worse, but it was a relief to know there was something going on there and it wasn't just old age," he said. "I just got it fixed, and rehabbed all year and decided that if my rehab went well I'd try again, and if it didn't, I'd shut it down."
Indeed, retirement crossed his mind. "You have to be realistic," he said. "You don't know how the healing process is going to go. Fortunately, it went very well for me. But I didn't really know till last month, when I started throwing from the mound and I was pain-free for the first time in a while."
The Rays signed Guthrie to a minor-league contract Jan. 19 and hope his experience can help.
"He looks good," Tampa Bay pitching coach Chuck Hernandez said. "But Mark knows what he needs to feel like as we go on through this camp. He's a veteran, and he will know before we know how much more he feels he has left. This isn't his first rodeo."
In fact, he has played for eight teams since his rookie season in 1989 with Minnesota, with whom he won a World Series ring in 1991. In addition to pitching in the postseason with the Cubs, he pitched in the division series in 1995 and 1996 with the Dodgers and with Oakland in 2001. And he ranks No. 9 among active pitchers with 765 appearances.
So what would make this season a success for him?
"Just to be able to be counted upon," he said. "Get back into a reliable kind of role, to notice that the manager has confidence to put me in when the game is on the line. As a reliever, that's all you can ask for."
Guthrie got to watch the Rays plenty last season on TV, so he said he feels like he knows this team well.
"I think the last few years, a lot of teams have proven the maturation process can have no ceiling," he said. "Look at the Marlins and the way they won a couple of years ago. And once that realization is felt here, these guys can accomplish anything."