The Padres are signing reliever Joe Beimel to a minor league contract, reports Dennis Lin of the Athletic (Twitter link). He’ll be assigned to Double-A San Antonio.
It’s nothing short of remarkable that Beimel has worked his way back to affiliated ball. Now 44 years old, he first broke into the big leagues with the Pirates in 2001. Beimel appeared in the majors every year from that point through 2011 but didn’t crack a big league roster in 2012 or 2013. The southpaw returned in 2014 with the Mariners and threw 92 1/3 major league innings over the next two seasons. A 2016 minor league deal with the Royals didn’t lead to a big league opportunity, and Kansas City released him that July. Beimel hasn’t pitched in affiliated ball since then, and he hasn’t appeared on MLBTR’s pages in any capacity since March 2017. Against all odds, he’s made it back.
It’s anyone’s guess whether Beimel will prove effective enough to eventually earn a major league call. He has recently been throwing in the mid-90s, Lin notes, suggesting he’s still got plenty of arm strength despite his age and the long layoff. Scott Kazmir got back to the big leagues with the Giants last month following a five-year absence. Beimel will look to make it back after six years away. Over the course of his career, Beimel has worked to a 4.06 ERA across thirteen seasons.
I wonder how these discussions even began, but good for Joe!
what!?
AJ Preller: “Alexa, who is the most random player we can sign?”
tbh I’m a much bigger fan of Preller’s out of the box signings than his trades.
More like “Alexa, buy more shampoo” … “Signing Joe Beimel.”
Calling Bartolo Colon
You should see his workouts, they’re legendary.
I have got to see this guy’s MLBTR archives for when he was last mentioned…
Good grief – Tatis was 2 when Beimel broke into the majors. Something tells me Preller is being pushed to remake “THE ROOKIE” with a hard-R rating, to be played by Vince Vaughn.
baseball-reference.com/players/b/beimejo01.shtml
If Preller is played by Jon Favreau, I’d watch that.
Pujols was 30.
Glad I wasn’t drinking anything, I snorted when I read that Pujols jab.
Time to bust out mah Joe Bommel bobble head!
Did Joe Beimel ever throw mid-90s? I remember him as a ground ball specialist.
Not even an exceptional groundball specialist, his career GB% is 47%. The MLB average from 2002-2015 (Beimel’s career except 2001, where GB% is not available on FanGraphs) was between 43%-45%.
What I recall is that Beimel was one of those guys that had enough deception to get lefthanded batters out, but wasn’t particularly adept at getting grounders or strikeouts.
I can’t find any articles about him training at any pitching facility like you normally hear in a situation like this, but he does own a similar type of facility.
Joe Biemel knows how to get free advertising.
So young.
Yet so cynical.
Hahah I’m just considering all angles. Not that (if that’s the case) it’s a bad thing. These are the type of business moves that I respect the most. I can always appreciate a unique solution to an old problem.
Of course I’m just thinking out loud here, but I’d like to think he’s “using the league” to his benefit.
Hey, if that’s an angle he’s playing I’ve no problem with it. & he made just over $7MM in his career which isn’t really all that much.
I respect the hustle.
& the youthful cynicism.
Beimel threw in the 85-88 range from what I recall in his time with the Dodgers. Suspicious a bit that he’s throwing 95 at age 44.
Worked for Jimmy Morris. Was Beimel teaching High School science classes by chance?
It’s not steroids or anything silly that you’re probably suggesting, it’s called working out.
He’s literally talking about the movie The Rookie..
It’s fairly well accepted you can teach velocity nowadays. That was not the thought in the 2000s.
He supposedly owns a gym. Not a stretch to think he could be doing the same drills he’s teaching 17 year olds to do for the next 20 years. He’s a former pro athlete for 13 MLB seasons, likely 15+ it you count the minors. He may just be very good at taking care of himself..
I’m stronger and have more endurance now at age 42 than I did twenty years ago, simply through determination and closely monitoring my diet. Like it’s not even close, and I exercised like a madman back then too. It’s not so uncommon anymore, and the PED accusation is simply not as plausible as it was 20 years ago. Good luck to the man, and Godspeed!
Beimel basically said, “I’ll see your Scott Kazmir… and I’ll raise you”.
Well, that’s it. The Padres are invincible now.
Well, his HOF candidacy will get pushed back by 5 years…
Would be pretty awesome if a player made the hall of fame and then came back to play in the majors
Jim Palmer tried that. Went to Spring Training but quit back in 1991 after getting elected to the HoF.
They only signed him because Gaylord Perry said he wouldn’t come out of the bullpen and AJ had to go to plan B.
Anyone know what Jamie Moyer, Terry Mulholland, Jesse Orosco and Jeff Fassero are up to these days?
Joe Beimel actually pitched on the same staff as Mulholland.
Nice. Off topic but Mullholland had a nice long career. Crazy how he went to NY after those big years in Philly and stunk it up. Long list of pitchers who went through that. Kenny Roger’s to Sonny Gray.
Well, yes it’s only minor league but Preller doesn’t want to get caught like last year with only one healthy pitcher in the rotation come playoff time.
Playoffs? Maybe. Going deep in postseason- nah. If this is a depth signing good luck. Less than impressed by the performance of this team. Still believe no ones beats the Dodgers.
What next? Dbacks sign George Sherril.
He was really good for like two seasons, if I remember correctly.
Troy from West Virginia is stoked.
“A big belly man,
who nonchalantly scratches his can…”
Wow! Guess I’ll have to Beimel self his jersey!
Yea! I can use another arm on my “all older than me team.”
I wonder if he is coming back for pension purposes. Maybe he is really close to 10 full years. He pitched in parts of 13 years, he may or may not have done the full 10. I would guess yes.
Jeez. My “all older than me team” would be mostly dead guys…
Certainly no one currently pitching in MLB, serious.
Fangraphs has him at 11.000 seasons for service time. Doesn’t seem to be the pension
Geez feeling a little squirrelly now maybe I go throw a few in the yard……
Really?
Blake Snell. Can you say “duh”? Of course, followed by a de Grom two-run single.
Get your head in the game, son.
Parents, take note. Tie your kid’s right arm to their side so they are forced to learn to throw left-handed.
I’ll have to file an IT tickets as the site is now stuck in 2007 mode.
Maybe later tonight, the Reds will sign Josh Fogg
I hope Troy from West Virginia isn’t on house arrest so he can see his hero pitch once more.
“There’s a monster loose in O-hi-o!”
Originally drafted the same year as Eric Milton and Kris Benson. A year after Roy Halladay. Crazy.
So there’s still hope for Al Alburquerque
FOR FANS OF GUYS WHO PITCHED UNTIL THEY WERE REALLY OLD:
Here’s a fun interview/knuckleball instructional video with Hoyt Wilhelm. He’s about 35 here. The seven-and-a-half-minute clip is sponsored by Palmolive Rapid-Shave. Hmmm. Could it be that Ol’ Hoyt was cheating by throwing a shaving cream ball?
youtube.com/watch?v=PcMUQFBij-c
Wow, that’s a former Pirate I never thought I’d hear about again. Maybe they’ll sign Pedro Ciriaco next.
Can he hit?
Having a 4.06 ERA with a higher 4.53 FIP and only 5.0 K/9 shows he has been very lucky
Sounds like a deceptive lefty that relied on weak contact & he played during the steroid era where scoring was at its highest in the last 50 years, minus 2019?
Hey. That’s exactly what it was..
Last thing I remember about Beimel was when he pitched for the Dodgers in the playoffs. He went out the night before got drunk, broke a glass and cut the hell out his hand. He lied about the injury.
And he was supposed to be the top lefty out of the pen vs a lefty heavy Met team. LA was swept with the pen losing all 3 games
Game 1 was tied in the 8th, then LA lost it. Game 2 the pen gave up 3 of the 4 runs, with Beilmel’s replacement giving up half of those runs. Game 3 was tied again into the 6th, then a trio of relievers laid an egg. Beimel isn’t responsible for all of that of course. But it’s not hard to draw a connection at all
It was “a glass of water.”
“The Legend of Joe Beimel” lives on, #97!!
Fangraphs links to an article from a Pro Day he attended in February of 2019 where was allegedly throwing low 90s and in great shape.
I remember, for some reason I think, that Joe Beimel had a great or good pickoff stat in mlb 2k11. That’s all I can think of