With a one-point finish after reversing his retirement he turned his life around at 37 and signed a two-year extension
The pitcher, who returned to the Major League after seven years of absence after reversing his retirement, turned into a one-point finish in three years. At the late age of 37, he even won a two-year contract extension. Colorado Rockies right-hander Daniel Bad (37) is the main character of the reversal of his life.
Colorado officially announced a two-year, $19 million extension contract with Bard on the 31st of last month (Korea Standard Time). There were also expectations that Colorado, the fifth-largest player in the western part of the National League, would put Bard in the trade market, but it will continue to accompany him until 2024 with a two-year contract extension.
“When I decided to play baseball again three years ago, I didn’t know what would happen or which team would recruit me, but I took the opportunity in Colorado. The club would have looked crazy when they signed with me for the first time. But Colorado trusted me from the first day, and I’m still showing faith in myself,” he recalled when he signed a minor contract with Colorado three years ago.
Bard had a complicated baseball life. He was nominated by the Boston Red Sox as the 28th overall player in the first round in the 2006 draft, drawing attention as a 101-mile fireballer after his big league debut in 2009. He played as a Boston bullpen ace between 2010 and 2011, but collapsed due to poor control after switching to the starting lineup in 2012.
After being released from Boston after two games in 2013, he went back and forth between five teams, but failed to receive a big league call-up. After falling to the Rookie League in 2017, he announced his retirement from active duty after the season. He was 32 years old. Since the following year, he has spent his second baseball career as a mental skill coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks, consulting the players on their concerns
Then one day, I felt that the lost control was caught while playing catch ball with the players, and the desire to return to active duty rose. Two years after his retirement, he reversed this and re-challenged Colorado on a minor contract in January 2020. Even in his mid-30s, he sprayed 99-mile fastballs to announce his strong performance and stood on the big league mound for the first time in seven years 안전놀이터
In that year, he won the Major League Baseball’s Comeback of the Year award with four wins, two losses, six saves, and two holds with a 3.65 ERA in 23 games. Bard, who made his first 20 saves in his debut last year, has already made 20 saves in the first half of this year. He pitched 38이니 innings in 38 games, winning 3 games, losing 22 saves, and striking out 1.86 ERA in the career-high season.
“I’m happy to sign a contract with Bard until 2024,” said Bill Schmidt, Colorado’s general manager who led Bard’s two-year contract extension. Not only was Bard effective on the field, but he added value that could not be measured by leadership in the clubhouse.”