Major League Baseball

After year off, Barry Zito working hard at MLB comeback bid

Published May. 6, 2015 11:33 a.m. ET

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Nashville, Tenn. -- For nearly 150 years, Nashville has been home to baseball in one form or another.

Mentioned as early as 1866 according to some historians, the Music City has been home to three separate ballparks, countless numbers of All-Stars transitioning through the ranks and its fair share of minor-league championships. Nashville now finds itself as a point of resurgence for a pitcher who once stood at the top of his profession.

With the sun dropping behind the gorgeous confines of the brand new First Tennessee Park on a mild late-spring evening, a slight breeze accompanied Nashville Sounds pitcher Barry Zito as he took the mound, aiming for his first win of the season.

As 6,412 fans looked on, Nashville dropped its sixth straight game. Zito -- who accepted a minor league assignment from the Oakland Athletics one month prior -- finished the night midway through the fifth inning after recording his 111th pitch, allowing seven hits, four runs, five walks and notching five strikeouts.

"Obviously I walked too many guys tonight so I think that was the difference," said Zito, who won the 2002 AL Cy Young in Oakland. "There were a couple of curveballs I left up when they should have been bounced. I think it was just really two curveballs were the difference."

Through his first six starts for the Sounds, the longtime MLB veteran owns a 5.74 ERA in 31 1/3 innings of work.

Zito routinely finds himself near the top of many statistical categories among active major league pitchers: He's got more career wins and strikeouts than Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander. A three-time All-Star with the Athletics and twice a World Series champion during his tenure with the San Francisco Giants, with more than 300 games played between the two stops, Zito's credentials are noteworthy for a Triple-A pitcher.

"First and foremost, he is a pro," Sounds pitching coach Don Schulze said. "He's still a student of the game. He wants to find out information every time he goes out. Every time we go and throw a side, he's focused and has a great routine. He's always working on something. He's gotten better every time out."

Starting in his sixth game for the Sounds, Zito finds himself settling in for what could be his longest stint in minor-league ball since starting 18 games for the Sacramento River Cats at the turn of the century.

"I'm focusing on what I can control, which is how I throw the ball," Zito said. "This game is tough because you want to control other things. It'll make you crazy. You have to stay on the few things you can control. I think if I do that, things will be good."

Things change as the years tick by. Arms grow tired and bodies begin to fail.

His fastball seemingly falling by the wayside, Zito relied on a mix of changeups and curveballs to send opposing batters back to the dugout. Unfortunately, he couldn't break past 84 miles per hour Tuesday night against the Iowa Cubs.

"A lot of people get all bent out of shape about throwing to the radar gun," Schulze said. "The bottom line is that we got to be able to hit some locations with a little bit of movement. That's something he's been able to do."

The mechanics are there. His windup hasn't changed.

One week shy of his 37th birthday, Zito remains undeterred on his current status.

"I had a plan since August of 2013 to take a year off," Zito said. "My stuff wasn't where it had to be. I wanted to just get better in whatever way I could. I couldn't walk away without doing that. Putting in a full year of work, coming back and seeing what happens over a full season.

"Age is a number I think at some points, but this game continues to be geared more and more to a young player. Veteran players, I think a lot of them the prices on their head is too high as free agents. Where I'm at, body-wise? I feel like I did when I was 30. That's encouraging."

What happens if he can't break back into the majors this season? Where does he go from here?

There are plenty of options for Zito if things don't pan out come October. He could find himself back in Nashville or perhaps another club will take a flyer. When a baseball player starts to edge near 40, however, the question of retirement slowly creeps in.

While too early to tell what Zito's planning to do, LaTroy Hawkins (42) and Bartolo Colon (41) are just two examples of pitchers still enjoying success for their respective teams. It's not unheard of to see pitchers continue to sling the ball that late into their career.

"LaTroy is an inspiration, so is Bartolo," Zito said. "Seeing what these guys are doing at this point in their age with their body? They must have some good secrets that we all want to know.

" ... I feel confident that if I continue to work hard here I can get back to where I want to be. The rest is out of my control."

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